State of Child Health Report 2017
Charlotte Goddard
Tuesday, March 14, 2017
The Royal College of Paediatrics and Child Health wanted to put together a snapshot of the health of babies, children and young people across the UK in a first attempt to standardise data and thus drive improvements in outcomes.
Author The Royal College of Paediatrics and Child Health
Published by The Royal College of Paediatrics and Child Health, January 2017
State of Child Health Report 2017 - link to full report
SUMMARY
Researchers started by using surveys, interviews and activities to ask 326 children and young people which issues were important to them to help them work out which areas to focus on. They then analysed data from a number of different sources.
Children and young people told the researchers that adults working in health services do not always communicate effectively with them. They were keen to see greater use of technology such as having information emailed rather than delivered through the post. They also thought PSHE (personal, social, health and economic education) lessons were not effective enough and more time should be devoted to specific subjects like drugs and alcohol. Mental health was a particular concern. Many children and young people thought mental health education should be specifically taught from primary school upwards. The kind of food available at school was another issue. Children and young people said healthy choices tended to be more expensive or unavailable.
The report found what researchers describe as an "alarming gap" between rich and poor when it comes to health outcomes. Infant mortality rates (IMR) across all UK countries have declined markedly over the past 40 years. However, progress has slowed over the past 20 years, particularly when compared with other European nations. In 2014, the UK had a higher IMR than nearly all comparable western European countries. In the UK, infant mortality is more than twice as high in the lowest socio-economic groups compared with the highest socio-economic groups.
Children of very young mothers have a substantially higher IMR. The IMR for mothers aged under 20 in England and Wales is 6.1 deaths per 1,000 live births compared with 3.4 deaths per 1,000 live births in mothers aged 25 to 29. The researchers suggest this is probably partly linked to deprivation as mothers from more deprived groups give birth at younger ages.
The prevalence of smoking during pregnancy in the UK is higher than in many European countries. It is just five per cent in Lithuania and Sweden, compared with 19 per cent in Scotland, 16 per cent in Wales and 15 per cent in Northern Ireland. There is a strong association with deprivation. In Scotland, more than a quarter - 25.9 per cent - of women in the most deprived areas reported smoking following the birth of their baby compared with 3.3 per cent in the least deprived areas. The researchers also found 46 per cent of mothers in the most deprived areas were breastfeeding compared with 65 per cent in least deprived areas. Breastfeeding has been shown to be associated with better health outcomes for children.
IMPLICATIONS FOR PRACTICE
The report says government should develop an evidence-based child health and wellbeing strategy with a clear accountability framework plus an integrated system to bring together data across all age groups in health, social care, youth justice and education. Data should be collected more frequently and more consistently across the UK, say the researchers.
As poverty is linked to child health outcomes, the government should disclose information about the impact of the Chancellor's annual Budget statement on child poverty and inequality, and consider the impact on the devolved nations. It should also ensure universal early years public health services are prioritised and supported, with targeted help for children and families in poverty.
Meanwhile, specialist training for GPs should be extended from three to four years to encompass more training on child health, say the researchers.
FURTHER READING
Annual Report of the Chief Medical Officer 2012: Our Children Deserve Better: Prevention Pays, Sally Davies and others, Department of Health, October 2013. An extensive report into challenges affecting the health and wellbeing of children and young people.
Health Inequalities - Regional Report 2016, Carey Bell, Adam Robinson and Caolan Laverty, Department of Health Northern Ireland, October 2016. A comprehensive analysis of health inequality gaps between the most and least deprived areas of Northern Ireland.
Growing Up in Scotland: New Findings, Tackling Health Inequalities in the Early Years, Catherine Bromley and Sarah Cunningham-Burley, published by The Scottish Government: Children, Young People and Social Care Directorate, October 2015. A study by the Scottish Centre for Social Research looking at the extent and nature of health inequalities in the early years.