What happens in childhood has profound implications for adult life and for national development. Conventionally, particularly in the Millennium Development Goals era, attention on child health focused on under-5 mortality. Globally, under-5 mortality declined by 55% between 1990 and 2016, with Europe being one of the few regions exceeding a 70% decline. But gains in under-5 mortality have not been consolidated in later childhood. Globally, the decline in mortality in children aged 5–14 years has been a more modest 44%, corresponding to an estimated mean of about 1 million (95% CI 0·9–1·1 million) deaths in 2016. Recognition has been increasing of the fact that, although the first 1000 days of life are crucial, the subsequent 7000 days have a pivotal role in individual development and attainment of healthy adulthood. 

Nair, Harish, and Peter Byass, “Mortality in Older Children and Adolescents: The Forgotten Ones,” The Lancet Child & Adolescent Health (March 2018), doi:10.1016/S2352-4642(18)30067-1

URL: www.thelancet.com/journals/lanchi/article/PIIS2352-4642(18)30067-1/fulltext