More young people in south east Brabant region are smoking. The number of young people who smoke has increased by three per cent since 2022. This is evident from a large-scale study by GGD.
The Gezondheidsmonitor Jongvolwassen (health monitor young adults 2024), from GGD* (municipal or joint health service) as the study is called, is a questionnaire study. And was conducted among more than 7,500 young people between the ages of 16 and 25 from Zuidoost-Brabant. According to the study, the percentage of smokers among young people has increased from 20 to 23 per cent since 2022. 14 Per cent of young people also indicate that they vape. Most of them are 16 or 17 years old. As they get older, the vapes are exchanged for cigarettes.
Mental health
The institution is also concerned about the mental health of young people. Only slightly more than half of the young adults in Zuidoost-Brabant rate their own mental health as good. More than half of the young people experience performance pressure (53%).
A large proportion indicate that they often feel stressed (40%). One in six young adults in the region is seriously limited by psychological complaints. There is a slight improvement in the figures compared to 2022. Compared to that year, young adults are happier more often and experience less loneliness and stress.
Alcohol
Alcohol consumption among young people in the region is higher than the average in the Netherlands, but has decreased from 88 to 84 per cent. According to GGD, almost a quarter of young adults in Zuidoost-Brabant are heavy drinkers. That number has not decreased.
General message: Are you having a hard time and do you need a listening ear? Then contact 088-0767000 or chat on http://deluisterlijn.nl. Are you thinking about suicide? Then contact 0800-0113 24/7 free and anonymously or chat on 113.nl.
Source: Studio040
Translated by: Bob
Ed.~ *GGD (municipal health service): the service that every municipality in the Netherlands must have by law in order to carry out a number of tasks in the field of public health (vaccinations, sexual health, child development, safety, etc). The first GGD was founded in 1901 and was GGD Amsterdam.
