CABIESES VALDES, BALTICA BEATRIZ

Child well-being is important for lifelong health and well-being. Although there is evidence linking social determinants of health (eg, relative poverty and income inequality) to child well-being, social and public health policy tends to focus on interventions to mitigate their effects, rather than remove the root causes. Children born into socioeconomically disadvantaged families suffer worse child well-being and its lifelong implications, in all societies, worldwide. However, some societies are able to mitigate these inequalities and create better average child well-being and smaller gaps between rich and poor children. This success has less to do with specific welfare policies or targeted interventions for poor children than to a societal commitment to greater equality.

Child well-being is important for lifelong health and well-being. Although there is evidence linking social determinants of health (eg, relative poverty and income inequality) to child well-being, social and public health policy tends to focus on interventions to mitigate their effects, rather than remove the root causes. Children born into socioeconomically disadvantaged families suffer worse child well-being and its lifelong implications, in all societies, worldwide. However, some societies are able to mitigate these inequalities and create better average child well-being and smaller gaps between rich and poor children. This success has less to do with specific welfare policies or targeted interventions for poor children than to a societal commitment to greater equality.