School check-ups and statistics for hospital stays offer a good indication of young people’s health situation. We therefore analysed the available statistics for the youth report and present the results in this section.

It is especially important for young people to identify illnesses or worrying health developments at an early stage so that they can be counteracted in good time and in order to prevent damage that can in some cases last for a lifetime. Medical examinations in schools are therefore particularly important. The resulting data shows that almost half of all students displayed at least one illness or health deficiency during a medical examination in school. These are primarily chronic illnesses (such as allergies) or disorders of the musculoskeletal system (such as back pain or classic afflictions like flat feet). Young people seek medical advice and attention for this – and also receive it under the Luxembourg healthcare system.

Analysis of the data for hospital stays shows that the number of days that people aged 12 to 30 spent in the hospital declined significantly between 2008 and 2016. This could also be due to the fact that hospitals have had to work increasingly efficiently and thus keep their patients in for a shorter period of time. The data also shows that girls and young women spend more time in the hospital than boys and young men. This is primarily due to pregnancies and births – which cannot really be counted as illnesses. Mental and behavioural disorders account for the majority of the days that young people spend in hospital: the duration of treatment for these is often long.