Young people are asked about topics such as smoking, drinking, sexual experiences and (cyber)bullying. The results of the study are used to develop national and local policies to promote the health and lifestyle of students. The study takes place in years 2 and 4 of secondary education.

Schools play a key role in collecting data for the Youth Health Monitor. To obtain a sound national and municipal picture, it is important that all students in years 2 and 4 participate in the study. In the coming months, all municipal health services will contact the schools and ask them to cooperate with the study. Watch the information video (external link) to see how the study is conducted in schools.


In 2015, the first edition of the nationwide Youth Health Monitor took place.


At the end of 2015, all 25 municipal health services in the Netherlands administered questionnaires to second- and fourth-year students in secondary education. Almost 100,000 students answered questions about their health, psychosocial well-being, use of social media, gaming, bullying, sports, smoking and drinking. The study will be repeated every four years.


Regional and local

In each municipal health service region, a sample was taken of second- and fourth-year classes in mainstream secondary education. The size of the samples differed by region, as shown on the map. All municipal health service regions contributed to prevalence figures at the national level. In addition, prevalence figures at the regional level (municipal health service region) are available for 14 regions. In 9 of those 14 regions, all second- and fourth-year students were invited to participate, meaning that prevalence figures for municipalities are also available in those regions.


Youth Health Monitor versus other sources

The importance of the Youth Health Monitor lies primarily in the large number of participants, which means that, in addition to national reference figures, regional and municipal figures are available and breakdowns by many different subgroups are possible. VZinfo also presents other lifestyle figures on young people. These figures may differ from those in the Youth Health Monitor. Differences in data collection may arise, for example, from the year and season in which the questionnaire was administered, the age of the respondents and the precise wording of the questions asked. VZinfo preferably presents figures with an annual or biennial update frequency, such as those from CBS and the Trimbos Institute, so that trends can be presented.


More information


If you have questions or would like more information about the study, please contact a municipal health service near you.