Session 1: Children
Abstract
Improving child health and reducing health inequalities is a priority for public health. There are significant inequalities in child health both between and within European countries. Generally speaking, the causes of these health inequalities are the same across different countries and reflect differences among socioeconomic groups in terms of poverty, power, and the resources needed for health; exposure to environments that are harmful to health; and differences in opportunities to benefit from positive health factors—most importantly, giving children the best possible start in life. We know that socioeconomic disadvantage worsens children’s health, and poor child health has lasting effects that influence health and development in later life. Thus, a life-course perspective is particularly important when developing public policies. In this lecture, I’ll present an overview of the work we’ve been involved in to better understand the pathways to inequalities in children’s mental health across a range of datasets; and our efforts to influence policies aimed at improving children’s health outcomes, such as our work on post-COVID recovery through the “Child of the North” initiative.
David Taylor-Robinson
David Taylor-Robinson is a Professor of Public Health and Policy at the University of Liverpool and an affiliate Professor of Child Public Health at the University of Copenhagen. He originally trained in pediatrics and works clinically as a Consultant in Public Health at Alder Hey Children’s Hospital in Liverpool. He holds the W.H. Duncan Chair of Health Inequalities and is also an NIHR Research Professor. His research aims to improve child health and reduce inequalities. His current work focuses on understanding the causes and consequences of health inequalities in children and assessing the impact of interventions and policies designed to prevent the development of health inequalities throughout the life course. David Taylor-Robinson led the “Child of the North” initiative, which focused on post-COVID efforts to level the playing field for children’s health and well-being in England.
