Dive Brief:
- A new policy statement from the American Academy of Pediatrics warns poverty is such a strong factor in children's health and development that pediatricians should be asking families about poverty-related stress during well-visits.
- The group says pediatricians can identify children at risk of problems associated with poverty by asking the parents, "Do you have difficulty making ends meet at the end of the month?"
- The policy statement refers to 2014 Census data estimating 21.1% of all U.S. children under 18 (15.5 million) are in households designated as “poor," while 42.9% (31.5 million) are in households designated as “poor, near poor, or low income." Almost 9.3% (6.8 million) are in households designated as deep poverty.
Dive Insight:
The academy calls for physicians to not only identify children living in poverty but to intervene, for example by connecting families with community resources. By doing so, it says, physicians can help children avoid the associated problems, which can include infant death and poor language development, as well as increased risks for asthma, obesity and injuries.
The high stress associated with poverty can even negatively impact gene expression and brain function, evidence suggests, contributing to behavioral issues and chronic heart and mental health disorders.
"We know that poverty-related conditions can take a significant and lasting toll," lead author Dr. John Pascoe stated. "But we also know there are effective interventions to help buffer these effects, like promoting strong family relationships, which cause positive changes in the body's stress response system and the architecture of the developing brain."
The academy also calls for public policy efforts that support things including early childhood education, funding for essential benefits programs, parental employment, community infrastructure, and access to quality healthcare.