CHILD and adolescent physical and mental health in Scotland is amongst the poorest in Western Europe. More than a quarter of children and young people are overweight or obese and approximately 400 Scottish infants, children and young people die each year. Poverty and inequalities play a pivotal role in these deaths and there are 210,000 children living in poverty in Scotland.
Many child health problems develop or have their origins prior to birth. Pregnancy is therefore an optimum time to help promote a healthy lifestyle and introduce preventative measures for reducing ill health in both mother and child. With the right policy interventions, a significant proportion of deaths may be preventable and children and young people’s health could be greatly improved.
With the 2016 election a little over six months away, we are calling on all politicians, regardless of political party, to make children and young people’s health a priority and adopt policies that will reduce health inequalities. A child health strategy which cuts across all Government departments is key to making this a reality.
There are 614,000 families with dependent children in Scotland – a key voting demographic – so it is an opportune time for politicians to make real commitments to improve children and young people’s health in Scotland and safeguard our nation’s health for years to come.
Dr Peter Fowlie, Officer for Scotland, Royal College of Paediatrics and Child Health; Professor John R Ashton, president of the UK Faculty of Public Health; Sarah Brennan, chief executive, YoungMinds; Jackie Brock, chief executive, Children in Scotland; Siobhan Dunn, chief executive, Teenage Cancer Trust; Ellen Finlayson, assistant director of services for Scotland and Northern Ireland, CLIC Sargent; Professor Richard Olver, chair, Action for Sick Children Scotland; Dr Philip Owen, chair of the Scottish Committee, Royal College of Obstetricians and Gynaecologists; Catherine Roche, chief executive, Place2Be; Dr Gillian Smith, director, Royal College of Midwives Scotland; Dr Ingrid Wolfe, Co-Chair, British Association for Child and Adolescent Public Health,
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