Peer-reviewed article
Transforming Child Health and Family Well-being
Charlene Wong, Kenya McNeal-Trice ·
Summary
Written by AI, not yet AICS's view · claude-sonnet-5-5This is an introduction to an edition of the North Carolina Medical Journal on child health and family well-being. It says problems that existed before COVID-19, such as child mental health issues, an unstable early care and education system and food insecurity, got worse during the pandemic. It argues that recovery needs a whole-child and whole-family approach covering physical, behavioral and social needs. The articles in the edition cover behavioral health, child welfare, early care and education, and nutrition in North Carolina.
Key points
- Child mental health problems, instability in early care and education, and food insecurity existed before COVID-19 and accelerated during the pandemic.
- Children and families have been uniquely and disproportionately affected.
- Child behavioral health, child welfare, and early care and education systems are described as reaching breaking points.
- The document calls for a whole-child and whole-family approach addressing physical, behavioral and social needs.
- The edition covers behavioral health, child welfare, early care and education, and nutrition in North Carolina.
Limitations
This is a short editorial-style introduction with no data, methods or evaluation of any intervention. The country is inferred from the mention of North Carolina and the details are in the individual articles, which are not provided.
Abstract
Challenges to child health that pre-dated COVID-19, such as rising rates of child mental health issues, instability in the early care and education system, and food insecurity, accelerated during the pandemic. The health and well-being of children and families have been uniquely and disproportionately impacted. Children are paying the price as our strained child behavioral health, child welfare, and early care and education systems reach breaking points. The solutions that children and families need to recover stronger will require a whole-child and whole-family approach to health that addresses their physical, behavioral, and social needs. The articles in this edition of the NCMJ describe the scope of the challenges facing children and families in North Carolina and approaches to improving their health and well-being in priority areas including behavioral health, child welfare, early care and education, and nutrition.