Growing group of Netherlands residents not feeling healthy

A growing group of Netherlands residents are not feeling healthy. Last year, 7 out of 10 people in the country experienced their health as good, considerably less than two years ago, according to the health monitor by the GGD health services. “These figures are worrying and show that we have to work to turn the tide,” said Ton Coenen, director of umbrella organization GGD GHOR Nederland.

In 2020, about 8 in 10 adults in the Netherlands said they had good health. The decrease this year may be linked to relatively healthy people experiencing their health as extra positive compared to people hit by the coronavirus pandemic in 2020, the GGD said. But the 2022 healthy people figure was also lower than that of 2016.

According to the GGD, people struggling financially and people with a lower level of education are more likely to experience their health as not good. Only half of the people struggling to make ends meet consider their health good. It also appears that health declined more in this group than in people who don’t have financial problems.

Coenen called this very concerning, especially given that the group of people struggling financially has grown for the first time in years. In 2020, one in eight Netherlands residents aged 19 or older had trouble making ends meet. Last year, that was one in five.

All GGD regions saw a decline in perceived health in 2022. The GGD regions of Gooi en Vechstreek and Utrecht had the highest perceived health, with nearly three-quarters of residents describing their health as good or very good.

Mental health also deteriorated in the past two years. More people felt lonely in 2022 than in 2020. The risk of developing an anxiety disorder or depression also increased. The deterioration in mental health was visible in all ages, but especially young adults between 18 and 24.

For this study, the GGDs questioned nearly 365,000 Netherlands residents aged 18 or older about their health in the fall of 2022.