Children and Young People

Introduction

Children and young people in Britain enjoy better health now than any previous generation. However, this is still a group vulnerable to the impact of all aspects of social inequalities. Poorer children are less likely to be breastfed, and more likely to be exposed to smoking. The pressures of poor diet and lack of exercise are leading to increased cases of child obesity and diabetes. England has the highest alcohol consumption reported in children and young people amongst European countries.

NEPHO and its affiliated organisations, such as the Regional Maternity Survey Office (RMSO), work to improve the outcomes of mothers and children. The RMSO is a unique organisation based at the University of Newcastle, which measures many of the health outcomes of mothers and babies, such as perinatal mortality, cerebral palsy and congenital anomalies in the north of England, including north Cumbria. The RMSO is also the regional office for the Confidential Enquiry into Maternal and Child Health (CEMACH).

As stated by Professor Al Aynsley-Green, “Improving the health and welfare of mothers and their children is the surest way to a healthier nation – the best way to achieve a fairer society for the future is to improve health and tackle inequalities in childhood.”

Highlight figures

  • There are approximately 550,000 children in the North East of England and only approximately 230 child deaths a year (birth to 18th birthday). Nearly half of all child deaths occur in the first four weeks of life. Child deaths are rare events, with individual causes of death being almost all statistically rare events.

  • The SPARCLE Study (Study of Participation of Children with Cerebral Palsy Living in Europe), a study centred in Newcastle, showed that there is no overall difference in reported quality of life between children with cerebral palsy aged 8-12 years who were able to report their own quality of life and the general population of children the same age.

  • The most important cause of infant mortality in the north of England in 2006 (37% of all infant deaths) was prematurity, followed by malformation (15.6%) and infection (14.4%).