This is why Polish children get sick. A long list of ailments

Poland did very badly in the UNICEF ranking of the impact of the environment and climate change on children’s health. Overall, we took 27th place out of 39 possible, but in the poll concerning environmental pollution – 40th out of 43. – I suspected that there would be no great results. These are unpleasant data – says the drug. Lidia Stopyra, pediatrician and contagious.

1.  In Europe, polluted air causes more deaths than tobacco, warns UNICEF. In the report of this organization, Poland was placed at the end of the ranking
2. Polish children are much more exposed to pollution than children in other European countries, says Lidia Stopyra
3. We observe many diseases in children related to the deterioration of the respiratory system, more allergic diseases and more immunity disorders – adds the pediatrician
4. Obesity is another scourge. And parents come to the doctors for a certificate that they cannot exercise – emphasizes Stopyra
5. More information can be found on the Onet homepage

Air pollution – Poland at the bottom of the ranking

At the end of May, the report “Places and Spaces: The Impact of the Environment on Children’s Welfare” by the UNICEF Research Center – Innocenti in Florence was published, showing the great impact of the environment and climate change on children’s health and development. In the report, UNICEF compared the countries of the European Union and the OECD in three areas: the world of children (air, water and lead poisoning), the world around the child and the world as a whole. It turns out that still many children, even in rich countries, are exposed to chemical contamination, lead poisoning or breathing contaminated air, which irreversibly harms their health, life and future.

A total of 43 countries were surveyed, although not all of them were covered in each of the three areas. The place that Poland took in the overall ranking – 27th out of 39 classified countries – does not bring us much glory. Spain, Ireland and Portugal were in the lead, followed by the United States, Costa Rica and Romania. However, in the ranking on air pollution, we came out disastrously and we took a very distant 40th place out of 43 possible.

Bow. Lidia Stopyra in an interview with Medonet admits that she was not surprised by the place of Poland. – We have long been aware that our children, and not only children, are much more exposed to pollution than children in other European countries. Maybe I didn’t expect to be in the 41st out of 43 countries surveyed on some issues. However, I suspected that there would be no great results. This is unpleasant data – he comments.

Lidia Stopyra, as the doctor in charge of the Infectious Diseases and Paediatrics Department of the Krakow hospital, deals with the effects of the phenomena described in this report on a daily basis. This translates significantly into visits to her ward.

– We observe many diseases in children related to the deterioration of the respiratory system efficiency, more allergic diseases, more immunity disorders, and therefore more serious courses of any infections. Research from different urbanized regions of Poland shows different data, but generally in Poland it is bad. There is also the scourge of obesity, this is also the effect of pollution. Because this often translates into stress in children, and this results in eating disorders. There is a lot of talk about a healthy lifestyle and healthy eating, but it still fails, says Stopyra.

Fatal air in Poland – what can you do with it?

Although many areas of Poland implement various programs to reduce the effects of harmful effects of airborne pollutants, there is still a long way to go.

– Most of the work to be done is at the system level. The parent at home has no influence on urban air pollution, it is a systemic issue. At home, we can do not much – go somewhere further, to less polluted areas, but two weeks of vacation will not change much. We, as parents, must pay special attention to nutrition. We can control it, that is, reduce the pollution taken by food. Plus the lifestyle, i.e. increased physical activity, says Stopyra.

The coronavirus pandemic made us learn to wear masks. Wearing them on a daily basis and on a mass scale was new to us. However, there are countries, such as Japan, where it was commonplace even before the COVID-19 era. The reason, of course, is the smog in the cities. Do we have the same necessity?

– In fact, even before the pandemic, the Japanese tour was recognized from afar. They had masks, for them it was normal that they did not take off their masks on vacation, outdoors or on a trip – says the pediatrician. However, in her opinion, this is not the optimal solution.

– Surely, masks could do a lot of good in protecting against pollution, but we should strive to keep the air clean, and not to organize a constant life for children in masks. We should move towards ecological solutions, both in terms of nutrition and energy – he emphasizes.

Obesity is a growing scourge

Lidia Stopyra mentioned obesity as one of the effects of air pollution. It is a growing plague in our country. Polish children gain weight the fastest in Europe. 31 percent are overweight. boys and 20 percent. girls, and obesity – 13 percent. boys and 5 percent. little girls. Moreover, obesity is a vicious cycle. It can be the effect of stress caused by unfavorable factors, but at the same time it makes children – due to their lower immunity – more vulnerable to infections.

– Obesity is a huge problem. Predisposes to many diseases. U huge percent. overweight and obese children are dealing with fatty liver. Obesity has a negative impact on immunity, the cardiovascular and respiratory systems, and the mental state of children, says the pediatrician.

– Moreover, an obese child often stops exercising in PE, parents come to us, doctors, for a certificate that he cannot exercise, because it is stress for the child, because they laugh at him. It’s actually a vicious circle. In children, it is not difficult to fight obesity, because the child grows, so it is enough to stop gaining weight. It’s easier than adults. You just have to get down to it – concludes Lidia Stopyra.

We encourage you to listen to the latest episode of the RESET podcast. This time we devote it to self-compassion – a trend that has developed very strongly in the United States, but is still in its infancy in Poland. What is it and how does it affect our daily functioning? You will hear about this and many other issues related to self-compassion in the latest episode of our podcast.