The YES Health Monitor 2023 provides important insights into the health status of young people in the border regions between Germany, Belgium, and the Netherlands. This study, conducted in collaboration with 14 healthcare organizations from the three countries, has mapped the health of young people in the Meuse-Rhine Euroregion (EMR) since 2000 and was extended to the Rhine-Meuse-North Euroregion (ERMN) in 2023 for the first time.
Thanks to the close cooperation between partner organizations, the YES Health Monitor 2023 represents the most comprehensive questionnaire in both Euroregions so far.
In the fall of 2023, approximately 25,000 young people between the ages of 13 and 17 were anonymously surveyed. In addition to health and risk behaviors, the survey also assessed the mental well-being of young people.
The results show that more than a third of young people in this border regions experience mental health issues, with loneliness and stress being particularly prominent. Girls generally rate their mental health worse than boys. These findings align with an international trend pointing to a concerning decline in the mental health of young people.
The Euroregional results also underscore the importance of early intervention and call for appropriate measures for young people in the border regions. Learning from each other plays an important role here – for example, by considering successful approaches from neighboring countries.
Brigitte van der Zanden, director of euPrevent, emphasizes the importance of cross-border collaboration: “The daily lives of people in the border area also involve the neighboring country. Organizations focused on the health and well-being of citizens state in their mission that the citizen is at the center, but unfortunately, this care does not always extend across borders. The YES Health Monitor provides valuable insights to tailor health measures to the needs of people in the border area.”
The participating organizations would like to continue the survey in four years to observe long-term developments and determine suitable measures accordingly. The full results of the study can be viewed in the Euregional Health Atlas: www.euregionalhealthatlas.eu.
The project in the Rhine-Meuse-North Euroregion is co-funded by Interreg Deutschland-Nederland.
For more information, please contact: communication@euprevent.eu, or visit: https://euprevent.eu/yes/.