School nurses and dentists warn children's health is deteriorating due to hunger
The overwhelming majority (94%) of respondents from the School and Public Health Nurses Association and the British Dental Association supported the extension of free school meals to all primary school children so that they don't go hungry
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Image: Getty Images/iStockphoto
More than six in 10 child health practitioners said that hunger and poor nutrition lead to poorer health in children.
A survey of school nurses and dentists found that children are not growing or gaining weight at the expected rate and suffer from tooth decay due to unhealthy diets.
About 65% said children's health had deteriorated due to hunger and poor nutrition in the past year, according to a survey of 313 health care practitioners.
Almost a third (28%) said children had more frequent or worse health problems.
More than half (53%) said the children were not growing or gaining weight as expected, while 58% noted low energy levels compared to other children.
Some 55% noted changes in children's behavior, such as unusual irritability, sluggishness or anxiety, and 51% reported an increase in the frequency of mental health problems.
Picture:
Getty Images/iStockphoto)And 78% of people surveyed said they saw their children's teeth deteriorate or become damaged at a higher rate than usual.
The overwhelming majority (94%) of respondents from the School and Public Health Nurses Association and the British Dental Association supported extending free school meals to all primary school children to ensure they don't are not hungry.
This comes as activists, politicians and civil society leaders take part in a week of action to urge the government to expand the scheme.
Kevin Courtney, joint general secretary of the National Education Union, said: "With 4.2 million children living in poverty, it is up to the government to act.
"These results demonstrate the impact of child poverty on children's health and paint a worrying picture for their future.
"Frontline healthcare workers, like school nurses, dentists and teachers, are hugging...
The overwhelming majority (94%) of respondents from the School and Public Health Nurses Association and the British Dental Association supported the extension of free school meals to all primary school children so that they don't go hungry
(
Image: Getty Images/iStockphoto
More than six in 10 child health practitioners said that hunger and poor nutrition lead to poorer health in children.
A survey of school nurses and dentists found that children are not growing or gaining weight at the expected rate and suffer from tooth decay due to unhealthy diets.
About 65% said children's health had deteriorated due to hunger and poor nutrition in the past year, according to a survey of 313 health care practitioners.
Almost a third (28%) said children had more frequent or worse health problems.
More than half (53%) said the children were not growing or gaining weight as expected, while 58% noted low energy levels compared to other children.
Some 55% noted changes in children's behavior, such as unusual irritability, sluggishness or anxiety, and 51% reported an increase in the frequency of mental health problems.
Picture:
Getty Images/iStockphoto)And 78% of people surveyed said they saw their children's teeth deteriorate or become damaged at a higher rate than usual.
The overwhelming majority (94%) of respondents from the School and Public Health Nurses Association and the British Dental Association supported extending free school meals to all primary school children to ensure they don't are not hungry.
This comes as activists, politicians and civil society leaders take part in a week of action to urge the government to expand the scheme.
Kevin Courtney, joint general secretary of the National Education Union, said: "With 4.2 million children living in poverty, it is up to the government to act.
"These results demonstrate the impact of child poverty on children's health and paint a worrying picture for their future.
"Frontline healthcare workers, like school nurses, dentists and teachers, are hugging...
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