Report shows the pandemic’s unequal impact on children and families
/This article was featured in the SCDC Weekly - 19th June 2024.
A new report has set out the effects the pandemic has had on children and families, and how households on low incomes are feeling a greater impact.
Published by Public Health Scotland, the survey found that a substantial number of parents viewed the pandemic as having had a negative impact on child and family health and wellbeing.
More than a third of parents reported the mental health of their children as a concern, with 48% of low-income households perceiving this as a challenge compared to 31% of high-income households.
Accessing healthcare was also reported as as key issue, with 61% of parents reporting challenges accessing a dentist for their children, and 49% facing struggling to access GP.
Food was a significant area of disparity, with 28% of parents from low-income households reporting to be unable to afford healthy food compared to 4% of parents from high-income households.
While the pandemic is over, the impacts are clearly still with us. With Scotland's health inequalities worsening, understanding how people experience these unequal differences is vital if we are to reverse this alarming trend.
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