La santé des enfants en France : un enjeu négligé ?

INTRODUCTION: As part of the National Health Strategy, the High Council for Public Health (HCSP) was tasked with leading a reflection on a “comprehensive and concerted child health policy”. Policy-making requires relevant knowledge and statistical benchmarks. It therefore seemed useful to examine the French statistical system and active research topics. This assessment is expected to provide a current portrait of the priorities and implicit health choices for the children. It also aims to reveal insufficiently explored aspects of children’s health. METHODS: The inventory of this system was carried out on the basis of several methods, hearings, work of two documentalists, and analysis of the published and grey literature. RESULTS: The emphasis is on pathologies, medical prevention and behaviors conceived primarily as individual. The idea that the health of tomorrow’s adults is built up behind this apparent good health and its inequalities does not appear, or only marginally. The elements on affective, cognitive or relational development are not sufficiently analyzed, for lack of data. The living conditions of children, especially poverty and violence in all its forms, are not sufficiently considered as health issues. Research is developing today with a hospital-centric vision, without a real strategy of research on children’s health. DISCUSSION: Given the dispersion of data, publishing a summary report on children’s health on a regular basis is essential, as enriching the system with data on the environment, poverty and psychomotor, psychosocial and cognitive development. There is an urgent need to develop research on children’s health and to define a research strategy that does not exist today.

[70 years of school health in France: an old lady’s forgotten birthday]. / 70 ans de santé scolaire en France?: l’anniversaire oublié d’une vieille dame discrète.

School health in France has recently celebrated its 70th birthday. The authors review the last 70 years and the adjustments made by the various professionals in this field to adapt to political and institutional changes, whether or not these changes were designed to improve the health of infants and children. Changing governance does not facilitate the essential place of team work, especially between Ministry of Education doctors, nurses and social workers. Although these professionals regret the lack of publicity concerning the 70 years of school health, the continuing commitment of young school health professionals illustrates the real importance of health measures in school children and adolescents.