children and adolescents

[Event] Child Health Research - the Key to a Healthier European Society Date

The RICHE and CHICOS projects, together with TACTICS and EURO-PERISTAT are hosting a joint meeting to celebrate European child health research, and launch their reports in Dublin this May. Needless to say, you all are invited! Join leading researchers and practitioners in child health, policy makers, advocates, and children, to help shape the future of child health research in Europe. Event’s flyer - pass it on to your colleagues! The Meeeting This international conference is (...)

Redefining and combating poverty - human rights, democracy and common goods in today’s Europe

The two-day conference intended to discuss the subject of poverty and inequality in societies with human rights policies, with participants from different backgrounds, bringing together institutional actors, researchers, activists, associations, and networks, as well as people living in poverty and precariousness and other citizens involved in the themes raised by the Conference. The first day of the discussion was devoted to the analysis of the current situation in terms of poverty, (...)

Poverty and inequality in societies of human rights - the paradox of democracies

The two-day conference involved a discussion on the subject of poverty and inequality in societies with human rights policies and brought together institutional actors, researchers, activists, associations, and networks, as well as people living in poverty and precariousness and other citizens involved in the themes raised by the Conference. The first day of the discussion was devoted to the analysis of the current situation in terms of poverty, inequalities and precariousness of living (...)

European Commission’s Social Investment Package for Growth and Cohesion - the Child Poverty dimension

On 20 February, the European Commission presented a Communication on its Social Investment Package for Growth and Cohesion. The initiative aims to help member states use their social budgets more efficiently and effectively by promoting best practices and providing guidance on social investment. Social investment involves strengthening people’s current and future capacities. In particular, social investment helps ’prepare’ people to confront life’s risks, rather (...)

[Report] Superfood for Babies - Save the Children’s latest report on breastfeeding in developing countries

On February 19, Save the Children launched a milestone report with the title "Superfood for Babies: How overcoming barriers to breastfeeding will save children’s lives" Breastfeeding is one of the best ways to tackle malnutrition; a simple, natural way to boost a baby’s immune system. If all babies were breastfed in the first hour after birth, the lives of 95 babies would be saved every single hour - 830,000 a year. The report, Superfood for Babies, says that if babies receive (...)

Preventing global non-communicable diseases through low carbon development

Both non-communicable diseases (NCDs) and climate change are enormous threats to global health - synergies attempting to tackle these major health threats have received limited attention to date. The increasing burden of NCDs poses an enormous threat to populations and health systems across the globe. At the same time, the impacts of climate change are predicted to have profound public health effects and there is an urgent need for transition to low-carbon economies. Although important (...)

[EPT] Car noise pollution - new EU regulation - sound level of motor vehicles

Sound level of motor vehicles In December 2011, the European Commission adopted a proposal for a new regulation aimed at tightening noise emissions standards for cars, vans, lorries and buses. To become law, the regulation now needs approval by the Parliament and member states. Vehicle noise standards were last updated in 1996, so were long overdue. More than 200 million European citizens (one in three) are regularly exposed to traffic noise levels that put their health at risk. One in (...)

[Joint Press Release] Beyond disappointment – European lawmakers on the side of automobile industry on traffic noise vote

Brussels, February 6 - The European Public Health Alliance (EPHA) (1) and the Health and Environment Alliance (HEAL) (2) regret the outcome of today’s plenary vote at the European Parliament (EP) on the regulation on the sound level of motor vehicles. The majority of European Parliamentarians – the elected representatives of the citizens - have turned a blind eye to people’s concerns, and prioritised the automobile industry over everyone’s health and well-being. (...)

Governments should act in the best interest of stateless children

Citizenship is the “right to have rights”. Without citizenship, one lacks not only political rights, but often social and economic rights as well. On a symbolic level, citizenship implies being a full member of a national community, and even further, of humanity. On his statement Nils Muižnieks, Commissioner for Human Rights argues in favour of the protection of stateless children. Key messages The best interest of the child is to have citizenship There should be no (...)

[Seminar report] Tackling Health Inequalities through Investing in Housing

The event ’Tackling Health Inequalities through Investing in Housing’ focused on the connection between health inequalities and affordable housing. It emphasised that investment in good quality housing can bring returns in health and environmental outcomes. Evidence shows that decent housing is an important social and environmental determinant of health These determinants lie outside of the health sector . Nevertheless, neither health professionals nor health policymakers (...)