In this baseline measurement study, conducted by the Mulier Institute with the support of the Ministry of Health, Welfare and Sport (VWS), Jorien Slot-Heijs, Sofie Vrieswijk and Jo Lucassen examined the role played by physical activity, sport and healthy lifestyles within MBO.

For this purpose, an online questionnaire was distributed among MBO institutions and completed by 33 people from 30 different MBO institutions. In addition, data from TestJeLeefstijl was used to map how MBO students themselves deal with a number of health topics. This study will be repeated in 2024, allowing developments over time to be monitored.

Key findings from the study include:

  • Within MBO, the motivation for offering physical activity and sport opportunities appears to stem more from a broad perspective on health promotion than specifically from encouraging sport and physical activity. Since 2012, policy frameworks in MBO have no longer focused solely on physical activity and sport; healthy lifestyles have also been added. Since then, attention to healthy lifestyles has been increasing within MBO institutions, as demonstrated by the growing number of Healthy School certificates and the grouping of organisations and initiatives focused on health topics in education.
  • The majority of respondents indicated that physical activity or sport lessons are a permanent part of the student curriculum at their location (70%), most often in school-based vocational education programmes (57% of the 70%).
  • The main reasons for offering physical activity and sport opportunities are contributing to students’ health (71%), raising awareness of the importance of physical activity for a vital professional life (67%), and contributing to a positive school climate (67%).
  • All respondents indicated that health topics are addressed in one or more lessons at their location, particularly nutrition (91%), physical activity and sport (85%), and smoking, alcohol and drug prevention (82%).
  • All locations pay attention to the healthy lifestyles of their employees by offering a bicycle scheme (82%), addressing physical and social well-being in performance reviews (76%), and implementing a smoking policy (67%).
  • Data on a number of lifestyle behaviours among MBO students themselves show that three quarters of students under the age of 18 sometimes drink alcohol (75%), even though this is strongly discouraged in alcohol guidelines. The data also show that MBO students exercise at least one day a week less often (59%) than their peers (17- to 20-year-olds, 69%). Thirty-two percent of MBO students aged 18 and over are overweight, which corresponds with the national figures (34% of adults aged 18-34 are overweight).

Read the Mulier Institute’s study here.