Leave no one behind: why WHO's regional office for Europe should prioritise children and adolescents in their program of work. A position statement from the European academy of paediatrics

Danielle Jansen; Maria Brenner; Károly Illy; Łukasz Dembiński; Stefano Del Torso; Zachi Grossman; Arunas Valiulis; Ann De Guchtenaere; Artur Mazur; Liviana Da Dalt; Ketil Størdal; Berthold Koletzko; Adamos Hadjipanayis

doi:10.3389/fped.2023.1184870

Leave no one behind: why WHO's regional office for Europe should prioritise children and adolescents in their program of work. A position statement from the European academy of paediatrics

Front Pediatr. 2023 Jun 14:11:1184870. doi: 10.3389/fped.2023.1184870. eCollection 2023.

Authors

Danielle Jansen^{1

2

3}, Maria Brenner⁴, Károly Illy^{5

6

7}, Łukasz Dembiński^{7

8}, Stefano Del Torso^{7

9}, Zachi Grossman^{7

10

11}, Arunas Valiulis^{7

12}, Ann De Guchtenaere^{7

13}, Artur Mazur^{7

14}, Liviana Da Dalt^{7

15}, Ketil Størdal^{7

16

17}, Berthold Koletzko^{7

18}, Adamos Hadjipanayis^{7

19}

Affiliations

¹ Department of Primary and Long-term Care, University of Groningen, University Medical Center Groningen, Groningen, Netherlands.
² Department of Sociology, University of Groningen, Groningen, Netherlands.
³ Accare, University Centre for Child and Adolescent Psychiatry, Groningen, Netherlands.
⁴ School of Nursing, Midwifery & Health Systems, University College Dublin, Dublin, Ireland.
⁵ Dutch Paediatric Society, Utrecht, Netherlands.
⁶ Department of Pediatrics, Hospital Rivierenland, Tiel, Netherlands.
⁷ European Academy of Paediatrics (EAP), Brussels, Belgium.
⁸ Department of Pediatric Gastroenterology and Nutrition, Medical University of Warsaw, Warsaw, Poland.
⁹ ChidCare WorldWide CCWWItalia OdV, Padova, Italy.
¹⁰ Department of Pediatrics, Maccabi Health Care Services Pediatrics, Tel Aviv, Israel.
¹¹ Adelson School of Medicine, Ariel University, Ariel, Israel.
¹² Clinic of Children's Diseases, Institute of Clinical Medicine, Vilnius University Medical Faculty, Vilnius, Lithuania.
¹³ Department of Paediatrics, Ghent University, Ghent, Belgium.
¹⁴ Department Pediatrics, Pediatric Endocrinology and Diabetes, Medical College, University of Rzeszow, Rzeszow, Poland.
¹⁵ Department of Women's and Children's Health, University Hospital of Padova, Padova, Italy.
¹⁶ Department of Pediatric Research, Faculty of Medicine, University of Oslo, Oslo, Norway.
¹⁷ Division of Pediatric and Adolescent Medicine, Oslo University Hospital, Oslo, Norway.
¹⁸ Department of Paediatrics, LMU-Ludwig-Maximilians-Universität Munich, Division of Metabolic and Nutritional Medicine, Dr. von Hauner Children's Hospital, University Hospital, LMU Munich, Munich, Germany.
¹⁹ Medical School, European University Cyprus, Nicosia, Cyprus.

Abstract

Children and adolescents are no longer a priority in the most recent European Programme of Work (EPW) 2020-2025 of the World Health Organization (WHO) Regional Office for Europe. In this position statement we provide arguments for why we think this population should be explicitly addressed in this important and influential document. We firstly emphasize the persistent health problems and inequalities in access to care for children and adolescents that are challenging to solve, and thus require a continuous focus. Secondly, we urge the WHO to prioritize children and adolescents in their EPW due to the new and emerging health problems related to global issues. Finally, we explain why permanent prioritization of children and adolescents is essential for the future of children and of society.

Keywords: Europe; adolescents; children; equity; mental health; migrants; mortality; world health organization.