Britain’s child health shame
■ We fall behind Western nations ■ Infant mortality rate up since 2016
THE health of British children is falling behind those in most other Western nations, a damning audit reveals today.
Progress in child health has stalled across the UK and in poor areas is in reverse, according to a report by the Royal College of Paediatrics and Children’s Health.
The nation is ‘in danger of failing a generation’, it said. Shockingly, infant death rates have increased slightly in England since 2016 – which experts warn is a ‘major wakeup call’ for a developed country.
Rising child obesity, low breastfeeding rates and deep poverty are also a major concern, the authors say.
And growing inequality and cuts to public health are making things far worse, the report claims. The authors say even where there have been notable improvements in children’s health, the UK lags far behind other countries.
For example, although there has been a fall in the number of emergency asthma admission rates across the UK, the country still has one of the highest mortality rates in Europe for children and young people with asthma. Dr Ronny Cheung, one of the report authors, said: ‘ Our report shows troubling signs for children and young people across the UK.
‘The harsh reality is that, in terms of health and wellbeing, children born in the UK are often worse off than those born in other comparably wealthy countries. This is especially true if the child is from a less well-off background.’
He added: ‘Infant mortality is a globally-recognised sign of how well a country is looking after the health of its citizens.
‘Throughout the world, the number of babies dying in their first year has been steadily falling for decades, as incomes rise and mothers and children receive better healthcare.
‘Yet UK infant mortality rates have stalled, and in England they actually got worse between 2016 and 2017. For a high-income nation such as ours that should be a major wake-up call.’
The report tracks 28 measures of child health – including asthma, epilepsy, mental health, poverty, breastfeeding and obesity. Nearly a quarter of four and five year olds in England are now overweight, having gradually increased from 21.9 per cent in 2014 to 22.6 per cent now.
Breastfeeding rates in England are at the lowest level since 2009, with only 30 per cent of mothers breastfeeding for more than six weeks.
Infant mortality – defined as child deaths before the age of one – is at 3.9 per 1,000 in England, having risen slightly from 3.8 per 1,000 in 2016 and then stayed static. Most developed countries would expect infant mortality to fall, not rise.
And more babies die in England than the rest of the EU, where the average is now 3.6 per 1,000. For France it is even lower – at 2.96 per 1,000, in Germany 3.1 per 1,000 and in Sweden it is 2.04 per 1,000.
In Wales infant mortality is 3.5 per 1,000, Scotland 3.2, and Northern Ireland 4.2. Youth violence, drug use and teenage suicide rates across the UK are all increasing, the report found.
Child vaccine coverage is down – from 94.2 per cent across England in 2014 to 92.1 per cent now. The Daily Mail is campaigning for parents and health officials to ensure that children do get their jabs. Dr Rakhee Shah, a community paediatrician who contributed to the document, said: ‘Investment in preventative health services must now be prioritised. England has seen a huge decline in spending on local services and I see the results of that every day of my working life especially for my most disadvantaged patients.’
The authors called for a crossdepartmental child health strategy and restoration of an estimated £1billion in cuts to the public health grants for local authorities.
Professor Russell Viner, president of the RCPCH, said: ‘We’ve got a lot of work ahead of us if we’re to get a grip on... child health in the UK. This report is the only one of its kind to zoom out and look at the full picture and it’s not a pretty sight.’
Andrew Fellowes, public affairs manager at the NSPCC, said: ‘It’s scandalous that progress in children’s health is not improving and shameful that the most disadvantaged are seeing the biggest retreat.’
A Health Department spokesman said: ‘We want every child to have the best start in life, regardless of their background, and tackling health inequalities is a priority for the Government.’
‘It should be a major wake-up call’ ‘A lot of work ahead of us’