The impact of child poverty: a pediatric challenge

Child poverty is one of the greatest threats to children's rights and a key determinant of health, with long-lasting effects due to the vulnerability of minors, who depend on adults for care. Beyond the lack of basic resources, it has a negative impact on physical and emotional development and educational outcomes, perpetuating social inequality. The UN advocates for the use multidimensional measures of child poverty including health, education, housing and social participation. Child poverty limits social mobility and reduces productivity. In Spain, its cost was 4.1% of the GDP in 2023, with 30.3% of children and adolescents at risk of poverty or social exclusion, especially in single-parent households and large families. Pediatricians should integrate psychosocial assessment in their routine clinical practice and encourage multidisciplinary collaboration, which should be reflected in specialist training programs. Investing in children is not only an ethical responsibility, but a crucial strategy for the sustainable and equitable development of a country.