Nourishing the Future: Empowering Mothers and Children Through Early-Life Nutrition Education (First 1000 Days Initiative)

Dear Colleagues,

The first 1000 days of a child’s life—from preconception to 24 months—are a unique period in which growth, neurodevelopment, and immune–metabolic trajectories can be shaped. Our forthcoming Special Issue will focus on on nutrition education interventions that have demonstrable beneficial effects on caregiver behaviors and child health outcomes, moving beyond advice to tested, scalable solutions. We welcome randomized and quasi-experimental trials; pragmatic and implementation studies using established frameworks; cohort analyses with robust confounding control; and systematic/scoping reviews with preregistered protocols. Research on antenatal/postnatal counseling; breastfeeding and lactation support; timely, safe, and culturally adapted complementary feeding; micronutrient guidance and anemia prevention; responsive feeding and appetite regulation; family food environments; and digital/mHealth strategies against misinformation is of particular interest. Submissions integrating mechanistic endpoints (e.g., iron status, inflammatory and metabolic markers, microbiome), cost-effectiveness, and equity impact in vulnerable populations are also encouraged.

Manuscripts must adhere to CONSORT/TIDieR/EQUATOR standards, report effect sizes with uncertainty, and, where feasible, data and code should be included. We are particularly interested in work that links education to measurable changes in diet quality, breastfeeding/complementary feeding practices, growth and neurodevelopment, micronutrient outcomes, and early obesity risk, and articulates a clear pathway for policy and health-system integration.

Dr. Efrossini Briassouli
Guest Editor

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