The University of Michigan C.S. Mott Children’s Hospital National Poll on Children’s Health recently asked adults to name the top child health concerns that the presidential candidates should address. The results show most adults want candidates to talk about childhood obesity and bullying.
Hot topics
“Healthcare reform is a major topic during this election season, but much of that focuses on uninsured adults and the costs of healthcare. The health of children usually is not the focus of the political talk,” says Matthew M. Davis M.D., M.A.P.P., director of the C.S. Mott Children’s Hospital National Poll on Children’s Health. However, researchers point out many of the health problems adults suffer from are learned behaviors or habits associated with childhood.
“By asking about children’s health and health policy, we hope to bring the public’s voice to the policymakers. We found that no matter their politics or race/ethnicity, adults in the US agree on these top child health priorities,” says Davis, who also is associate professor in the Child Health Evaluation and Research Unit and the Division of General Medicine at the U-M Medical School, and associate professor of Public Policy at the Gerald R. Ford School of Public Policy.
The breakdown
About 2,000 adults took the University of Michigan survey, which asked participants to rank the most important health issues facing children. Participants had 24 options to choice from. The top four concerns were as follows:
- 17% Childhood Obesity
- 15% Bullying
- 11% Drug abuse
- 8% Child Abuse/Neglect
More to be done
“The federal government is currently responsible for many programs that may have an impact on childhood obesity, like school lunches, encouragement of physical activity and subsidies for specific food items,” Davis says. “But the public is aware that more may be needed, and seems eager to hear from presidential candidates that they’ve made this a priority.”
