NorthSouth Group for Poverty Reduction, Moss Beach, CA, USA.
Political Economy of Adolescent Mental Health, Department of Global Public Health, Karolinska Institute, Stockholm, Sweden.
Glob Health Action. 2023 Dec 31;16(1):2242196. doi: 10.1080/16549716.2023.2242196.
Middle childhood, between six and twelve years, is a critical bridge between earlier childhood and adolescence with rapid physical and psychological transitions. Most of the world's 2.6 billion young people, of which the middle childhood age group is a significant portion, live in low- and middle-income countries. Many live in environments that place them at high and growing risk for mental ill-health, injuries, and adoption of risky behaviours that often lead to non-communicable diseases in later years. Still, middle childhood, the 'missing middle,' is omitted from global health information systems, targeted policies, and strategies. The dearth of internationally comparable and standardised indicators on middle childhood in major international development agency databases hampers age-appropriate policy and programme development. Better understanding of the needs of this increasingly vulnerable population is critical. Middle childhood needs to be an explicit focus within child-focused research and implementation. Standardised, comprehensive, and relevant indicators are required to quantify the contribution of middle childhood to the global burden of disease and to facilitate interventions, monitoring, and evaluation, to ensure that all children flourish and thrive.
儿童中期，即 6 至 12 岁，是从早期儿童到青春期的关键桥梁，身体和心理都在迅速变化。全世界 26 亿年轻人中的大多数，其中儿童中期年龄段是一个重要部分，生活在中低收入国家。许多人生活在使他们面临更高和不断增长的心理健康不良、伤害和采取危险行为风险的环境中，这些行为往往会导致晚年的非传染性疾病。尽管如此，儿童中期——“缺失的中间阶段”——在全球卫生信息系统、有针对性的政策和战略中被忽略。主要国际发展机构数据库中关于儿童中期的国际可比和标准化指标稀缺，阻碍了适合年龄的政策和方案制定。更好地了解这个日益脆弱群体的需求至关重要。儿童中期需要成为以儿童为重点的研究和实施的明确重点。需要标准化、全面和相关的指标来量化儿童中期对全球疾病负担的贡献，并促进干预、监测和评估，以确保所有儿童茁壮成长。
