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. 2007 Oct;12(8):667-72.
doi: 10.1093/pch/12.8.667.

The impact of poverty on the current and future health status of children

Rita Paul-Sen Gupta  1 , Margaret L de Wit, David McKeown
Affiliations

The impact of poverty on the current and future health status of children

Rita Paul-Sen Gupta et al. Paediatr Child Health. 2007 Oct.

Abstract
in English, French

Child poverty in Canada is a significant public health concern. Because child development during the early years lays the foundation for later health and development, children must be given the best possible start in life. Family income is a key determinant of healthy child development. Children in families with greater material resources enjoy more secure living conditions and greater access to a range of opportunities that are often unavailable to children from low-income families. On average, children living in low-income families or neighbourhoods have poorer health outcomes. Furthermore, poverty affects children's health not only when they are young, but also later in their lives as adults. The health sector should provide services to mitigate the health effects of poverty, and articulate the health-related significance of child poverty, in collaboration with other sectors to advance healthy public policy.

La pauvreté des enfants au Canada est une importante préoccupation en santé publique. Puisque le développement pendant la petite enfance jette les bases de la santé et du développement plus tard, les enfants doivent recevoir le meilleur départ possible dans la vie. Le revenu familial est un déterminant clé du développement d’un enfant en santé. Les enfants de familles ayant plus de ressources matérielles profitent de conditions de vie plus sécuritaires et d’un meilleur accès à toute une série de possibilités souvent inaccessibles aux enfants de familles à faible revenu. En moyenne, les enfants de familles à faible revenu ou de quartiers défavorisés ont de moins bonnes issues en santé. De plus, la pauvreté nuit à la santé des enfants non seulement lorsqu’ils sont jeunes, mais également plus tard, à l’âge adulte. Des services devraient être dispensés dans le secteur de la santé afin d’atténuer les effets de la pauvreté et d’en exposer la signification sur la santé, en collaboration avec d’autres secteurs, pour faire progresser les politiques en santé publique.

Keywords: Child development; Child health; Family income; Health sector; Poverty.

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