A single question asked at an annual checkup — whether parents have trouble making ends meet — could help pediatricians identify children at risk for serious health problems associated with poverty and the chronic levels of stress that often accompany it.
The American Academy of Pediatrics urges members to ask if their patients' families are struggling financially and then commit to helping them get the resources they need to thrive. And some communities are trying to make that happen.
Since almost half of young children in the United States live in poverty or near poverty, it's no small challenge.
The Center for Youth Wellness, located in San Francisco's low-income Bayview Hunters Point neighborhood, is working with the pediatricians' organization on a national campaign,Children Can Thrive, to raise awareness about the impact of a range of childhood stressors, known as adverse childhood experiences, or ACEs. These experiences of abuse, neglect or household dysfunction can have grave implications for both child and adult health.
[For more of this story, written by Elaine Korry, go to http://www.npr.org/sections/he...rents-if-theyre-poor]
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