Life style; personal characteristics

Table explanation

Description topics

Sexual health, 16 years or older

The questions on sexual health are asked to persons aged 16 years or older.

High risk sexual activity

The percentage of persons of 16 years or older who's last sexual encounter (that must have taken place in the last 12 months) had a high risk. High risk sex is defined as sexual intercourse or anal sex (between a man and a woman or between two men) that takes place without protection (condom) with a partner with whom the person is not in a steady relationship.

Risk unintended pregnancy, 16-49 years

Percentage of women aged 16 to 49 who are at risk of an unintended pregnancy. The risk of an unintended pregnancy occurs if a woman has sex with a man, she or her male partner does not use contraception, she or her partner is not pregnant or trying to become pregnant, she or her partner is not infertile and she or her partner has not been sterilized .
The percentage of women at risk of an unintended pregnancy is too high for the years from 2014 to 2016. The figures for reporting years 2017 and 2018 have therefore not been published. The figures from 2019 are not comparable with the figures from previous years.

HIV-test

The percentage of persons of 16 years or older who have been tested for HIV, the virus that causes AIDS.

STD-test (excluding HIV-test)

The percentage of persons of 16 years or older who have been tested for a sexually transmittable disease (STD) other than HIV in the last 12 months.

Use of contraception (pill incl.)16-49

The percentage of the sexually active women aged 16 to 49 years who use contraceptives, such as the contraception pill, condom, IUD, or sterilization. A woman is considered to be sexually active, if she has had sex, with a man, in the last 12 months. As of 2021, the question about contraceptive methods, other than the contraceptive pill, has changed. Where previously it was asked “Do you currently use another method of contraception, for example condoms, a IUD or sterilization?”, with the answer options 'yes', 'no' and 'no answer', from 2021 you will be asked “Do you currently use (any) other contraception?”, with the answer options 'no', 'yes condoms', 'yes, a copper IUD', 'yes, a hormone IUD', 'yes, you have been sterilized', 'yes your partner has been sterilized', 'yes another method' and 'no answer'. Explicitly naming the different methods as an answer option may have resulted in a higher number of yes answers. It is therefore not easy to compare figures on contraceptive use from 2020 and earlier with figures from 2021 and later. From 2023 onwards, questions about sexual activity indicate more clearly that it concerns sex with a man. This makes it clearer that women who have sex with women should answer 'no' to this question. This must be taken into account when interpreting the comparison of the 2023 figures on contraceptive use with previous figures.

Use of contraceptive pill, 16-49 years

For the years 2014-2016 and since 2020: the percentage of women aged 16 to 49 years who use the contraceptive pill. For the years 2017-2019: the percentage of sexually active women aged 16 to 49 years who use the contraceptive pill. Women are sexually active if they have had sex in the last 12 months.

The percentages since 2020 are therefore comparable to the percentages of 2014-2016, but not to those for 2017-2019.

Nutrition, 1 year or older, from 2023

The questions about nutrition are asked to all people aged 1 year or older and cover the consumption of meat and fish, fruit, vegetables, sugary drinks, bread and snacks. The nutritional questions are thoroughly revised in 2023. Therefore the figures on fish, fruit and vegetable consumption for the years before 2023 cannot be compared to those from 2023 onwards.

Food score, health survey

The nutrition score is composed on the basis of partial scores on the following aspects of nutrition: consumption of meat and fish, vegetables, fruit, sugary drinks, brown or wholemeal bread, snacks and (from 12 years) alcohol. The nutritional score ranges from 0 to 10, a higher score indicates that the nutrition on the above aspects is more in line with the Nutrition Center guidelines. The score is divided into three classes.

High

Scores 8 or higher on the nutritional score.

Middle

Scores a 6 or 7 on the nutritional score.

Low

Scores 5 or lower on the nutritional score.

Average nutrition score

Giving informal care, 16 years or older

Informal care (in Dutch: mantelzorg) is care given to an acquaintance in ones surroundings, e.g. a partner, child or friend, if this person is sick for a long time, infirm or handicapped. Informal care can consist of doing housework, washing and dressing, companionship, transportation, arranging financial matters and so on. Informal care is not paid.

Informal care giver

Percentage of persons giving informal care. The informal care has lasted for at least three months already, or there must be at least 8 hours of care per week.

Hours of informal care per week

The average number of hours of care given per week, by an informal care giver.

Strained informal care givers

The percentage of informal care givers who report fairly heavily strained, very heavily strained or being overloaded by that care.