4 - From Cradle …

Summary

Beveridge's report led to the creation of a social safety net woven to protect us all from cradle to grave. The social and economic advances this heralded were a boon to the health and well-being of the population. Infectious disease, although not altogether eradicated, rescinded and lifespans extended. But complacency and hubris set in. Humankind's encroachment on our fragile global ecosystem has enabled disease vectors to emerge or gain new strength, and we have become blind to the consequences of the social production of health in an uneven, polarizing social system. These consequences extend across the life course but are most damning at the cradle. The penalties to health and longevity imposed on our (unborn) children because of things like their postcode, ethnicity and class are a structural violence. Life expectancy is often viewed as the ultimate marker of health. Is it then the ultimate injustice if there are inequalities in chances of survival to even your first or fifth birthday? Such inequalities in chances of life itself are a very good place to begin this chapter’s review of the health and well-being of the children of today. A compromised start in life is a strong predictor of sustained disadvantage in health, well-being and social and economic outcomes. Surviving childhood and adolescence is not enough to safeguard against the ills of tomorrow. Our discussion of the rising prevalence of childhood obesity and adolescent mental health problems will lay bare the catastrophe of tomorrow foretold by the health and well-being crises of today.

INFANT AND CHILD MORTALITY

Globally as many as 15,000 children under the age of five die every day. In low-and middle-income countries, infectious diseases claim the lives of countless children (pneumonia is among the leading causes of death). Limited access to appropriate maternity and paediatric healthcare reduces opportunities to treat and prevent the spread of infectious disease in many countries. Poor living conditions, including a lack of clean water and food, only serve to worsen the death toll. But in high-income countries such as the UK, where relatively few live in a state of privation, deaths of children are not as rare as we might expect.