The UN and Unicef warn of the “immediate threat” to the health of children. The climate, pollution, social networks, junk food or even e-cigarettes are singled out.
The health of adolescents worries large organizations. In a report titled A future for the children of the world?published Wednesday, January 19 in the British magazine The Lancetthe United Nations (UN) and Unicef warn about the health of adolescents they consider “threatened”. Progress has been made over the past twenty years, but the authors of the report note that “this progress has now stalled.”
Pollution and climate threats at the forefront of the accused
The report was produced by a group of 40 independent child health experts, convened by the UN and UNICEF. They studied data from 180 countries and constructed an index to measure the possibility of children to flourish (indicators of mortality, state of health, nutrition, education, etc.). “Countries must rethink their approach to the health of children and adolescents by ensuring that they are not only cared for today, but by protecting the world they will inherit”underlines Helen Clark, former Prime Minister of New Zealand and co-president of the commission of experts convened by the WHO and Unicef.
Pollution and climate threats are presented as the main threats to the health of children and adolescents. Experts urge politicians to do everything to reduce CO2 emissions in order to “to ensure that children have a future on this planet”. “If global warming exceeds 4°C by 2100 as currently projected, this will lead to disastrous health consequences for children, due to rising sea levels, heat waves, the proliferation of diseases such as as malaria and dengue fever, as well as malnutrition”announces Helen Clark.
Watch out for screens
New technologies and social networks, which drastically increase the time spent in front of screens, is the other major problem that weighs on the health of young people. “Children’s exposure to the Internet is enormous. 11-16 year olds post on social media an average of 26 times a day”, notes the report. In addition, this time spent on social networks affects well-being and increases the risks related to self-esteem and aggravates problems such as bullying.
In addition, the report denounces the offensive marketing of brands of ultra-processed foods, sugary drinks, alcohol, electronic cigarettes or tobacco. Anthony Costello, former director of the Institute for Global Health, notes that “self-regulation by manufacturers does not work”. He notes that childhood and adolescent obesity increased 11 times between 1975 and 2016.
France 4and of the rank
The report also ranked countries on the future of children. The rich countries monopolize the first places, led by Norway, South Korea and the Netherlands. France is at the foot of the podium, fourth. At the bottom of the ranking are the countries of sub-Saharan Africa: Central African Republic, Chad, Somalia and Niger.
This ranking is compared to measures of “durability” such as the evolution of CO2 emissions or income inequalities. “While many high-income countries score very well on the thriving index, they are near the bottom of the rankings for their contribution to ecological sustainability”, says the report. As for the poorest countries, if their greenhouse gas emissions are among the lowest, “many are exposed to the most severe effects of rapid climate change.”
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