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Policies designed to improve children’s health lay the foundations for lifelong health. Scientists and experts increasingly recognize the importance of positive experiences and effective health interventions at an early stage to help enhance overall quality of life, reduce long-term healthcare costs, and shape more prosperous and productive societies.
However, children in the Middle East and North Africa region continue to face daunting health challenges. This was highlighted by a UNICEF report that revealed a range of alarming statistics and challenges that directly impact the overall well-being of children, and highlighted the urgent need for targeted health interventions. With better interventions, many of the 90,000 preventable deaths among young people in the MENA region could be prevented.
Noncommunicable diseases are responsible for 41 percent of the disease burdens affecting children, and claimed more than 27,000 lives in 2019. Mental disorders and self-harm accounted for nearly a quarter, with more than 4,000 suicides recorded that year. While communicable diseases are generally under control in the region, some countries such as Djibouti, Sudan, and Yemen continue to face tough challenges.
Poor diets have many negative consequences for children; 18 percent of children in the region suffer from stunting and just over half of those under the age of 5 have micronutrient deficiencies. Meanwhile, the proportion of youngsters who are overweight or obese are worryingly high: 27.5 percent among boys and 28.1 percent among girls. There is also a high prevalence of childhood disabilities, affecting 21 million youngsters, which is 13 percent of all children.
Given the pressing health challenges children face in the region, the need for more effective health policies has never been more urgent. Policymakers must recognize that effective improvements to child health hinge on several key areas that affect youngsters directly. Policies and legislation must, therefore, focus on enhancing early childhood care and education, improving child welfare programs, strengthening early intervention programs, fostering positive social connections, ensuring economic stability among families, providing adequate housing, creating safe environments, and facilitating affordable access to pediatric services.
Efforts to tackle the diverse health challenges in the region require data-driven, targeted approaches. Therefore, data centers should be established and used to support policymakers and healthcare professionals in the development of targeted interventions. It is vitally important that families have access to affordable pediatric care so that unexpected health issues can be detected as early as possible and chronic conditions can be better managed. Major cities should consider establishing dedicated children’s hospitals staffed by competent medical workforces that can treat the wide range of illnesses common among young people.
Policymakers in the region must work to improve child health outcomes and offer glimmers of hope in the face of pressing challenges.
Sara Al-Mulla
Improvement of existing pediatric services is essential to ensure that children receive the high-quality medical care they require. This will entail upgrading of medical equipment to leverage the many benefits of advanced technologies that are now available for enhanced diagnosis and treatment.
At the same time, hospitals can work to establish world-class research centers dedicated to advancing pediatric medical science, exploring new treatments, and developing innovative solutions that can improve child healthcare outcomes. Such centers could collaborate with universities and international health institutions to conduct cutting-edge research in fields such as genetics, pediatric oncology, and developmental disorders.
Through the integration of clinical care and research, hospitals can ensure that children benefit as quickly as possible from medical discoveries and breakthroughs, ultimately improving quality of care and survival rates. Some best-in-class examples that illustrate this include the Zayed Center for Research into Rare Disease in Children at Great Ormond Street Hospital in London, and the Sheikh Zayed Institute for Pediatric Surgical Innovation at the Children’s National Hospital in Washington, DC.
A critical factor in the success of all this is engagement with children’s primary caregivers. As such, governments should increase and improve health literacy programs that target parents, guardians, and educators to make sure they are fully informed about the importance of child health and empowered to make informed choices.
The development of health-awareness platforms can also help empower caregivers to make informed decisions about many aspects pertaining to children’s health, including nutrition, developmental milestones, and management of chronic illnesses.
For example, the RaisingChildren website operated by the Australian government is a comprehensive resource that provides a wealth of evidence-based information and advice for parents and other caregivers. It covers many important topics including child development, health and well-being, with a focus on practical advice, articles, and informative videos.
Policymakers can also find opportunities to improve health programs in schools and communities by integrating comprehensive and holistic preventative-care plans in those settings, including regular vaccination initiatives, healthier school meals, public-health campaigns, regular participation in sporting activities, healthy-cooking classes, and routine health check-ups. A holistic approach can help prevent illnesses and foster long-term good health habits.
Efforts to combat health challenges such as stunting and obesity in the region require a multi-faceted approach that includes the promotion of healthy eating habits and access to affordable, nutritious food. Educational programs that target families, schools, and communities can help raise awareness of the importance of a healthy diet, supplemented by programs that encourage physical activity.
Improved food security and sustainability measures within countries can ensure that populations, and especially children, have access to the essential nutrients they need at affordable prices. The next few years will be a period of reckoning in which policymakers in the region must work to improve child health outcomes and offer glimmers of hope in the face of pressing challenges.
• Sara Al-Mulla is an Emirati civil servant with an interest in human development policy and children’s literature. She can be contacted at www.amorelicious.com.