Blackpool Council Annual Health Report 2019 Blackpool Council Annual Health Report PAGES | Page 7

THE HEALTH OF THE PEOPLE OF BLACKPOOL
2018 HEALTHY BEGINNINGS FOR A HEALTHY FUTURE
Childhood is a time of rapid development and growth and
is full of opportunities for creating a good foundation for
health across the whole lifetime. Body systems that are
critical to health, including the brain, nervous, endocrine
and immune systems are under construction even before
birth and from the earliest moments of life, a child’s
experiences and environments exert powerful influences
on his or her development and long-term health.
Children aged 0-19 years make up about a quarter of our town’s
population. Protecting and promoting the health and wellbeing
of the children living in our communities is a key responsibility of
the Public Health team at Blackpool Council, but should also be a
priority for anyone living or working around Blackpool.
The social, cultural, and economic environment a child
grows up in and the experiences they have all interact
with their biology and genetics to shape future health
and wellbeing. The environment, experiences and social
interactions during childhood can alter the physical risks
of disease later in life and can influence the beliefs and
values people have about themselves and others and
ways of behaving such as smoking, eating and exercise.
Childhood provides brilliant opportunities for maximising the
health and wellbeing of the future of our town. As well as
securing the health of the children themselves, investing in
evidence-based, well implemented preventive services and in
health and development interventions in the early years of life
has been shown to deliver economic and social benefits for the
wider population.
This report highlights the health of our children, the challenges
they face, but also the work and achievements being made in
giving our children the best opportunities for good health now
and in their future.
@ The Grange
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