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Poverty and Child Health

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Health Promotion for Children and Adolescents

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Abstract

Fifteen percent of the US population—47 million people—was living at or below the poverty line in 2013. However, 22 % of the nation’s 74 million children were living in poverty, making them the poorest residents of our nation. The chapter defines poverty and explores the nature and extent of poverty in the USA, including trends in poverty rates by age group and region as well as by race, ethnicity, and immigrant status. Also examined are the impact of family economic hardship on child health, the research on the social determinants of health, and the effects of US antipoverty policies as well as early child development programs on poor children. It concludes with recommendations for advancing poverty reduction efforts that promote child health, with a focus on policies and programs that address the needs of both parents and their children. Because an examination of poverty and child health is inherently multidisciplinary, data are drawn from the fields of economics, maternal and child health, developmental psychology, public policy, sociology, and social welfare.

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Notes

  1. 1.

    Most of these “safety net” benefits are described later in this chapter.

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  1. Health Policy and Management, National Center for Children in Poverty, Columbia University Mailman School of Public Health, 215 W. 125th Street, New York, NY, 10027, USA

    Renée Wilson-Simmons Dr.P.H.

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  1. Renée Wilson-Simmons Dr.P.H.
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Correspondence to Renée Wilson-Simmons Dr.P.H. .

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  1. Department of Preventive Medicine, Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai, New York, New York, USA

    Maya Rom Korin

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Wilson-Simmons, R. (2016). Poverty and Child Health. In: Korin, M. (eds) Health Promotion for Children and Adolescents. Springer, Boston, MA. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-1-4899-7711-3_3

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