March 9, 2016 usnews.com
The American Academy of Pediatrics is urging doctors to “screen for poverty” by asking the parents of their patients if they are having trouble making ends meet and following up by asking if they have adequate food, housing and heat. Why? Because children are highly vulnerable to chronic stress that results from the emotional and economic burden created by poverty and can resort to risky behaviors, including smoking, excessive drinking and substance abuse. Poverty also can alter brain function, affect immune and psychiatric disorders and has been linked to asthma and obesity. The aim with this more holistic approach is to improve public health outcomes in children. . . read more.
Pediatricians Urged To Join War On Poverty
