Children exposed to poverty face more health challenges
Shorter breastfeeding periods, poorer dietary and meal habits, and less physical activity. These are some of the challenges faced by children growing up in poverty, according to a new report based on data from more than 340,000 children.
Children growing up in poverty are more likely to experience health challenges than their peers – and differences exist already in the first year of life.
This is shown in a new report from the Child Health Database collaboration and the National Institute of Public Health.
The report is based on community health nurse data from municipalities participating in the Child Health Database collaboration. The data have been linked with national registers and include more than 340,000 infants and schoolchildren.
“Children and adolescents exposed to childhood poverty are in a particularly vulnerable position and show poorer development, well-being, and health across several parameters compared to other children. These differences emerge early in life, and since we know that challenges in children's well-being and health can have long-term consequences, it is concerning to observe this inequality,” says postdoc and co-author of the report, Sanne Pagh Møller from the National Institute of Public Health.
One of the most significant differences is seen in the first year of life and concerns whether the child is fully breastfed for at least four months. The Danish Health Authority recommends full breastfeeding until around six months.
Infants from families affected by poverty are less likely to be fully breastfed. The proportion of children not breastfed for at least four months is 51 percent among those exposed to poverty and 38 percent among other children.
Less physical activity and poorer dietary habits
As children grow older, these inequalities persist.
According to the Danish Health Authority, children should engage in at least one hour of physical activity per day. However, a larger proportion of children living in poverty in primary or lower secondary school do not meet this recommendation.
Children and adolescents in primary or lower secondary school who grow up in poverty are more likely to have community health nurse concerns with regard to high BMI, or a lack of physical activity.
“We also see a clear difference in dietary and meal habits. Community health nurses more often have concerns about children in poverty skipping meals or having an unhealthy diet, such as not consuming enough fruits and vegetables,” explains Sanne Pagh Møller.
Structural conditions
However, not all areas monitored by community health nurses show pronounced differences between children exposed to poverty and other children.
This applies, for example, to infant sleep patterns and school well-being among both primary and lower secondary school children, as well as low BMI and motor development among primary school pupils.
Nevertheless, Sanne Pagh Møller believes the findings clearly underscore the need for early interventions to break the intergenerational transmission of disadvantage and ensure that all children in Denmark have a healthy start in life.
“Community health nurses cannot solve this issue alone. A potential solution could be to establish societal structures and conditions that promote good health and well-being among all children.”
Contact:
Postdoc Sanne Pagh Møller
Phone: +45 6550 7731
Email: sapm@sdu.dk
Senior researcher and project leader for the Child Health Database collaboration, Trine Pagh Pedersen
Phone: +45 6550 7885
Email: tppe@sdu.dk
National Institute of Public Health, University of Southern Denmark