Ethnicity, child health and paediatric services

Introduction Paediatricians have a moral obligation to promote the health and well-being of all children. To achieve this, unmet health needs of minoritised ethnic groups must be addressed. Language for describing disadvantaged ethnic groups is evolving. The term ‘minoritised’ is useful in this context, acknowledging active processes at play and that this can occur to majority groups.1 In this article, we describe the role of paediatricians in addressing ethnic health disparities. Health disparities Infant mortality rate (IMR) is a key indicator of health inequity. In 2019, the IMR in England and Wales was 2.6 times higher in Black Caribbean children compared with white British children. Disparities were also apparent for Bangladeshi, Indian, Pakistani, Black African and mixed-race children.2 Similarly, there are ethnic inequalities for stillbirth and neonatal mortality rates in the UK. Globally, in a review of 415 ethnic groups in 36...
Source: Archives of Disease in Childhood - Category: Pediatrics Authors: Tags: Viewpoint Source Type: research