Child poverty, food insecurity, and respiratory health during the COVID-19 pandemic

The eradication of poverty and hunger are the top sustainable development goals, adopted by UN Member States in 2015. Yet the World Food Programme estimates that, in the wake of the COVID-19 pandemic, acute food insecurity could double from 135 to 265 million people worldwide. In the absence of mitigating policies, poverty leading to food insecurity will damage the respiratory health of a generation of children. Inequalities in lifelong respiratory health originate in childhood, when adequate nutrition is essential. The respiratory system starts to develop 3 weeks after conception, and grows until adolescence, with the lungs maturing most rapidly in size and intricacy in the first three years of life. Disruption to this development in childhood contributes considerably to the early onset of adult illnesses, such as chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD). This disruption can be driven by many of the consequences of living in poverty, including malnutrition. Even in cystic fibrosis, an inherited genetic disease, health inequalities can be seen: social disadvantages can disrupt respiratory development, influencing survival in people with the condition.