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Pages: 3, Double spaced 825 words.
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Order type: Essay
Subject: Healthcare

Style: APA
Language: English (U.S.)

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This paper should be APA style double space. The body of the paper should be 3 pages long.There should be 5 refrences and. A reference page. There should also be a title page. .

Impact of Poverty on Child Health
Introduction
Poverty has affected billions of people around the world. Like an epidemic, it has spread and victimized all in its path with children being the hardest hit. Lack of proper health care and nutrition has particularly affected child health as most parents are unable to afford adequate food and proper healthcare. It is important to note that, child health is not only key during the tender years of childhood, but is also influential on the quality of health the children enjoy in their adult lives and thus its importance cannot be underestimated. The impact of poverty on child health will be discussed in this essay.
Impact of Poverty on Child Health
A. Increase in Infant Mortality Rate
Infant mortality rate is greatly increased by poverty. Children from poor backgrounds are more likely to be exposed to health risks which are sometimes fatal than kids from well to do families. Reduced resistance to diseases as a result of poor nutrition, puts them at a higher risk of dying than those from better-off backgrounds (Victora et al., 2003). Poor healthcare also increases the mortality rate. Mothers give birth at home instead of properly equipped hospitals and miss both prenatal and postpartum clinics. Many parents are unable to afford proper healthcare for their children thus most of them succumb to otherwise preventable diseases such as malaria.
B. Development of Chronic Illnesses
Poverty contributes to the development of chronic illnesses such as asthma among children. A study based on Maryland hospital discharge records showed that children from poor backgrounds were more likely to suffer from asthma than those from well-off backgrounds (Wissow, Gittelsohn, Szklo, Starfield & Mussman, 1988). Poor families are forced to source shelter in areas with potential health hazards such as dust, industrial smoke and waste leading to the development of diseases such as asthma. Street families are forced to sleep on cold concrete pavements with little or no protection from extreme weather conditions such as rain and cold, thus children are left exposed to dangerous conditions that sometimes lead to the development of chronic diseases.
C. Development in Mental Disorders
Poverty contributes to the development of mental disorders such as post-traumatic stress disorder among children (Aber, 2007). Children from poor families endure increased stress as a result of their financial situation, forcing some to work while still young. Greedy employers take advantage of their desperation to enslave them. Some are brought up by abusive parents or in foster homes where they are mistreated thus inflicting trauma and psychological stress. Such children have slowed or skewed mental growth leading to mental disorders. Abnormal behavioral changes, such as social withdrawal, results from the trauma suffered.
D. Drug Abuse and Misuse
Drug abuse and misuse are also rampant among children from poor families. Children brought up in poverty are brought up by parents or guardians who abuse drugs and thus these children are exposed to drug abuse at tender ages. Peer pressure coupled with stress as a result of their financial status motivates them to indulge in drug abuse with some even selling drugs so as to raise money. Drug abuse eventually leads to drug addiction and condemns their lives to dependence on drugs which negatively impacts their health. Some end up in prison and rehabilitation facilities thus worsening their financial situation. A study done in Kenya shows that drug abuse is more prevalent among street children than children in school (Ayaya & Esamai, 2001).
E. Poor Health and Malnutrition
Poverty causes poor health and malnutrition among children (Brooks-Gunn & Duncan, 1997). Children born in poverty are unable to access adequate and nutritional food. Some of them stay days without eating and the little food they get lacks the nutrients required to form a balanced diet leading to poor health and stunted growth. Streets families are dependent on food thrown away which might be stale and unsuitable for human consumption. Nutritional diseases such as scurvy, anemia and kwashiorkor affect these children causing stunted growth while some suffer from food poisoning due to bad food that adversely impacts on their health and at times proving fatal.
F. Lifestyle Diseases
Poverty contributes to obesity among children and the development of other lifestyle diseases such as diabetes and hypertension. Poverty renders the family unable to afford a proper diet. Poor diets are unbalanced, packed with large amounts of carbohydrates and fats. Poor neighborhoods are also densely populated thus kids in these areas lack places where they can play and get adequate exercise needed to prevent these diseases. Obesity also initiates the development of other lifestyle diseases such as high blood pressure and diabetes which negatively impact the child’s health.
Conclusion
Poverty is a major problem in child health as its effects cut across all areas of child health and development. To ensure proper child health, measures should be taken to minimize poverty. Reducing poverty is the first step in safeguarding the welfare of children which would go a long way in ensuring a healthy and productive generation. If not dealt with, poverty can enslave a country and form a vicious cycle leading to the loss of a whole generation. Poverty is a worldwide issue that needs to be fought by all or risk losing millions of innocent children.

References
Aber, J. (2007). Child development and social policy. Washington, DC: American Psychological Association.
Ayaya, S., & Esamai, F. (2001). Health problems of street children in Eldoret, Kenya. East African Medical Journal, 78(12). http://dx.doi.org/10.4314/eamj.v78i12.8930
Brooks-Gunn, J., & Duncan, G. (1997). The Effects of Poverty on Children. The Future Of Children, 7(2), 55. http://dx.doi.org/10.2307/1602387
Victora, C., Wagstaff, A., Schellenberg, J., Gwatkin, D., Claeson, M., & Habicht, J. (2003). Applying an equity lens to child health and mortality: more of the same is not enough. The Lancet, 362(9379), 233-241. http://dx.doi.org/10.1016/s0140-6736(03)13917-7
Wissow, L., Gittelsohn, A., Szklo, M., Starfield, B., & Mussman, M. (1988). Poverty, race, and hospitalization for childhood asthma. American Journal Of Public Health, 78(7), 777-782. http://dx.doi.org/10.2105/ajph.78.7.777