World Health Organisation warns of uncertain future for children

The United Nations agency say children are being put at risk through climate change, under-age drinking and harmful advertising encouraging fast-food consumption.

Although the UK was ranked amongst the top ten countries in the world for the overall health and wellbeing of children, it fell behind in safeguarding the environment for their future.

The report by the WHO, the Lancet Commission and the United Nations Children’s Fund (Unicef) ranked 180 countries on the prospect of children being able to ‘flourish’, focussing on health and wellbeing factors such as nutrition, education and child mortality. Countries were also ranked on their carbon emission levels.

In the report, 40 child health experts warned that progress over the last twenty years was “set to reverse” if essential changes were not made by governments internationally.

Helen Clark, co-chair of the commission and former Prime Minister of New Zealand, said “Every child worldwide now faces existential threats from climate change and commercial pressures.

“Countries need to overhaul their approach to child and adolescent health to protect the world they will inherit in the future.”

Anthony Costello, professor of global health and sustainability at University College London and one of the commission’s authors, warned that the huge rise in the use of social media amongst adolescents and children meant “predatory marketing” was more a danger than ever before.

He went on to say “We have few facts and figures about the huge expansion of social-media advertising and algorithms aimed at our children.”

He also warned the UK’s high ranking for the overall health and wellbeing of children did not mean it could “rest on its laurels”, adding “For almost one in every two children to be poor in 21st Century Britain is not just a disgrace but a social calamity and an economic disaster, all rolled into one.”

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Posted by Karen Motley, Clinical Negligence Department, Chadwick Lawrence LLP (tonymay@chadlaw.co.uk ), medical negligence lawyers and clinical negligence solicitors in Huddersfield, Leeds, Wakefield and Halifax, West Yorkshire.

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