The life expectancy for Dutch boys and girls born between 2011 and 2016 increased by six months to 81.5 years, Statistics Netherlands reported. That is a lower increased compared to the previous periods.
Life expectancy increases are also slowing down in the rest of Europe. On average, people in the European Union are expected to live to the age of 81 years, ten months older than in the previous 5 year period.
Dutch kids are still among the happiest in Europe and tend to have a good relationship with their parents, but more are experiencing pressure from their school work, according to a study by Utrecht University, the Trimbos institute and SCP. The researchers also found that the majority of 16-year-olds drink alcohol despite being underage, and that condom use is declining, NOS reports.
Employees in healthcare are increasingly resigning to go work elsewhere, either at another healthcare institution or in a different sector entirely. Absenteeism in healthcare is also at the highest point in five years, according to figures by research agency EY, NOS reports.
Staff turnover in healthcare is currently over 13 percent and absenteeism at almost 6 percent. Both turnover and absenteeism are highest in mental health care, youth care and care for the disabled.
Emergency services in Amsterdam increasingly have to treat tourists - both foreign and Dutch - who smoked too much weed. Over the past 15 years the demand for psychiatric crisis beds among foreign tourists almost quadrupled, Het Parool reports after speaking with emergency services in the Dutch capital.
The Dutch government will re-examine whether it is possible to allow daycare centers to refuse children who haven't been vaccinated. A parliamentary majority, led by the three largest government parties, supports this, RTL Nieuws reports.
"Childcare must be a safe place. I understand the concerns about decreasing vaccination, that also affects childcare", State Secretary Tamara van Ark of Social Affairs said on Twitter. "That is why I want to investigate possibilities for organizations to refuse childcare for non-vaccinated children."
Dutch doctors are drawing attention to the importance of vaccinating your children on social media. With the hashtag #ikvaccineer - I vaccinate in English - they are saying that their kids are vaccinated, with the reasons why.
Most bisexuals in the Netherlands feel no need to come out of the closet, calling doing so artificial, forced and irrelevant. They find bisexuality an important, but not all-embracing part of their life that does not need to be emphasized, according to a study with which social geographer Emile Maliepaard will get his PhD at Radboud University in Nijmegen next week, ANP reports.
Four percent of Dutch live a "bisexual life". And 15 percent of Dutch have feelings for both men and women. According to the university, this is the first study ever done into the daily life of bisexuals.
Over 13 months after Ajax player Abdelhak Nouri sustained severe brain damage after a heart attack on the field, his family decided to give an interview to update the public on how he is doing.
The diagnoses of about a quarter of the seriously ill psychiatric patients at Gelderland mental health institution GGNet were incorrect or out of date, the institute concluded based on its own investigation, NOS reports.
People in the Netherlands are the most active of all Europeans. About 80 percent of Dutch people cycle, walk, garden or swim on a weekly basis, compared to the European average of 44 percent, according to the Euro Barometer - sports and physical activity by the European Commission, Trouw reports.
Also when it comes to playing sports, the Dutch scored well. 56 percent of Dutch play sports weekly, compared to the European average of 40 percent. Though Sweden, Denmark and Finland did better in this field.
An increasing number of students end up at the student house doctor's office complaining of psychological problems. They are increasingly dealing with fatigue, concentration problems, panic attacks, anxiety and addiction problems. The increase of students facing such problems also means an increase in waiting times for a psychologist, the Volkskrant reported on Tuesday after speaking to house doctors who specifically treat students.
Health insurer Menzis will now pay for depression treatments based on result, instead of on the number of treatments. The insurer signed a contract on this new approach with 18 mental health institutions. This involves treatments that last for less than a year, for patients who do not have chronic depression, NOS reports.
Six people were arrested because of a disturbance in the Johan Cruiff Arena in Amsterdam on Saturday night, during a match between Ajax and Heracles Almelo. The police are investigating whether this incident in the stands is connected with a steward having a heart attack in the stadium, Het Parool reports.
The suspects, five men and a woman, were arrested in and outside the stadium. The investigation is still in full swing, the police said on Sunday. Officers are talking to witnesses and viewing surveillance camera footage.
The number of Dutch people who object to organ donation increased from 1.7 million in 2017 to 1.9 million this year, Statistics Netherlands reported on Thursday. The number of people who gave consent to have their organs donated after death also increased, from 3.6 million to 3.7 million.
Some 700 thousand people decided to leave the decision of organ donation up to their next of kin.
The hot weather in the Netherlands over the past weeks did not cause an increase in the number of deaths in the country, public health institute RIVM said. According to the institute, this is because many people who were already weakened passed away in the winter, and because the Dutch are getting better at protecting themselves against the heat, AD reports.
There are plans in motion to ban smoking on multiple Rotterdam streets in the area around Erasmus MC, the Rotterdam University of Applied Sciences and the Erasmiaans Gymnasium, AD reports. According to non-smokers association Clean Air Nederland, if these plans succeed, Rotterdam will be the first municipality to implement a smoking ban for entire streets.
In the first half of this year the Netherlands population grew by 32 thousand people, compared to 35 thousand in the first half of last year. This slower growth can be attributed to the flu epidemic in the country in the first months of 2018, Statistics Netherlands reported on Tuesday. The Netherlands currently has 17.2 million inhabitants.
The chance of smog formation is increasing due to the persistently high temperatures, public health institute RIVM warns. Air quality will be bad in the middle and east of the country while the high temperatures last, NU.nl reports.
The RIVM advises people sensitive to smog to stay indoors and limit physical exertion, especially in the late afternoon and the early evening, as air pollution is at its worst at those times.
The Dutch government is committing an extra 10 million euros to making HIV prevention and AIDS inhibitors more accessible to vulnerable groups, such as men who have sex with other men, drug users, trans people, young people and sex workers. In the coming years, the amount will be invested in supporting these vulnerable groups in regions where HIV is still spreading, Minister Sigrid Kaag of Development Cooperation announced at the AIDS 2018 conference in Amsterdam on Monday, RTL Nieuws reports.
About 10 to 15 pregnant women who participated in a medical study on the effect of sildenafil, better known as Viagra, on the growth of too small fetuses do not know whether their unborn child will survive the now halted test, ANP reports.
A large study into a new medication for pregnant women with too small fetuses was halted with immediate effect. More babies than expected were born with a lung disease. Eleven children with this condition died shortly after birth, lead researcher Wessel Ganzevoort said to RTL Nieuws.
International AIDS conference AIDS2018 is starting in Amsterdam on Monday. In addition to scientists and policymakers, expected attendees include big names like Britain's Prince Harry, the Netherlands' Princess Mabel, former United States president Bill Clinton, and Eurivision winner Conchita Wurst, the Telegraaf reports.
The theme for AIDS2018 is 'Breaking Barriers, Building Bridges'.
Pay extra attention to the elderly during the coming hot days, the Red Cross advises. According to the aid organization, this vulnerable group is at risk of dehydration and overheating in the high temperatures expected for this week, NOS reports.
The government is pushing an extra 2 million euros per year into suicide prevention foundation 113 Zelfmoordpreventie, State Secretary Paul Blokhuis of Public Health announced on Wednesday. He hopes that this extra money will help reduce the number of suicides and attempts thereto in the Netherlands, NOS reports.
Until now 113 received an annual subsidy of 3.4 million euros. That amount is now increasing to 5.4 million euros. "Every suicide represents a world of sorrow and powerlessness", Blokhuis said. "We must continue to make every effort to reduce the number of suicides."
