Healthy community - healthy growing up

What framework conditions do children and young people need for good psychosocial development? This is what the MHH and the University of Hildesheim want to find out in a study.

[Translate to Englisch:] In der Studie "Gesunde Kommune – Gesundes Aufwachsen" geht es darum, welche Rahmenbedingungen Kinder und Jugendliche für eine gute psychosoziale Entwicklung brauchen. Copyright: Pixabay

30. June 2023

In communities that take science-based measures to prevent addiction, children and adolescents have a lower risk of drinking alcohol and a lower risk of smoking - this is suggested by initial data from the study "Healthy Communities - Healthy Growing Up" conducted by the Hannover Medical School (MHH) and the University of Hildesheim. With the project, the universities want to find out which measures and strategies in communities effectively promote the psychosocial health of children and adolescents. The study started in April 2020 and is now entering the second round with new surveys in more than 30 municipalities. The researchers hope to gain important insights - especially because children and adolescents have suffered greatly from the three years of the Corona pandemic.

Interviews with responsible adults and schoolchildren

"On the one hand, we are investigating local prevention work, but on the other hand also health-relevant risk and protective factors, behaviour and well-being parameters of the children and adolescents," explains Professor Dr. Ulla Walter, Director of the Institute of Epidemiology, Social Medicine and Health Systems Research at the MHH. Among other things, the focus is on the living environment, offers for prosocial participation and problems with drugs or physical violence. Some insights have already been gained through the first surveys in 2021. In order to deepen these and to arrive at valid results, the second round of surveys is now starting: The MHH scientists will again survey the local framework conditions and health promotion strategies in more than 30 municipalities in Lower Saxony, Baden-Württemberg and Rhineland-Palatinate by autumn of this year. For this purpose, at least 400 people from the municipal administrations as well as at least 300 people from municipal youth work will be interviewed by telephone. In parallel, the University of Hildesheim will again survey the pupils of these municipalities on risk and protective factors in the neighbourhood, family, circle of friends and school as well as on problem behaviour and mental health.

Researchers hope for many participants

"Our children and young people were particularly affected by the psychosocial consequences of the Corona pandemic. It is all the more important now to promote the psychosocial health of adolescents," explains Professor Walter. "Our study can show for the first time which health promotion strategies in municipalities are actually effective for this. We hope that many people will take part in the survey again."

Further information on the project: www.gesunde-kommunen.de/

Text: Tina Götting