From the Canadian Medical Association

Dr. Colin McMillan
President, Canadian Medical Association

Diseases of want, diseases of excess. Canadian children are dying from both, and for the first time in our history many Canadian children may have shorter lifespans than their parents. Many of our youngsters are so overfed, overweight and inactive that they are being diagnosed with type 2 diabetes, a disease formerly only seen in adults and one that creates a tremendous burden of disability and premature death. At the other extreme, many children lack necessary health care and social supports. Newborns in our First Nations and Inuit communities are dying at rates two to three times higher than the general population, and the rate of suicide among young Aboriginals is also several times higher. Any of the following statistics may surprise you, but they’re all true.

• Child obesity rates in Canada have tripled in just two decades.
• Only one in six of our mentally ill children will receive appropriate treatment.
• The infant mortality rate in Canada has stalled but continues to drop in many other Western nations.
•  Among Aboriginal children, infant deaths are more common, obesity is more prevalent and both type 2 diabetes and unintentional injury and death occur more often than in the general population.

Something has to be done about this and something is being done. In 2005, our First Ministers set health-care goals for this country. The first goal is to have our children develop to their full potential and grow up “happy, healthy, confident and secure.” But Canada’s doctors realized that much more needs to be done to translate this laudable goal into reality. So this April, the Canadian Medical Association (CMA), the Canadian Paediatric Society and The College of Family Physicians of Canada brought together child-health experts and advocates to address the situation. Within the CMA, this Child Health Summit was spearheaded by Dr. Ruth Collins-Nakai, CMA past-president and a strong advocate for the health of our younger population.

The summit assembled more than 120 pediatric-health champions, who developed a blueprint for action to make younger Canadians among the world’s healthiest. A key achievement was a child-health charter based on three principles:

• a safe and secure environment
• good health and development
• a full range of health resources available to all.

For each principle, the delegates identified targeted goals such as clean air, water and soil, as well as opportunities for physical activity and learning. Simple, measurable, achievable and timely objectives will be set to meet the charter’s aims.

Delegates also endorsed the Child Health Declaration and the Child and Youth Health Challenge, a call to action to make the charter a reality. The challenge urges the creation of a children’s commissioner and an Office for Children’s Health, with an adviser reporting to the federal health minister. It also calls for a national child-health strategy, involving children in all strategic discussions and focusing on Aboriginal child health.

This document supports allocating significant resources to reach tangible targets. It is aimed at policy- makers who can have an impact on child health. Because the summit is only the first step, it did not  spell out what will define success, but it stresses the importance of measurable targets. There is no reason that with dedication and effort we cannot reach the objective set out by Dr. Collins-Nakai at the summit — to make Canada one of the world’s top five countries in child health and well-being within five years.