Young Germans are European champions in smoking cigarettes, but their diet is not particularly bad

Bielefeld University presents study commissioned by WHO

For the sixth time, research teams from almost all European countries have presented the results of the "Health Behavior in School Children (HBSC)" study. The survey of over 160.000 young people in 35 European countries as well as the USA and Canada, in which Germany participated with 5.600 young people, was carried out on behalf of the World Health Organization.

"The health situation of young Germans is not bad in an international comparison," said project manager Prof. Klaus Hurrelmann and the two health scientists Matthias Richter and Anja Langness, who carried out the German study at Bielefeld University with the support of the Federal Ministry of Health and Social Security and the State Ministry for Health, Social Affairs, Women and Family NRW. "But when it comes to consuming cigarettes, young Germans are European champions. Among 15-year-olds, 25% of boys and 27% of girls are daily users. These figures are unusually high. They reflect the high pressure to present oneself as a interesting personality. In contrast to other countries, however, the unclear and unbelievable tobacco policy of federal and state governments is also reflected. In view of the devastating health consequences of daily cigarette consumption, convincing prevention programs and a clear legal basis are urgently needed," say the Bielefeld health scientists.

The investigations in the 35 participating countries are carried out at the same time with identical survey instruments. In this way it was possible to compare the health data of the 11 to 15 year olds in all countries. From this, conclusions can be drawn as to which health policy steps are particularly urgent. In Germany they are necessary for tobacco. "Cigarette smoking is an indication of low life satisfaction, negative self-assessment of one's health and low school success. Those who smoke a lot also have poor relationships with their parents. Overall, cigarettes are a clear sign of personal development pressure," says Professor Hurrelmann.

Alcohol consumption is also high

German young people also attract unpleasant attention when consuming alcohol. They are behind the British, Dutch and Danes in the top quarter. 15% of 13-year-olds and 46% of 15-year-olds report weekly alcohol consumption. With regard to alcohol-related intoxication experiences, 13- and 15-year-olds are in the upper middle field of the country ranking. 39% of 15-year-old Germans report that they have already had two or more experiences of intoxication. The starting age for alcohol consumption in Germany is 13 years; the first alcohol intoxication takes place at an average age of 14 years. These values ​​are also high in a European comparison.

Eating behavior is quite good

On the other hand, young Germans do well in many other areas. Daily fruit and vegetable consumption is relatively low in all participating countries and also decreases with age. Only about 38% of 11-year-olds, 33% of 13-year-olds and 29% of 15-year-olds eat fruit every day. In all age groups, girls eat fruit more frequently than boys. A similar pattern can be observed with regard to vegetable consumption. In Germany, an average of 40% of young people report daily fruit consumption and 31% daily vegetable consumption. This is a relatively satisfactory result for Germany.

Boys are significantly more likely to be overweight than girls in all countries. On average across all countries, about one in five boys is overweight, but in the United States, the country with the highest rates of obesity, that number rises to over a third. In Germany, an average of 11% of 13 and 15 year olds are overweight and obese. Young people from Germany find themselves in the middle of the country ranking with other Central and Western European countries (such as France, Austria and Belgium).

Body dissatisfaction and dieting behavior are common among both boys and girls. More girls than boys still believe they are overweight (more than one in three girls compared to around one in five boys). 42% of girls and 23% of boys in Germany are currently on a diet or think they have to go on a diet. This behavior clearly increases with age among girls, while among boys it remains relatively constant in all age groups.

In an international comparison, Germany has one of the highest rates of children and young people who are dissatisfied with their bodies, regardless of gender and age. On average, 39% of those questioned are dissatisfied with their body, they perceive themselves as a little or much too fat. An average of 34% of young people are currently on a diet or think they should be on a diet.

In terms of physical activity, Germany tends to be in the lower range in all age groups. Even lower levels of physical activity are only found among 11 and 13 year olds in France, Belgium and Estonia. On average, 11- and 13-year-olds from Germany are less physically active about one full day per week than adolescents from the countries with the highest rates of physical activity. The rate of German children and young people who are physically active for at least one hour five or more days a week is also below average in an international comparison.

In bullying and fights at the top

The study further shows that bullying and involvement in fights is common among 11-15 year olds. One in three young people say they have been involved in or been a victim of at least one form of aggressive behavior in the past year. However, these figures also vary significantly when comparing countries. Germany is among the top four countries among 13 and 15 year olds with particularly high rates of bullying. This also applies to repeated bullying of classmates. Germany also has high rates for bullying victims and is among the ten countries with the highest rates for 13 and 15 year olds. Therefore, in the opinion of the Bielefeld scientists, preventive measures are urgently required in German schools. 30% of German children and young people now report that they have been involved in a fight in the last 12 months.

Further information:

Here you can find a fact sheet on the WHO study as [PDF document]

Source: Bielefeld [Dr. Gerhard Trott ]