http://www.rnw.nl/africa/bulletin/dutch-teens-happy-and-mostly-sober
Dutch teens happy and mostly sober
Published on 2 May 2012 - 2:38pm
More about:
Dutch society
Health Behaviour in School-aged Children
teenagers and alcohol
Alcohol consumption among Dutch 11 and 13-year-olds has decreased substantially
in the past five years. Dutch kids are also the happiest in both Europe and
North America.
This is the conclusion of a major international survey into the health and
welfare of children between the age of 11 and 15, the results of which were
published on Wednesday.
The survey, entitled Health Behaviour in School-Aged Children (HBSC), shows
that young Dutch teenagers drink less, smoke less cannabis and tobacco and
engage less often in unsafe sex than most of their peers in the 39 countries
covered by the HBSC report. Just five years ago, they were still among the top
ten.
Dutch 15-year-olds are in the middle bracket. Researcher Wilma Vollenbergh from
the University of Utrecht explains: "The past few years have seen a growing
focus on alcohol consumption among young people. There has been substantial
improvement in the level of care provided to children admitted to hospital for
acute alcohol poisoning, and parents have become stricter and more alert."
The outcome of the HBSC survey is surprising because the number of children
admitted to hospital with acute alcohol poisoning has been increasing
substantially, but paediatrician Nico van der Lely explains that the incidences
of excess may increase while the average consumption is decreasing.
Dutch children are, just like five years ago, the happiest of all. About 95
percent of those interviewed give their lives at least a passing grade. "Social
factors play an important role in how they look at their lives. Dutch children
generally have a good relationship with their parents, family and friends.
Another factor is the Netherlands' prosperity and limited social inequality,"
says Vollenbergh.
Dutch children are also quite healthy compared to other European and North
American countries. They have fewer ailments and are less often on a diet than
most of their peers. They do, on the other hand, spend a lot of time watching
TV, drink too much soft drink and do not eat enough fruit. They are in the
middle range in terms of exercise and sports.
The HBSC survey is commissioned by the World Health Organisation and conducted
every five years. A total of 200,000 children took part in the survey.
(gsh/imm)
© Radio Netherlands Worldwide
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