A new international study published in The Lancet has revealed that socioeconomic disparities between the richest and the poorest in 34 countries widened over the last decade.
The study on relationships and youth revealed that poor teenagers overall were more likely to be less physically active, have higher body mass indexes (BMI), and report more physical and psychological troubles, such as headaches and “feeling low.”
The study on relationships and youth revealed that poor teenagers overall were more likely to be less physically active, have higher body mass indexes (BMI), and report more physical and psychological troubles, such as headaches and “feeling low.”
“A strong international focus on reducing childhood poverty and mortality in children under 5 years has not been matched by a similar response in older age groups, resulting in widening socioeconomic inequalities in adolescent health,” said lead author Drank Elgar, a psychiatry professor at McGill University in Canada, in a press release. “If health inequalities are now widening in such abundantly rich countries, particularly during the so-called ‘healthy years’ of adolescence, then these trends are especially alarming for future populations.”
Kids that grow up poor are also more likely to be at risk of smoking, binge drinking, substance abuse, and child abuse, according to the study that highlights on previously-unexplored topic of teen behaviour.
Kids that grow up poor are also more likely to be at risk of smoking, binge drinking, substance abuse, and child abuse, according to the study that highlights on previously-unexplored topic of teen behaviour.