Skip to content
Skip to main content

About this free course

Download this course

Share this free course

Physical and mental health for young children
Physical and mental health for young children

Start this free course now. Just create an account and sign in. Enrol and complete the course for a free statement of participation or digital badge if available.

3 Current health issues for babies and children

A photograph of a young child holding the hand of an adult
Figure 6 Family support

In 2010 and in 2020, a team led by Sir Michael Marmot reviewed and reported on recent health inequalities in England (Marmot et al., 2010; Marmot et al., 2020). They found that yet again inequalities in the health of families were not only still evident, but that they were getting worse. While England had continuous improvements in life expectancy from the start of the twentieth century, these had slowed down significantly from 2011.

For part of the decade 2010–2020 life expectancy actually fell in the most deprived communities outside London for women and in some regions for men. For men and women everywhere, the time spent in poor health is increasing. This is shocking.

(Marmot et al.,2020, p. 5)

Unfortunately, it is still true that in poorer areas, people’s health is worse than in wealthier areas. People in poorer areas spend ‘more of their shorter lives in ill health’ (Marmot et al., 2020, p. 13). This is also the case for children and is indeed shocking.

The most deprived 10 percent of children are nearly twice as likely to die (5.3 per 1,000) as the most advantaged 10 percent of children (3.1 per 1,000), and children in more deprived areas are more likely to face a serious illness during childhood and to have a long-term disability.

(Marmot et al., 2020, p. 37)