The state of children’s health in the UK is in decline or has stalled completely, according to the Royal College of Paediatrics and Children Health (RCPCH), and the nation is on track to raise one of the least healthy generation of children in decades.
The RCPCH has updated its State of Child Health report, showing declining vaccination rates, poor mental health and rising asthma admissions.
It said the UK now has some of the worst outcomes for children in Europe. The organisation called on the government to make child health a priority.
The study looked at 12 indicators of children’s health ranging from infant mortality and mental health, to obesity and immunisations, and found widening inequalities, gaps in data and chronic investment in children’s services.
Worrying statistics
The report found that in England alone:
- Only 84% of children receive two doses of the MMR vaccine by age five, well below the World Health Organization’s 95% target
- More than one in three, 36%, of children aged 10–11 is overweight or obese
- One in five children aged 8–16 has a probable mental health disorder
- Children in the most deprived areas are four times more likely to die from asthma
- Infant mortality in the most deprived communities is more than double that seen in the least deprived areas
RCPCH called on the UK government to invest fairly and consistently in children’s health services and the workforce, improve how child health data is collected and shared across the UK, and introduce binding national targets to improve child health outcomes and narrow the gap between the most and least deprived.
Paediatricians have provided the blueprint, now policymakers must listen
Dr Helen Stewart, RCPCH Officer for Health Improvement, said: “The UK’s record on children’s health should be a national embarrassment.
“Across Western Europe, many other countries are achieving better outcomes for children, yet too many children here are being left behind.
“We are categorically failing children in the UK, but especially those from ethnic minorities and poorer backgrounds.
“Without action, more children will grow up in poor health, entering adulthood at a disadvantage and putting even greater pressure on families and public services.
“Paediatricians have provided the blueprint, now policymakers must listen.”
Disadvantaged worst affected
Dame Rachel de Souza, Children’s Commissioner for England, said: “Some of our poorest children are facing the greatest barriers to good health. This important report shows that the country is not only overseeing a decline in children’s health but also failing to uphold their rights.”
Sebastian Rees, Head of Health at the Institute for Public Policy Research (IPPR), said: “IPPR has long argued that the UK has become the sick man of Europe on health and this report shows that this starts at a very early age.
“For a government committed to giving every child the best start in life, that should be of huge concern and deserves far more attention than it currently receives.
“This is a complex, multifaceted problem that requires action right across government, but a Children’s Health Investment Standard that protects spending on vital early years services would be a great place to start.”
