The “shocking” health inequalities of North West children

THE health and development of children under five varies dramatically between different parts of England, with a child living in the North West far more likely to suffer from tooth decay and to have been hospitalised because of an injury than those in other regions, according to a report published today.
The analysis by the National Children’s Bureau looks at important indicators of health and development in early childhood and reveals startling variations, with a five-year old in Manchester more than 60 per cent more likely to be obese, and over 75 per cent more likely to be suffering from tooth decay, than one in Trafford, less than 10 miles down the road.
At a regional level, if under-fives in the North West enjoyed the same health and development as those in the South East, more than 15,000 cases of ill-health could be prevented.
In Warrington, the survey reveals, eight per cent of children under five are obese, 29.6 per cent suffer from tooth decay and 60 per cent have a good level of development by the end of reception class.
This is better than neighbouring authorities such as Halton and St Helens but not as good as Cheshire East – which includes areas like Alderley Edge, Wilmslow, Knutsford and High Legh – or Trafford.
Within the North West, Cheshire East was among 10 local authority areas nationally with the lowest rates of obesity, while Halton and St Helen’s are among the 10 worst.
Oldham, Rochdale, Manchester, Blackburn with Darwen, Bury and Bolton ranked among the 10 worst areas for rates of hospital admissions for children under five due to injury.
Halton, Blackburn with Darwen, Rochdale and Oldham were among the 10 areas with the lowest percentage of children reaching a good level of development at the end of reception, while Trafford was among the 10 areas with the highest percentage.
The report confirms that the health and development of children under five is closely linked to the affluence of the area they grow up in, with those living in deprived areas far more likely to suffer poor health.
Comparing the 30 most deprived local authorities in England with the 30 best-off, the report finds that children under five in poor areas are significantly more prone to obesity, tooth decay, accidental injuries and lower educational development.
However, the data shows that poor early health is not inevitable for children growing up in deprived areas. Several areas with high levels of deprivation buck the trend and achieve better than expected results, suggesting that more work is needed to understand how local strategies and programmes can make a difference. For example, children in Liverpool have lower rates of hospital admissions for injuries despite high levels of deprivation.
Anna Feuchtwang (pictured above), chief executive of the National Children’s Bureau said: “It is shocking that two children growing up in neighbouring areas can expect such a wildly different quality of health.
“As these variations are closely linked to poverty, with those in areas with the highest levels of deprivation more likely to suffer from a range of health issues, we have to ask whether England is becoming a nation of two halves?
“The link between poverty and poor health is not inevitable. Work is urgently needed to understand how local health services can lessen the impact of living in a deprived area.
We need local and national government to make the same efforts to narrow the gap in health outcomes across the country for under-fives as has been made to narrow the gap in achievement between poor and rich pupils in school. Government must make it a national mission over the next five years to ensure that the heath and development of the first five years of a child’s life is improved.”