Welsh Conservatives have called for urgent action to improve children’s health in Wales following a stark warning from paediatricians that Wales risks creating the “unhealthiest generation of children in decades”.
Analysis by the Royal College of Paediatrics and Child Health (RCPCH) shows a worrying deterioration across a range of child health indicators, including vaccination uptake, oral health, obesity, mental health and asthma.
More than a quarter of four to five-year-olds in Wales were overweight or living with obesity in 2024/25 – the highest rate recorded in Wales and the highest of all four UK nations.
Meanwhile, 27% of five to six-year-olds had obvious tooth decay, rising to 37.6% among children in the most deprived areas.
The findings are reinforced by polling showing that just 27% of parents in Wales believe the Welsh Government is doing enough to support child health, while only 18% believe NHS spending on child health is about right.
Natasha Asghar MS, Shadow Minister for Health and Social Care, said:
“These figures should be a wake-up call for the Welsh Government. Over the past hundred years we have seen significant growth in life expectancy through improvements in immunisation, modern medicine and sanitation, but these figures paint a disturbing trend.
“We cannot accept a situation where children in Wales are suffering poorer health outcomes while the gap between the healthiest and most deprived communities continues to widen.
“From rising childhood obesity and tooth decay to declining vaccination rates and growing mental health pressures, the evidence shows that too many children are not getting the healthy start in life they deserve.
“The Welsh Government must urgently consider the RCPCH’s recommendations and set out a clear, measurable plan to reverse these trends. Every child in Wales deserves the opportunity to grow up healthy.”
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