Children and young people generally think they are healthy, according to the Youth Monitor of the CBS. This is especially true for children between the ages of 4 and 12. According to their parents, 97 percent feel healthy or very healthy.
Above that age, the percentage drops slightly. 91 percent of the 12 to 18-year-olds experience good health and 88 percent in the 18 to 25-year-old category. The figures are comparable to previous years.
Too heavy
Obesity is somewhat more common. In the latest study, 18 percent of the children and young people were overweight, compared to 16 percent in the years before. Here, too, the percentage differs per age group: 13 percent in primary school is overweight, which increases to 25 percent among young adults.
Obesity makes little difference to the perception of health. The vast majority of children and young people who are overweight rate their health as good or very good; even 95 percent among 4- to 12-year-olds.
The impact on the perception of health is greatest among 12 to 18-year-olds who are overweight, but also in this age group 83 percent still feel healthy.
4,200 young people
For the Youth monitor Figures are used from the Health Survey / Lifestyle Monitor of Statistics Netherlands and RIVM for 2019 and 2020. A total of 4,200 young people were surveyed.
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