Poverty has children’s
POVERTY is having a devastating impact on children’s health – with parents diluting milk, skimping on food and living in damp, cold housing, doctors say.
More than 250 paediatricians across the UK were quizzed about how low income contributes to ill-health for the youngest in society as part of a new report.
It concluded that millions of children are at risk of becoming unhealthy due to poor nutrition, unsuitable housing and stress from parents.
And for children who already have health problems, such as asthma, poverty exacerbates the difficulties.
The doctors surveyed also provided sobering stories of the grave reality of life for the millions of UK children living in low-income households.
Some claim parents are going without food to ensure their children don’t go hungry, with thousands of others resorting to food banks to make ends meet. And the report found that almost half of paediatricians think things are getting worse.
One paediatrician said in the report: “Parents dilute down milk as they can’t afford formula milk”, while another added: “overcrowded, damp or unsuitable housing among our patients is the rule rather than an exception”.
In total, 34 paediatricians from Wales took part in the survey which was conducted by the Royal College of Paediatrics and Child Health (RCPCH) and Child Poverty Action Group (CPAG).
Among the Welsh responses weere one doctor who said: “Toddler brought in by ambulance as mother was suicidal. Toddler was ravenous and underweight, in inadequate layers of clothes. Ambulance crew said the house was freezing and damp, mother was a refugee seeking asylum and living on food vouchers.”
Another said: “Poor diet often causing obesity as cheap calorie-dense food is cheaper than fresh fruit and veg. Parents are reluctant to try children with new foods as they cannot afford to waste food and have children not eat it. Stress about finances and debt along with working multiple lowpaid jobs make care of children and appropriate parenting difficult.”
And another added: “Parental stress and worries leading to child anxiety. Parental stress affects parenting and can lead to neglect. Homelessness makes families more vulnerable, including the children. Children who are hungry can’t focus on learning so their academic progress is impaired.”
Latest figures show that four million children (30%) across the UK live in poverty, with projections suggesting this could rise to five million by the end of the decade.
Professor Russell Viner, officer for health promotion at the Royal College of Paediatrics and Child Health, said: “Poverty has a devastating effect on child health and this report makes disturbing reading.
“The health impact on children living in poverty is significant – whether that’s increased likelihood of 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.”
One doctor said rates of self-harm in young people had gone up due to the “combination of the recession and continuing austerity measures”.
Medics also described trouble discharging medically-fit children from hospital due to not wanting to send them to inadequate housing.
The RCPCH and CPAG are calling for urgent action, from both the Welsh and Westminster governments, to reduce child poverty and its impacts on health.
They want to see the restoration of binding national targets to reduce child poverty, backed by a national child poverty strategy.
In addition, they want to see the adoption of a “child health in all policies” approach to decision-making and policy development, with Her Majes-