Not so long ago, the Academic Pediatric Association (APA) redefined its mission, vision, and core values to suit the organization’s strategic plan. This restructuring has seen the organization shift its focus towards the improvement in children's welfare, especially the young and vulnerable generation. Despite the efforts put by APA and other pediatric organizations towards reforms in the health care sector, a lot remains to be done in combating poverty and its consequences to this young generation.
Statistics carried out between 1975-2010 shows that 22 percent of children in America live below the federal poverty level (FPL) ( Dreyer, 2013) . These statistics also show that one child in every five children living in America lives in absolute poverty ( Dreyer, 2013) . In fact, the average level of childhood poverty in the thirty-five developed nation is twelve percent contrary to twenty-three percent in the United States alone. According to Dr. Bernard Dreyer, most illnesses pediatrics treat in children are associated with poverty. Least to say, the organizations tasked with looking after these children have not done much to improve this situation that could help reduce the rate of illnesses with these children.
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Poverty trends in children reveal that African-American and Hispanic children are more likely to live in extreme poverty levels throughout their childhood as opposed to their Caucasian counterparts ( Dreyer, 2013) . But then one may wonder what the root causes of this inequality in the poverty line are. Well, to start with, shifts in the economic cycles through the years has been blamed as the primary cause of high poverty levels in children. Black families have lower net incomes that condemn their children to live in poverty in their childhood.
The fruits of childhood poverty regarding their health are evident. Children coming from poor backgrounds have a higher likelihood of suffering from chronic diseases. These children also record higher infant mortality rates than those living in well-up families. Moreover, these children also suffer from growth problems. Apart from these health complications, one can view the lives of these children during their adolescent stage from a larger spectrum. Firstly, these children are more than likely to perform poorly in academics as well as dropping out of school.
Secondly, these children are more likely to suffer from behavioral complications that can cause “trajectory-altering events” ( Dreyer, 2013). These events lead the adolescents into criminal activities, engaging in drugs and substance abuse as well as trafficking and engaging in unprotected sex, leading to early and unwanted pregnancies. Such events have a higher probability of ruining these adolescents’ entire lives, condemning them into poor lives that might affect their generations to come.
Now that the causes and effects of childhood poverty are known, what can society as a collective do to reduce this alarming rate of poverty? One way of tackling this problem is by decreasing the childhood poverty rate in the US. The US government can learn from the United Kingdom, the leading nation in fighting childhood poverty, by emulating the goals set by Tony Blair in 1998. In fact, back in 1998 and 1999, the UK had a higher childhood poverty level of 26.1% as compared to the US 18.9%. ( Dreyer, 2013) The UK adopted policies to fight childhood poverty levels that dropped to 12.3% by 2008 ( Dreyer, 2013) . Thus, the US can emulate these policies by the UK in fighting childhood poverty.
The society can also put more effort into excelling in the areas they already know can help improve the situation. The US government should continue funding projects geared towards poverty reduction. Also, families should get insured under the Affordable Care Act to get relieved of medical expenses that they might not be capable of settling. Likewise, pediatric interventions aimed at reducing childhood poverty should be funded and supported in achieving their goals.
References
Dreyer, B. P. (2013). To create a better world for children and families: the case for ending childhood poverty. Academic pediatrics , 13 (2), 83-90.
