The World Health Organization (WHO), along with its partners, has launched an updated global dashboard aimed at tracking various aspects of child health and well-being. This comprehensive tool is designed to provide policymakers, the health community, and the general public with vital data to monitor and improve the health and future prospects of children worldwide.
A Critical Need for Data on Child Health
Currently, 4.9 million children under the age of five die each year, with nearly half of these deaths occurring within the first month of life. The United Nations’ Sustainable Development Goal (SDG) target for reducing under-five deaths remains out of reach for 59 countries based on current trends. This alarming statistic was highlighted during the 77th World Health Assembly, where countries committed to accelerating actions to improve maternal and child health and survival, formalized in Resolution WHA 77/5.
Data plays a crucial role in these efforts, enabling countries to monitor the impacts of their programs and policies and guiding interventions to address gaps. The updated Child Health and Well-being Dashboard is a key tool in this regard, capturing progress against several core indicators.
Four Key Domains of Child Health
The dashboard’s indicators are grouped into four key domains:
1. Survival Indicators: These track mortality rates through infancy, childhood, and adolescence.
2. Developmental Indicators: These include metrics such as breastfeeding rates in infancy, early physical and emotional development, and learning outcomes at school.
3. Protection Indicators: These track exposure to violence and child labor, maternity protections, and the prevention of inappropriate marketing of formula milk products.
4. Participation Indicators: These measure appropriate care-seeking behavior (e.g., parents seeking medical attention for a high fever), birth registration, and school attendance and completion.
In addition to these, the dashboard includes supporting contextual and policy indicators that track poverty levels, food security, and environmental factors such as sanitation, emissions, and pollution.
Comprehensive Data Collection
The dashboard encompasses data from 196 countries and territories worldwide. This extensive dataset allows for both country-specific analysis and a global overview of factors influencing children’s health. For instance, one of the most pressing issues identified is the lack of maternity protections, with 144 countries struggling in this area. Maternity protections are vital for supporting the mental and physical health of women and their babies during pregnancy and after birth.
Historical Context and Development
The Child Health and Well-being Dashboard was originally launched in May 2022 by the WHO, the United Nations Children’s Fund (UNICEF), and the Children in All Policies (CAP-2030) initiative. The goal was to provide national policymakers with a data-based tool to guide health programs, policy development, and evaluation. The updated version of the dashboard, released following a Town Hall Event in May 2023, incorporates the latest data, downloadable datasets, and a more user-friendly interface, addressing the needs expressed by policymakers, academics, and civil society stakeholders.
Aligning with Global Frameworks
The indicators included in the dashboard were selected through a prioritization exercise aligned with the SDG Framework, the United Nations Convention on the Rights of the Child, and other related policy commitments to children’s health and development. This alignment ensures that the dashboard not only tracks relevant and impactful indicators but also supports global efforts to improve child health outcomes.
Enhancing Global Health Policies
The updated Child Health and Well-being Dashboard aims to be more than just a data repository; it is a strategic tool for enhancing global health policies. By providing detailed and accessible data, the dashboard helps identify areas that require attention within international forums and policies. This enables a targeted approach to addressing the most critical factors affecting children’s health.
For example, the dashboard’s focus on maternity protections highlights a significant area where many countries need improvement. Maternity protections are essential for ensuring that women receive the support they need during and after pregnancy, which in turn benefits the health and development of their children. By drawing attention to such issues, the dashboard can help mobilize resources and drive policy changes to address these gaps.
A Collaborative Effort
The development and maintenance of the Child Health and Well-being Dashboard is a collaborative effort involving multiple stakeholders. The WHO, UNICEF, and CAP-2030 have worked together to ensure that the dashboard provides accurate, relevant, and up-to-date data. This collaboration extends to national governments, which provide the data used in the dashboard, and to civil society organizations that use the data to advocate for improved child health policies.
The Future of Child Health Monitoring
As the Child Health and Well-being Dashboard continues to evolve, it will play an increasingly important role in global health monitoring. The dashboard’s comprehensive and accessible data will enable more effective tracking of progress towards SDG targets and other international commitments. This, in turn, will help ensure that the necessary resources and interventions are directed towards improving child health outcomes.
The updated Child Health and Well-being Dashboard is a vital tool for tracking and improving the health and well-being of children worldwide. By providing comprehensive data on a range of critical indicators, the dashboard enables policymakers, health professionals, and the public to monitor progress, identify gaps, and take action to address the most pressing issues affecting children’s health and futures.
Join TISHHA.
