1. Children’s Environmental Health in South and Southeast Asia: Networking for Better Child Health Outcomes
- Author
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Fiona C Goldizen, Banalata Sen, Stephania A. Cormier, Melina S. Magsumbol, Sathiarany Vong, William A. Suk, Le Thai Ha, Peter D. Sly, David O. Carpenter, Betsy Galluzzo, Poornima Prabhakaran, Chador Wangdi, Panida Navasumrit, Christopher L. Skelly, Paul Jagals, Hari Datt Joshi, Michelle Heacock, Ubon Cha'on, Prachi Kathuria, Inoka Suraweera, Samayita Ghosh, and Brittany A Trottier
- Subjects
Pediatric Obesity ,Infectious and parasitic diseases ,RC109-216 ,0302 clinical medicine ,Health care ,030212 general & internal medicine ,Sanitation ,Bhutan ,Child ,Child Labor ,Asia, Southeastern ,Growth Disorders ,Bangladesh ,030503 health policy & services ,Child Health ,General Medicine ,Thailand ,Social protection ,Vietnam ,Child, Preschool ,Child Mortality ,Quality-Adjusted Life Years ,Public aspects of medicine ,RA1-1270 ,0305 other medical science ,Environmental Health ,Adolescent ,India ,Child Nutrition Disorders ,03 medical and health sciences ,Nepal ,Environmental health ,Air Pollution ,medicine ,Humans ,Improved sanitation ,Pesticides ,Personal protective equipment ,Sri Lanka ,Poverty ,business.industry ,Drinking Water ,Infant, Newborn ,Infant ,Environmental Exposure ,medicine.disease ,Child labour ,Child mortality ,Malnutrition ,business ,Expert Consensus Document - Abstract
Children are particularly vulnerable to environmental hazards because they receive higher doses of pollutants in any given environment and often do not have equitable access to social protection mechanisms such as environmental and health care services. The World Health Organization established a global network of collaborating centres that address children’s environmental health (CEH). The network developed a focus on low- and middle-income countries (LMICs) and is broadening its reach by conducting regional workshops for CEH. Objective: This paper reports on the outcomes of a workshop held in conjunction with the 17th International Conference (November 2017) of the Pacific Basin Consortium for Environment and Health, focused on the state of CEH in South and Southeast Asia as presented by seven countries from the region (India, Bangladesh, Nepal, Bhutan, Vietnam, Thailand, Sri Lanka). Workshop outcomes: Country reports presented at the meeting show a high degree of similarity with respect to the issues threatening the health of children. The most common problems are outdoor and household air pollution in addition to exposure to heavy metals, industrial chemicals, and pesticides. Many children still do not have adequate access to clean water and improved sanitation while infectious diseases remain a problem, especially for children living in poverty. Child labour is widely prevalent, generally without adequate training or personal protective equipment. The children now face the dual burden of undernutrition and stunting on the one hand and overnutrition and obesity on the other. Conclusion: It is evident that some countries in these regions are doing better than others in varying areas of CEH. By establishing and participating in regional networks, countries can learn from each other and harmonise their efforts to protect CEH so that all can benefit from closer interactions.
- Published
- 2019