Social Inequality Kills

[HM2VikingRN, RN]

From: http://www.hsph.harvard.edu/thegeocodingproject/webpage/monograph/introduction.htm

Social inequality kills. It unduly deprives individuals and communities experiencing social deprivation of their health, increases their burden of disability and disease, and cuts short their lives.

[HM2VikingRN, RN]

http://www.nccp.org/pub_wmt07.html

economic hardship has been linked to a myriad of adverse educational, health, and other outcomes for children that limit future productivity. these children are less likely to be healthy, which impacts learning. for them, the achievement gap starts very early—one study found that at age 4 poor children are 18 months behind developmentally and the gap is still there at age 10. two-thirds of youth with mental health problems drop out of high school. they become part of the disengaged youth population.

more than a decade of research shows that increasing the incomes of low-income families—without any other changes—can positively affect child development, especially for younger children.put differently, money matters for child development. families with more money invest more in material resources that promote learning for their children. parents with more money are also likely to be less stressed and depressed, both of which have been linked to poor social and emotional outcomes for children.

according to economists, high-quality early experiences can have major long-term economic pay offs. in one program it was estimated that participants earned on the average $20,000 more and saved the state $19,000 in remediation and criminal justice costs. another analysis by dr. james heckman, a nobel prize winner, suggested that the odds of completing high school rose from 39 percent to 53 percent for children exposed to preschool.

[kidznurse]

Money per se is not the answer .Not everyone uses money wisely . Children are valued more in countries with low per capita birthrate . Where life is cheap children are surplus commodities and traded and expended as such . Education, family planning, legislation, and a commitment to children first policies is the key. Crash helmet, seatbelt,car seat and smoke free laws were passed espite some opposition in NZ and now these behaviours are desirable ,expected, assisted, and enforced.

[nurse_nan]

I agree with kidznurse. You can pour all the money you want to into low income, socially deprived communities and they'll continue with the same behaviors that got them there in the first place. Here in the USA where public aid is rampant, you still have people spending that money on unnecessary frivolities while their children lack medicine, decent food, decent shelter. All the public aid moms I saw in the Ed always had great manicures but no money for Tylenol for their child's fever.

[SillyLilly]

I do not think money is the answer. It is way more complicated than that. It takes investment on the part of the parents to take the time with the children to make sure the little they have goes to their children's development. But if the parents are not able to do that, bc *fill in the reason-uneducated, lack motivation, other issues etc* the cycle repeats itself.

Parents with 'more money' also usualy have more education and have a higher value for education in the first place. And are more likely to encourage learning and expose their children to preschool.

I have seen 'poorer' families that realize that education is a must for their children, and their children have grown up a little better than their parents, and their children have done better than their own children. Not for all cases.

I would love to see more children exposed to healthier conditions--drug free, voilence free, with an emphasis placed on education. But sadly it takes effort from the parents more so than it does from the state.