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Review
. 2016 Aug;101(8):759-66.
doi: 10.1136/archdischild-2014-306746. Epub 2016 Feb 8.

Poverty and child health in the UK: using evidence for action

Sophie Wickham  1 , Elspeth Anwar  1 , Ben Barr  1 , Catherine Law  2 , David Taylor-Robinson  3
Affiliations
Review

Poverty and child health in the UK: using evidence for action

Sophie Wickham et al. Arch Dis Child. 2016 Aug.

Abstract

There are currently high levels of child poverty in the UK, and for the first time in almost two decades child poverty has started to rise in absolute terms. Child poverty is associated with a wide range of health-damaging impacts, negative educational outcomes and adverse long-term social and psychological outcomes. The poor health associated with child poverty limits children's potential and development, leading to poor health and life chances in adulthood. This article outlines some key definitions with regard to child poverty, reviews the links between child poverty and a range of health, developmental, behavioural and social outcomes for children, describes gaps in the evidence base and provides an overview of current policies relevant to child poverty in the UK. Finally, the article outlines how child health professionals can take action by (1) supporting policies to reduce child poverty, (2) providing services that reduce the health consequences of child poverty and (3) measuring and understanding the problem and assessing the impact of action.

Keywords: Child health professionals; Child poverty; Children's Rights; Health inequalities.

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Figures

Figure 1
Figure 1
Child poverty and infant mortality in the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD) countries. Child poverty data are taken from EUROMOD figures, and infant mortality is taken from UNICEF (2014). EUROMOD, a European benefit-tax model and social integration.
Figure 2
Figure 2
Child poverty and percentage of children seriously injured or killed in a road accident; obese at reception age; admitted to hospital with a mental health condition and infant mortality in Local Authorities in the UK. The size of the dot is proportional to population of each local authority. Data are from Public Health England (2015).
Figure 3
Figure 3
Trends in relative child poverty over time using data from Housing Below Average Income statistics.
See this image and copyright information in PMC

References

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