Socio-Economic Inequalities in Child Health

Dear Colleagues,

Irrespective of the level of development, socioeconomic disparity in child health is a disturbing reality currently exacerbated by the recent global health epidemic of COVID-19. Material and immaterial inequalities and injustices, evidenced in different spheres of life in different societies, are frequently observed and documented as they affect individual and collective health. Without a doubt, a child's well-being is important to their lifelong health and well-being. Even before birth, children whose parents are in socioeconomically vulnerable situations are likely to have worse health outcomes than those living in better circumstances. Although there is evidence that social determinants of health (such as relative poverty and income inequality) are associated with child well-being, social and health policies have been argued to reduce their impact rather than address their causes. Thus, children born into socio-economically disadvantaged families suffer from poor child welfare and its lifelong consequences in all societies around the world.

Socioeconomic status has a significant impact on the health status of children. A better understanding of how socioeconomic inequalities affect child health both in the short-run and long run is essential to inform the development of evidence-based child-friendly interventions and strategies. The purpose of this Special Issue is to take stock of the latest evidence of the consequences of socioeconomic disparity on child health outcomes, especially within the recent global pandemic experience of COVID-19. Cross-sectional, longitudinal, quantitative, and qualitative studies investigating this phenomenon are encouraged.

Dr. Olufunke A. Alaba
Guest Editor

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• socioeconomic inequality
• child health
• income equality
• social determinants of health
• socioeconomic position
• disparity