News item | 13-06-2025 | 16:05
Choosing healthy is not always easy – or sometimes not even possible. With his new prevention strategy, State Secretary Karremans (youth, prevention and sport) opts for a different approach: more healthy freedom of choice, and more smart support to make that choice. With extra attention for the youth. The Council of Ministers has agreed to this new, coherent approach to the prevention policy.
The new prevention strategy focuses on 7 environments in which children and young people grow up and develop: at home, at school, at work, in the supermarket, online, in healthcare and during a day out. Healthy living should become easier in all those environments. The ambition remains: a healthy generation in 2040. But the way in which changes. The starting point is: not by imposing things, but rather by making healthy choices more attractive, easier and more logical.
Worries about unhealthy trends
Although more and more people are making healthier choices – there is less smoking and there is less problematic alcohol consumption among adults – there are also worrying developments. We are dealing with falling vaccination councils, vapen and the consequences of it takes worrying forms, and instead of exercising and exercising, children spend a lot of time behind screens and on social media. This has serious consequences for long -term health and also for the affordability of care in the future. The new strategy focuses on prevention where it has the most impact: with the youth, and where the living environment has a lot of influence.
Being able to opt for the healthy choice means more freedom of choice
State Secretary Karremans: “Of course you decide for yourself how you live, and what you eat and drink. The government should not interfere with that. But we also see that it is sometimes very difficult for you to choose healthily. Go with your children to the zoo or an amusement park – snacks enough, but we don’t want to take a change in. Ensure that healthy choices become easier and self -evident. “
Smart measures per living environment
The strategy builds on the National Prevention Agreement and extends it to themes that now require extra attention, such as vaccinations, drug use, screen time, hearing damage and sexual health. New is the targeted approach per living environment, with concrete and feasible measures, such as:
- At home: we make vaccination easier and provide better information, especially in neighborhoods where vaccination councils are left behind.
- School: Municipalities are given the space to take additional measures locally to make the healthy choice easier around schools, among others.
- Supermarket: we make concrete agreements with supermarkets to increase the share of healthy products.
- Care: In collaboration with RIVM and STD AIDS Nederland we encourage condom use among young people.
- Online: We come with clear guidelines for parents about screen time and social media.
- Leisure: we make concrete agreements about more healthy options at amusement parks, and have conversations about smoke -free sites and less alcohol marketing.
- Work: There is more attention for vitality and a healthier food supply.
Result -oriented and adjustable
Concrete and measurable goals are set for all measures. This way we ensure an approach that you can steer on – and adjust if you can do better. This strategy is a living document: pragmatic, flexible and focused on what really works.
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