Children’s Health A Top Priority For UIC President To an engaged audience of public health professionals, students, faculty and staff, University of Illinois President B. Joseph White spoke about children’s health at the UIC School of Public Health last week.
As a grandfather and parent of a daughter with asthma, White said children’s health has become an issue close to his heart. When asked of his strong support and involvement in children’s health, he said, “I don’t think it’s by accident. People get to a stage in their lives and they basically begin to think of the world that’s going to be left when they’re gone.”
In his lecture, “America’s Children: the Health and Wellness Cornerstone,” hosted by the Institute for Health Research and Policy, White spoke about health insurance, childhood obesity, mental illness, teenage depression, and the behavioral and environmental factors that put America’s children at risk.
“What bothers me is that we act, as an American society, that we don’t know about the power of prevention,” he said.
Turning to what are called ACEs (adverse early childhood experiences), White said that communities and families must focus on preventative action so that children are not put at risk.
ACEs include household dysfunction like substance abuse, parental conflict and mental illness; abuse of all kinds; and neglect, both physical and mental. It was found that ACEs increase the risk of heart, liver and chronic lung disease, injuries, HIV and sexually transmitted diseases. They are implicated in alcohol use and abuse, smoking and lung disease and a lifetime history of depression or suicide attempts.
“If a picture is worth a thousands words, ACEs data reminds us there’s a clear relationship between stress and environment and infant and toddler brain development,” White said.
Being overweight or obese can also be a result of adverse childhood experiences. According to White, obesity rates have jumped from 5 percent to 12 percent among 2- to 5-year-olds since 1980, and from 6 percent to 18 percent for 6- to 17-year-olds, putting kids at greater risk for diabetes, heart disease and high blood pressure.
“There are also mental health effects for obese children, because of teasing and their inability to engage in some physical activities,” he added.
According to White at least one in 10 children and adolescents has a mental illness severe enough to cause impairment, yet only one in five receives treatment. Furthermore, depression increases the risk of suicide and is the third leading cause of death, after car accidents and homicides, among ages 15 to 24.
For health in general, White pointed out the importance of prenatal care, vaccinations, sleep and nutrition, adding that regular family meals are critical in a child’s language development and in keeping teens out of trouble.
A Commonwealth Fund study of children’s health ranked Illinois 39 among 50 states and the District of Columbia, “and only 38th in the potential of our children to lead long, healthy lives,” White said.
With positive community and family involvement, White said these numbers could improve.
“At UIC, we educate teachers, public health workers, social workers,” he said. “The way UIC involves itself in the life of the city of Chicago to create a better environment – that’s by far our most important contribution.”
But investing in higher education is not enough. When asked whether children’s health is on his agenda in Springfield, White said, “I work hard to get the word out. I have to admit I didn’t know nearly enough about this topic before. There’s a lot of room for improvement. The facilities and conditions under which you [public health professionals] work do not come close to the work and passion that I see you have. I know that we need to work to bring the level of support up to your level of professionalism.”
>> Gary Wisby (UIC News) and Tina Daniel
^ Top of Page ^
|
