The social dimension of child health

Sometimes, when a sets foot inside a hospital, the paediatrician will not know whether they are arriving just with an illness, or also a family and social history that could force the medical and nursing teams to look beyond medicine. The fact is that in early childhood (as at other stages of our lives), health rarely comes down to one single diagnosis. It is also shaped by education, the family's economic standing, origins and emotional well-being.

Children who grow up in vulnerable contexts will more often reveal unhealthy lifestyles, and be at greater risk of developing worse physical and mental health. Various studies also indicate that ongoing exposure to situations of stress — such as gender violence, bullying at school or parental divorce — may affect their physical, mental and emotional development, and interfere in such key processes as learning and memory.

This evidence is changing the way we understand clinical practice and care. Healthcare professionals are increasingly required to go beyond a purely biologically minded approach, and instead offer a more holistic response, which likewise addresses the social, environmental and emotional factors of health.

In this regard, the Health Pact of the Basque Country, as the roadmap adopted by Basque institutions to ensure quality care in the region and to transform the health system, is committed to strengthening coordination between health and social services. It likewise calls for human, animal and environmental health to be integrated within health planning, while also promoting community health.