Child Poverty In British Columbia

In the present paper, the authors address the issue of child poverty in British Columbia and identify its severity. The authors analyze the problem of child poverty against the social determinants of health, and reveal how the problem of child poverty affects the society as a whole. The authors suggest specific nursing actions aimed to decrease the child poverty rate in BC, in particular, taking eight steps to develop a provincial poverty reduction plan. The authors support their suggestions by the data obtained from scientific publications, the textbooks and the latest statistical data related to the problem of child poverty in British Columbia.
According to Child Poverty Report Card (2014), one of five children in British Columbia lives in poverty. In BC,
Children from low-income neighborhoods often have no or limited access to dental care, sports facilities, and extracurricular activities. (Stamler & Gabriel, 2012). Moreover, when children from poor families become grownups themselves, they, like their parents, tend to skip regular checkups, and are less likely to seek healthcare. (Stamler & Gabriel, 2012). This pattern puts them at risk to end up with multiple comorbidities, which in turn will demand extra resources from the healthcare system, thus becoming a burden to the society. Living in poverty negatively influences healthy child development due to lack of nutritious food. According to the Minister of Health (as cited in Stamler & Gabriel, 2012), poor nutrition affects memory, ability to concentrate, and problem-solving skills. Furthermore, poor hygiene and increased risk of continued violence compromise healthy child development “resulting in lower life expectancy for persons who grow up in poverty” (Stamler & Gabriel, 2012, p.