Multi-Dimensional Effects of Poverty on Children Health

Despite the developments in the world, poverty is still the most important problem of our age. While it affects the people living in the developing countries, it is also one of the social problems encountered in developed countries. Today, 40% of children in the developing countries have an income less than one dollar per day. In Turkey, almost one fourth of the children under fifteen years old are below poverty line. There is a close relationship between health and poverty; in other words, between socioeconomic status and health conditions of the individual and the families. It is impossible to distinguish the effects of physical, social and biological factors on human health. The most sensitive group that is affected by this condition is children. Living in poverty makes children deprive of necessary amenities for diet, prevention of disease and accidents, healthy living, growth and development. Since poor families can not provide their children adequate opportunities for their development, they force them to work during early ages. Children can never go to school or they were made to leave school and work. Since living within a low-income family highly increases the possibility to face poverty during adulthood, child poverty is included among the issues that need urgent action. Therefore, the purpose of this study was to address the concept of poverty and poverty in Turkey and in the world, the importance of poverty on children health and nursing approaches