The childhood nutrition project

Introduction

The impact of nutrition on a child can have far-reaching effects on the rest of their life. It has already been widely documented that standards of nutrition in children have fallen over the last ten to twenty years. This is despite several schemes that have been put in place to try to address this. It is also well-known that food poverty exists, and that there is an over-reliance on high calorie, low nutritional-content food. The causes of this are multi-factorial and need to be explored as part of a plan to improve the situation. This is also the reason why a multi-disciplinary approach across all sections of society is needed.

Food is our most basic need. It is also a child’s right to be well-fed so they can have the best chance of growing up healthy.

We propose the following:

End childhood food poverty and food insecurity

Method: ++

Put significant resources into childhood nutrition, food health literacy, food production and food sustainability, – create an ‘Eatwell community’.
Put significant resources into childhood obesity

The work across organisations to attempt this will almost certainly lead to other benefits through collaboration, as well as a sustainable approach for the future.

UNICEF defines child food poverty as children’s inability to access

and consume a nutritious and diverse diet in early childhood.

UNICEF defines childhood food insecurity as a household-level

economic and social condition of limited access to food

Causes

The causes of poor nutrition in children in the UK are multi-factorial. Poverty is one factor that has been widely cited following years of austerity and more recent, dramatic changes in household bills leaving many families and individuals worrying about how to pay for the food that they need. There have also been changes in diet which move toward calorie dense, low nutrient foods. Part of the responsibility for this lies with food availability, and advertising surrounding food. Societal responsibility for the promotion of and teaching of health literacy over time is another important factor though.

There are important differences between children living in the North and children living in the South. These are as follows, (from ‘Child of the North – building a fairer future after COVID 19)’:

The Child of the North has a 27% chance of living in poverty compared with 20% in the rest of England.
They have a 58% chance of living in a local authority with an above average level of low income families compared to 19% in the rest of England.
Prior to the pandemic there were spending cuts on Surestart children’s centres of £412 per child in the north compared to £283 in the rest of England.
Of local authorities with more than 100 children per 10,000 in care, 21 out of 26 are in the north.
Loss of learning in children in the North during the pandemic is expected to cost £24.6 billion in lost wages of their lifetime earnings. The loss of learning was significantly worse in the North than it was the rest of the country during the pandemic.
In the north of England, nearly 1/3 of children are living in poverty.

10.7% of children in the North are living with obesity at reception age compared to 9.6% of children in the rest of England. By year six this has grown to 22.6% in the North compared with 20.5% in the rest of England .
27.5% of children in the North are eligible for free school meals compared to 16% in the Southeast
Tooth decay is highest amongst five-year-old children in the whole of the UK with 31.7% in the Northwest having tooth decay. This is 17.6% in the Southeast. Over half of five-year-olds, 50.9% in Blackburn with Darwin, experience tooth decay compared with 1.1% in Hastings, East Sussex.

Further facts from Healthy weight - Lancashire County Council, on childhood obesity are as follows:

The Active Lives survey of 2022 to 2023 estimates that 65.7% of the adult population in Lancashire is classed as overweight or obese.
One in ten 4 to 5-year-olds is obese, which is worse than England as a whole.
In some areas over one in four 10 to 11-year-olds is obese, which is significantly worse when compared with England average at 22.7%.
Severe obesity is increasing with a significantly higher rate in some areas of 7.1%, than the 5% in England as a whole

Childhood Food poverty – consequences

UNICEF points out that child food poverty harms all children, but it is particularly damaging in early childhood when insufficient dietary intake of essential nutrients can cause the greatest harm to child survival, physical growth, and cognitive development, trapping children and their families in a cycle of poverty and deprivation.

Without the right nutrition it is certainly more difficult for children to concentrate and learn, and there is a greater risk of either reduced growth, something the Food Foundation is concerned with, or obesity. Obesity has multiple, potential consequences as the child becomes an adult and ages, but can also cause harmful effects during childhood, such as reduced confidence.

Food Poverty, and food insecurity in particular, are undignified, and unfair on families and children.

Childhood Obesity – consequences

Obesity, or the term overweight, applies to ‘abnormal or

excessive fat accumulation that presents a risk to health’. (WHO)

According to the World Health Organisation, ‘Noncommunicable diseases: Childhood overweight and obesity (who.int)’, the risks associated with childhood obesity are:

Increased risk of premature death and disability in adulthood
Increase risk of diabetes and cardiovascular diseases at a younger age
Increased risk of musculoskeletal disorders, especially osteoarthritis; and
Increased risk of certain types of cancer (endometrial, breast and colon).

There is also the double burden of under-nutrition and obesity existing side by side. This is caused by inadequate prenatal, infant and child nutrition, combined with reduced physical activity in childhood as well as eating high fat, energy dense, micronutrient poor foods.

Other factors to consider when thinking about childhood obesity are social and economic policies in agriculture, transport, the environment, food processing, distribution, marketing and education (the WHO).

The WHO recommends the following to reduce and prevent childhood overweight and obesity:

increases consumption of fruit, vegetables, whole grains and nuts
Reduced intake of fats, and those that are consumed should be unsaturated
limit the intake of sugars
At least 60 minutes of regular, moderate- to vigorous intensity activity each day (developmentally appropriate).
Sustained political commitment and collaboration of public and private stakeholders.
The use of influential organisations to shape healthy environments and make healthier diet options for children and adolescents affordable, and accessible.

What are we supposed to eat? – a unified message

This has already been set out for us in the following, very extensive documents (hyperlinked).

Paul can these be highlighted on the website to make them easy to see and access, i.e. with their thumbnails.?

Action Plan:

The most important part is widespread collaboration. For example:

National Connection:

Sustainable Food Trust
Food for life
Soil association
The Food Foundation
List not exhaustive

Private individuals and businesses in the local area

This is an essential part of tackling food poverty and something that has not been well-explored so far.

Statutory organisations

Schools
Hospitals
Public health
School catering
County Council curriculum leads - PHSE and healthy eating
Food Active
ICB place leads
School nurses
Family well-being
Health visitors
Councils
Parks
Activity groups
Health improvement teams
Infant nutrition team
Breast feeding team
Antenatal

Third Sector

Food Banks
Community Kitchens
Holiday Clubs
Food Growing organisations
Football clubs
Faith sector

Academic Sector

Universities
Adult Learning

General

Community organisations and groups
The public
Children
School councils
Parents

Plan - principles

A unified Vision

A unified message for organisations, individuals

Suggestions for a detailed plan are to be updated shortly, following further consultation