The urgent need to invest in children’s health
‘Building blocks for lifelong health: Why we must prioritize children’
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Over 2.1 billion children and adolescents under 20 are affected by Non-Communicable Diseases (NCDs) and mental health conditions. Yet the prevention, management, and care of these conditions remain critically neglected and under-funded.
This report, ‘Building blocks for lifelong health: Why we must prioritize children’, highlights the importance of investing in prevention in childhood, the return on investment in this period, and the need for cross-sectoral action to reduce the risk factors children face in communities. Poor nutrition, lack of physical activity or air pollution, inadequate health systems and barriers to healthy living deprive children of their fundamental rights to health, nutrition, education, and play. This is not only a health issue, but an equity issue – and has tangible economic consequences.
From insurance to sports and fashion, technology to urban planning, the report highlights the pivotal role of the private sector across sectors and industries in driving prevention efforts at scale.
