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Health practitioners survey: Hunger leading to deterioration in children’s health and dental issues

6 mins read Children's dentistry Diet and nutrition
​In a survey of 313 health practitioners conducted between June 8-22, 2023, members of the School and Public Health Nurses Association (SAPHNA) and the British Dental Association were asked about the impact of child hunger on children’s health. The survey aimed to understand the impact of child hunger on children’s health over the past year, as part of a national week of action coordinated by the National Education Union’s ‘No Child Left Behind’ campaign.

Child hunger and worsening health

When asked about their experiences over the past year, 65 per cent of health professionals reported that children’s health had got worse as a result of hunger to some extent. Almost a third of respondents (28 per cent) said that children were experiencing an increase in the incidence or severity of health problems to a large extent.

With food inflation soaring and in-work poverty on the rise, many families are being pulled into increasingly difficult positions through no fault of their own and children are suffering as a result. Families across the income distribution are struggling with food costs and having their health impacted.

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