Child poverty strategy: Bold commitments and binding targets are essential for health equity

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Source: BMJ

Original: http://www.bmj.com/content/392/bmj.s102.short?rss=1...

Published: 2026-01-16T07:56:24-08:00

Child poverty is a major factor in ill health that is increasing in the UK.[1] In 2024, 4.5 million children lived in poverty, representing more than a third of all children, with two million children living in deep poverty without access to basic needs such as heating, clothing and food.[1] Child poverty is associated with rising infant mortality and a widening gap in average healthy life expectancy – currently around two decades – between people living in the most and least deprived areas.[1] The UK government is committed to halving this gap.[1] The Faculty of Public Health has been calling for meaningful measures in the fight against poverty for a long time.[1] The UK Government's Child Poverty Strategy is welcome, with the main change being the removal of certain measures.[1]