Addressing equality in Scotland's youth health: combatting childhood health disparities
In Scotland, a united, preventative approach rooted in equity and empathy is crucial to tackle the growing inequalities among children. This approach encompasses investing in better living conditions, equitable access to services, stable incomes, food security, trauma-informed whole-family support, and inclusive, community-led policy design.
Recent findings reveal that children in Scotland's most socio-economically deprived areas face significant health disparities. These children are 6.5 times more likely to have experienced three or more adverse childhood experiences by age eight, 3 times more likely to die in their first year of life, and 3 times more likely to have developmental concerns. They are also 2 times more likely to be obese at school entry and 2.9 times more likely to have emotional and behavioral difficulties by age three.
The urgent need is to shift from reactive, short-term fixes to preventative, upstream interventions to meet the Scottish Government's child poverty targets by 2030. This shift requires bridging the gaps between research, policy, and practice to reduce childhood health inequalities.
On February 27, 2025, the Mental Health Foundation and the Royal Society of Edinburgh co-hosted a national workshop on childhood health inequalities. Over 40 experts from the public, voluntary, and academic sectors attended this event. The workshop identified three recurring gaps holding back progress: disconnect between research, policy, and practice, missed opportunities for co-design, and data limitations.
The full report from this workshop provides more details on the findings and recommendations. Bridging these gaps requires investing in prevention, empowering communities, improving data access and quality, supporting the third sector, and prioritizing strategic research.
As the Scottish Parliament Election approaches, policymakers are urged to show how they intend to put such an approach into practice. Every child deserves the chance to grow up healthy, happy, safe, and supported, and childhood health inequalities in Scotland are not inevitable but the result of political choices.
However, it is worth noting that there is currently no information available about which organizations co-hosted the national workshop on February 27, 2025, or which experts from the public, voluntary, and academic sectors were present on that date.
The challenges ahead are significant, but with a collective effort and a commitment to equity and empathy, Scotland can work towards a future where every child has an equal opportunity to thrive.
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