That a lack of wealth all too often translates into poor health may seem painfully obvious. But now a review of health inequalit

admin2022-07-26  4

问题     That a lack of wealth all too often translates into poor health may seem painfully obvious. But now a review of health inequalities in England reveals that such disparities don’t just disadvantage the least well-off. The review also suggests some strategies to tackle the inequalities. These remedies should apply the world over, including in the US, where health and wealth inequalities can be especially severe.
    Commissioned by the UK government, the review was headed by Michael Marmot of University College London. Marmot, in his latest work, uses census data from across England to show that these health inequalities don’t just exist between the richest and the poorest. He says action to reduce health inequalities should take place right across society, not focus solely on the poor. "It’s not rich versus poor, because it’s a social grade," he says. What’s more, the most productive time to intervene to create a healthier society is childhood, Marmot says. That children who start out with well-off, well-educated parents are likely to be healthier would seem to be something of a no-brainer. But the fates of 17,200 UK babies monitored since they were born in the same week in April 1970, and highlighted in Marmot’s review, make compelling evidence.
    It turns out that babies who had low IQs at 22 months and were born to richer, better educated parents caught up by the age of 6 with children who started with high IQs but whose parents were poorer and less educated. "It shows that the social is trumping the biological," says Marmot. "We can change that, and that’s why I’m optimistic." He also finds that children in poorer families miss out on pre-school reading, socialising and physical exercise. This disadvantage leaves them trailing far behind when they start school and they seldom recover.
    Such inequalities are not confined to the UK. A US report a few years ago concluded that interventions most likely to improve the health of all Americans were "programs that promote early childhood development and that support children and families". A report from Brazil recommended prioritising "actions related to health promotion of children and adolescents". "We look forward to assessing how to adapt the policy recommendations for England to the rest of the world," says Rudiger Krech, director of the WHO’s department of ethics, equity, trade and human rights. He agrees that giving every child the best start in life "is critical in setting the foundation for a lifetime of health and successful contribution to society".
    What can be done to ensure this? One option is to extend maternity or paternity leave. Another is to help struggling parents by providing extra services and information.
To guarantee every child the best start, it’s advisable to

选项 A、extend women’s pregnancy.
B、bring up children by fathers.
C、give disadvantaged parents more help.
D、inform parents of the health inequalities.

答案C

解析 文章最后一段首句的ensure this指代上段末提到的“给每个孩子最好的起点”(giving every child the best start in life),这与题干所问一致。C项所述与文中第二个建议(Another)一致,即为贫穷家庭的父母提供帮助,故选C。文章提议延长产假或陪产假(maternity or paternity leave),并非怀孕期,且“延长怀孕期”这一说法也违反常识,故A项错误。文中并没有提父亲养育孩子更好,故B项错误。文末提到的建议是为家长提供更多的信息(providing extra…information),D项利用information的同根词inform作干扰。文中指的是给家长更多育儿方面的知识,而不是告知他们存在“健康不平等”,所以D项也可排除。
转载请注明原文地址:https://kaotiyun.com/show/eLmZ777K
0

最新回复(0)