Children's Environment and Health Action Plan for Europe (CEHAPE)
The Children's Environment and Health Action Plan for Europe (CEHAPE) is an initiative led by the World Health Organization Regional Office for Europe (WHO Euro). It was launched in June 2004 and signed by all the member states (currently 53 in number), including the UK. The aim of the CEHAPE is to protect the health of children and young people from environmental hazards.
The Health Protection Agency has been commissioned by the Department of Health, on behalf of the Interdepartmental Steering Group on Environment and Health, to evaluate children’s environmental health in the UK and develop recommendations as to how the UK can best meet its commitments under the CEHAPE and further protect children’s health.
Consultation
A Children’s Environment and Health Strategy for the UK is now out for consultation. We are currently seeking feedback from interested parties on the Strategy. The consultation is taking place for a period of 12 weeks beginning 17 March 2008.
After the consultation has ended a final Children’s Environment and Health Strategy for the UK will be published and will provide recommendations to Government as to the way forward.
The consultation document is available.
Other activities
Development of children’s environment and health indicators
The Health Protection Agency has been involved in the development of a core set of children’s environment and health indicators. The aim of the indicators is to provide a means to describe the burden and distribution of childhood disease and environmental influences on child health with a region, and to provide surveillance data to inform the development of and monitor the impact of interventions. Currently, the children’s environment and health indicators are being piloted in the West Midlands and a report will be published later in 2008.
Children’s Environment and Health Action Plan for Europe – WHO Regional Office for Europe International Workshop, 5-6 March 2007
An international workshop was hosted by the Chemical Hazards and Poisons Division of the Health Protection Agency to bring together topic specific experts to further develop tables of child-specific interventions in support of the Children’s Environment and Health Action Plan for Europe.
The meeting aimed to discuss: the methods to be applied in agreeing interventions to be included in the tables; the list of interventions to be scrutinised to determine their effectiveness to improve children’s environmental health; the corresponding literature that needs to be reviewed.
The workshop agreed a methodology used to evaluate the effectiveness of the actions and reviewed and updated a list of child-specific actions relevant to reducing risks of disease arising from exposures to chemicals, ionising and non-ionising radiation and noise during pregnancy, childhood and adolescence. The tables are currently being finalised by WHO and will provide national and local health and environment authorities with a list of actions they can use to help protect children’s health from environmental hazards.
Publications
Reports
Health Protection in the 21st Century. Understanding the Burden of Disease: Preparing for the Future. London: HPA , 2005.
Children’s Environment and Health Action Plan. A Summary of Current Initiatives that Address Children’s Environment and Health Issues in the UK. Chilton: HPA. 2007.
The supporting documents for the Action Plan document above are listed below
Regional Priority Goal I: Water, Sanitation and Health (PDF, 145 KB) (145 kB)
Regional Priority Goal II: Accidents, Injuries, Obesity and Physical Activity (PDF, 542 KB) (542 kB)
Regional Priority Goal III: Respiratory Health - Indoor and Outdoor Air Pollution (PDF, 374 KB) (374 kB)
Regional Priority Goal IV: Chemical, Physical and Biological Hazards (PDF, 981 KB) (982 kB)
Other relevant documents
WHO (2004). Children’s Environment and Health Action Plan for Europe. Fourth Ministerial Conference on Environment and Health. Budapest, Hungary, 23-25 June 2004. (external link) (PDF, 718 kB)
WHO (2005). Children’s Health and the Environment. A Global Perspective. Geneva, Switzerland, World Health Organization Regional Office for Europe. (external link) (PDF, 183 kB)
External links
Children’s Environment and Health Action Plan for Europe (WHO) www.euro.who.int/childhealthenv/policy/20020724_2
Department of Health www.dh.gov.uk/
Department for the Environment, Food and Rural Affairs www.defra.gov.uk/
Department for Children, Schools and Families www.dfes.gov.uk/
World Health Organization Regional Office for Europe www.euro.who.int/