Child poverty 'damaging children's health', doctors warn
Gabriella Jozwiak
Wednesday, May 10, 2017
Almost all children's doctors in the UK believe children's health is being affected by food insecurity and housing problems, a survey has found.
A poll of 266 paediatricians working in the UK found 95 per cent believed a lack of food provision in their homes was contributing to ill health among the children they treat.
The report, produced jointly by the Royal College of Paediatrics and Child Health (RCPCH) and Child Poverty Action Group (CPAG), also found 88 per cent believed poor housing and homelessness was also contributing to ill health among children.
Meanwhile, more than a third (36 per cent) said they had faced difficulties discharging children because of concerns about housing or food insecurity during 2016.
One doctor commented in the survey that "overcrowded, damp or unsuitable housing amongst our patients is the rule rather than the exception".
Another said: "Many of [our] patients are from low-income families who rely on food banks."
Russell Viner, the RCPCH's officer for health promotion, warned that children living in poverty are more likely to suffer respiratory problems, mental ill health or obesity than children living in more affluent areas.
"Worryingly, almost half of those surveyed feel the problem is getting worse, with the combination of increasing poverty, housing problems and cuts to services meaning more families are struggling," he said.
Viner and CPAG chief executive Alison Garnham have called for the government to reinstate binding national targets to reduce child poverty in efforts to reduce the number of children living in poverty.
They have also demanded public health cuts be reversed to ensure universal early years services, including health visiting and school nursing, are sufficiently funded.
Garnham said low family incomes, inadequate housing and cuts to support services were jeopardising the health of our most vulnerable children.
"We can and must do better to protect the wellbeing of future generations," she urged.
Government statistics published in March showed more than four million children are currently living in poverty in the UK, representing almost a third of the child population.
