Netherlands residents need to move more, RIVM says; More teenagers with type 2 diabetes

Netherlands residents need to move more. Especially highly educated young people and young adults sit still for too much of their days, according to new figures from the RIVM. Doctors are also worried about an increase in type 2 diabetes in the Netherlands. Many teenagers are diagnosed with the disease that typically presents in older people, doctors told AD on World Diabetes Day on Tuesday.

According to the RIVM, the number of Netherlands residents who meet the movement guidelines for a healthy lifestyle increased slowly but steadily to 49 percent in 2019. But since then, that proportion has decreased to 44 percent last year. The decrease was most visible among 18 to 29-year-olds at -9 percent. Highly educated teens and young adults (aged 12 to 24) spend the most time sitting still at an average of 11.5 hours per day.

The RIVM called it “worrying” that such a large group of Netherlands residents aren’t getting sufficient exercise. “The exercise guidelines are there to prevent diseases like cardiovascular disease and diabetes,” RIVM researcher Tessa Schurink told AD.

Diabetes, in particular, is a real concern for doctors in the Netherlands. Five years ago, pediatricians hardly ever diagnosed teenagers with type 2 diabetes. Now, they give dozens of these diagnoses per year. Another estimated 1,400 children have pre-diabetes - blood sugar levels that are too high but not yet high enough for a type 2 diabetes diagnosis.

The increase in the number of teenagers with type 2 diabetes goes hand in hand with the growth in childhood obesity. Over 100,000 children in the Netherlands are severely overweight. “During our consultation hours, we screen children with obesity for pre-diabetes. We see that one in seven has this precursor to type 2 diabetes,” Erica van den Akker, a pediatrician at Erasmus MC in Rotterdam, told AD.

Children who develop type 2 diabetes at such a young age can experience an accumulation of health problems later in life, including visual impairment, cardiovascular disease, and decreased kidney function.

Movement guidelines

For a healthy lifestyle, the RIVM’s guidelines urge adults to engage in moderate to vigorous exercise for at least 150 minutes per week and do muscle and bone-strengthening activities at least twice a week. Children should get moderate to vigorous exercise for at least an hour a day and do muscle and bone-strengthening activities at least three times per week. The guidelines also urge adults and children to avoid sitting still a lot.