Key Summary
- Children in the UK will grow up to be one of the unhealthiest generations in decades.
- Child health outcomes have declined or stalled completely across all major metrics.
- Reduced vaccination rates alongside rising hospital admissions for asthma and mental health disorders are all contributing factors.
A new report concludes that child health in the UK has either worsened or shown little improvement across a broad set of measures, leaving children’s health lagging behind many other Western European nations.
The analysis by the Royal College of Paediatrics and Child Health (RCPCH) covered 12 key indicators of child health and wellbeing, including infant mortality, oral health, obesity, vaccination coverage, and rates of asthma and mental health disorders.
The report highlights falling uptake of routine immunisations and rising hospital admissions for conditions such as asthma and mental illness as significant drivers of the poor picture.
For example, only around 84 percent of children in the UK have received two doses of MMR by age five -- well below the World Health Organization’s 95 percent target and lower than other G7 countries.
The study also found infant mortality and childhood obesity rates are more than twice as high in the most deprived areas compared with the least deprived, and children from ethnic minority and low-income backgrounds are disproportionately affected.
The UK also has one of the highest asthma-related mortality rates in Europe, children from deprived backgrounds in the UK are four times more likely to die from the disease than their wealthier peers.
Dr Helen Stewart, the 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. The State of Child Health report shows that we are categorically failing children in the UK, but especially those from ethnic minorities and poorer backgrounds.”
Stewart has urged Andy Burnham, who is expected to become prime minister on 20 July, to prioritise the issue.
“In its first 100 days, the new government should set out how it will make children’s health a priority through sustained investment, better use of data and clear national targets. Paediatricians have provided the blueprint, now policymakers must listen.”
Alongside its analysis, the report also included polling by YouGov, which found that only 12 percent of parents believe child health has improved over the past 10 years, suggesting that where progress has been made, it has not been felt by families.
The RCPCH urged the government to act quickly, recommending measures to boost funding for child health services, strengthen data systems, and set clear national goals to narrow health gaps between richer and poorer areas.
Sarah Woolnough, the chief executive at health charity the King’s Fund, said the report should be treated as a “wake-up call”.
“Without urgent and sustained action, there is a real risk that today’s children will experience poorer health than previous generations,” she added.
