Declining health among children under five should be immediately addressed, according to alarming evidence from The Academy of Medical Sciences that suggests that the UK is presiding over a crisis in child health and weakening many of its children.
High rates of infant mortality, tooth decay, and obesity are highlighted in the report, Prioritizing, outlining a gathering crisis across the initial years of children’s lives.
Early years of health, which begins in pre-conception and goes through pregnancy and the first five years of life, are often ignored in current policy but are crucial for laying the foundations for lifelong mental and physical health.
The authors are calling on the Government to take urgent action to prioritize the health of infants and young children across the UK and warn that inaction could cost the Government at least £16 billion a year and condemn children to a life of poorer health.
The report was written by child health experts from across the UK and chaired by Professor Helen Minnis from the University of Glasgow and Professor Sir Andrew Pollard from the University of Oxford. It includes views from parents and carers with lived experience examining the positive impact of intervening in the early years on the health and future of the country.
In recent years child health in the UK has stalled. Infant survival rates are worse than in 60 percent of similar nations, and the demand for children’s mental health services has surged. Present figures show over a fifth of five-year-old children are overweight or obese, and a quarter are affected by tooth decay.
In addition, vaccination rates have plunged below World Health Organization (WHO) safety thresholds, leading to the possibility of disease outbreaks such as measles.
External factors, such as the Covid-19 pandemic and the cost-of-living crisis, have worsened the situation and increased health inequalities. The number of children living in extreme poverty increased between 2019 and 2022, and those living in the most disadvantaged areas are more likely to be affected by conditions such as obesity.
The report’s findings highlight the urgent need for early years health interventions and more research into children’s health to help detect future interventions. The authors would like to see a unified method from the Government so that policies and resources can be coordinated, alongside an improvement in the collection and access to child health data to enable research to feed effectively into policies.
The experts also point to a reduction in the workforce responsible for child and family health and call for this to be addressed so that effective services can be prioritized and delivered in the early years. In addition, the report highlights the need to ensure that a diverse range of voices of children, parents, and carers are represented in developing early years policies and interventions.
Professor Helen Minnis says that every child has the right to a safe and healthy childhood. It is very shocking to know that the UK is failing to provide this. Child deaths are increasing, infant survival lags behind comparable countries, and preventable physical and mental health issues plague our youngest citizens. The science is clear – we are betraying our children. Unless the health of babies and young children is immediately prioritized, we condemn many to a life of poorer health and lost potential.
According to the data, it says that policymakers can benefit the future health of the UK by frontloading investment into early years healthcare.
The Royal College of Pediatrics and Child Health also welcomed the review. Dr Mike McKean, Vice President for Health Policy of the Royal College of Pediatrics and Child Health, said that this report provides alarming evidence that the UK is failing too many of its children. We are presiding over a crisis in child health that demands immediate action. As pediatricians, we witness daily the devastating consequences of these systemic failures. Without transformative interference on child health, we condemn generations to a poorer future. The time for excuses is over – To address this crisis, the government must act promptly.
