Nursery World - Preventable epidemics are soaring, say children's doctors

Preventable health conditions are reaching epidemic levels in children, which could lead to a generation dying before their parents, according to doctors at a leading children's hospital.

Staff at Alder Hey hospital in Liverpool, the busiest children's hospital in Europe, told reporters from the BBC's 'Panorama' programme that more than £1m and hundreds of hours of treatment time are being spent tackling conditions such as obesity, tooth decay, alcohol abuse and the problems caused by passive smoking.

In the documentary, which was shown on BBC One last week (13 April), Steven Ryan, medical director at Alder Hey, said, 'These children should not be suffering from these problems and they should not be here at this hospital. Maybe this is a generation where children will be dying before their parents.'

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