Poverty and social inequalities in childhood have profound effects on
the health of children, and their impact on health continues to reverberate
throughout the life course into late adulthood. Globally and historically,
poverty has been the major determinant of child and adult health1 and, even
in rich nations such as the UK, it remains a major cause of ill health with
huge public health consequences.2 The rapidly growing and developing fetus3
and child4 seem to be particularly vulnerable to the adverse effects of poverty
providing a further powerful argument for policy initiatives designed to
protect children from its worst effects.5