An increasing number of British children aged five and under are suffering from obesity, tooth decay and mental health issues, a new report has found. The Family Education Trust charity told The European Conservative that a number of these issues are “directly caused” by family breakdown and criticised the government for dealing with the “symptoms” of this decline rather than the cause.
The authors of a report released by the Academy of Medical Sciences on Monday said that “health in the early years … forms the basis for mental and physical health and wellbeing through the rest of the life,” yet officials fail to recognise its importance, meaning “health in the early years is under serious threat.” Some of the paper’s main findings are that
- The infant survival rate has stalled and is worse than in 60% of other OECD countries;
- Over one-fifth of five-year-olds are overweight or obese, and this number is increasing;
- One in four is also affected by preventable tooth decay, making dental extractions a top cause of hospital admission of children; and
- Demands on all child mental health services are increasing.
None of this is new. Those interested have for some time been aware of schools hiring “professional nappy changers” where children have not been trained by their parents, as well as tooth-brushing “supervisors” where parents “do not realise they need to” brush their baby’s teeth, or perhaps even put fizzy drinks in baby bottles—all of which points to a parental class which is forgetting how to care for its young. The symptoms of this are simply becoming more and more clear to see, as this report shows.
Lucy Marsh from the Family Education Trust told the European Conservative that many of the issues raised in the new report are “directly caused by the breakdown in stable families,” explaining that
Marriage rates are at an all-time low, and many children do not live with both their parents. The rise of single-parent families contributes massively to child poverty and poor outcomes for children.
She added that the figures make it clear there needs to be “a renewed focus on the family and parenting skills in the UK.” Instead, “the government is suggesting ways to deal with the symptoms of the decline of children’s physical and mental health,” such as by reducing sugar in children’s foods and funding children’s sports events, “rather than tackling the cause.”
The Trust was particularly critical of the Conservative Party government and its Labour opposition for incentivising new mothers to return to work while handing their children to strangers. Marsh said:
We know that the 0-5 years are critical for child development, which is why the government must focus on helping parents to prioritise raising their own children rather than pushing mothers out to work and letting a conveyor belt of strangers care for their babies in group childcare settings.
Lack of attachment bonding with their mothers causes long-term emotional issues for young children, which the major political parties are exacerbating by promoting state-subsidised nurseries for babies rather than helping mothers to stay at home longer.
While the Conservative and Labour parties have lost interest in defending the family, Marsh insisted that “the only way to really make a long-term difference is to prioritise marriage and help mothers and fathers stay together and prioritise their children.”
