Conference on the Health of Young People:
be healthy, be yourself
July 9-10, 2009
Plenary session II:
The implications of the economic and
financial crisis on youth health
Professor Candace Currie
Child and Adolescent Health Research Unit
HBSC International Coordinating Centre
University of Edinburgh
Impact of socioeconomic inequalities on
young people’s health
Recent WHO reports provide scientific basis for
our understanding of effects of family affluence
and young people’s economic circumstances on
their health and well-being
Evidence base for socioeconomic
inequalities among young people
HBSC Report: ‘Inequalities in Young People’s Health’
(Currie et al, 2008)
finds that adolescent health, well-being, and health
promoting behaviours are favoured for those young
people growing up in more affluent family
circumstances
Evidence base for socioeconomic
inequalities among young people
HBSC research has also found that the extent of
inequality between and within countries impacts
of health disparities:
• young people growing up in wealthier countries,
and countries with less unequal distribution of
family affluence report better health (Torsheim et
al, 2006)
• large economic inequality at the national level is
associated with an increased prevalence of
exposure to bullying (Due et al, 2008)
Evidence base for socioeconomic
inequalities among young people
These HBSC findings about existing inequalities
provide a strong argument that health
inequalities among young people in Europe are
likely to increase as a result of the financial and
economic crisis
The next HBSC survey which takes place in
2009/2010 will allow comparisons to be made of
young people’s health wellbeing and behaviour
pre- and post- financial crisis across EU states
‘Snapshot of the Health of Young
People in Europe’
Reports that processes and effects of
economic hardship and deprivation include:
• social exclusion and lack of opportunity to
engage in activities that promote or support
health
• impacts of perceived low social and economic
status on well-being
• direct effects of material deprivation and poverty
on social and living conditions
• lack of social support to withstand and cope with
hardship
Impacts of social and economic
disadvantage on health of young
people
• local and global economic conditions may affect
the material resources that young people have
access to
• direct impact on their aspirations and sense of
achievement, which in turn may manifest in
mental health outcomes
Family context
• young people still living at home are
likely to experience a decline in material
circumstances
• reduced purchasing power of families can have an
effect on access to health promoting lifestyles
including healthier food choices
• nutritional health and levels of physical activity are
linked to overweight and obesity levels which are
known to be
• inversely associated with family
affluence
Cross-national disparities
• differential effect on the health and well-being of
young people across countries in Europe may
result from variation in extent of economic
downturn
• this may result in increased levels of
socioeconomic inequality both within and
between countries
Transitions from school to work and from
home to independent living
• changes in youth labour market will
influence these transitions
• different welfare systems across Europe
influence age of leaving home and
economic crisis may impact on these
systems with follow on effects on youth
transitions
Access to health care
• economic crisis is likely to increase inequalities
in access to health care and especially specialist
services
• public spending on youth services may be
particularly affected by the financial downturn if
not considered to be a priority issue
Views of young people
• views of young people on wide ranging
issues that affect their welfare and wellbeing are crucial to understand and listen
to
• young people’s needs, hopes and
aspirations must inform development of
policies that can protect and promote the
health of youth in these challenging
economic times
References
Barnekow V, Currie C, Letsch C, de Looze M and Morgan A (2009) A
Snapshot of the Health of Young People in Europe, WHO Copenhagen.
Currie C. et al (eds) (2008) Inequalities in young people's health:
international report from the HBSC 2006/06 survey. WHO Policy Series:
Health policy for children and adolescents Issue 5, WHO Regional Office
for Europe, Copenhagen.
Due P, Merlo J, Harel-Fisch Y, Trab Damsgaard M, Holstein B, Hetland J,
Currie C, Nic Gabhainn S, Gaspar de Matos M, Lynch J (2009)
Socioeconomic inequality in exposure to bullying during adolescence: a
comparative, cross-sectional, multilevel study in 35 countries. American
Journal of Public Health, 99(5), 907-914. DOI:
10.2105/AJPH.2008.139303
Torsheim T, Currie C, Boyce W & Samdal O (2006) Country material
distribution and adolescents' perceived health: Multilevel study of
adolescents in twenty-seven countries. Journal of Epidemiology and
Community Health, 60: 156-161.
DOI:10.1136/jech.2005.037655
Further information and contacts
To find out more about the HBSC Study and its publications
go to: www.hbsc.org or contact: info@hbsc.org
To find out more about the Child and Adolescent Health
Research Unit (CAHRU) and its research and
publications go to: http://www.education.ed.ac.uk/cahru/
or contact: cahru@ed.ac.uk