22 June 2026

Young people in Switzerland are in good health overall, according to KidsHealthCH, the new national monitoring system for the health of children and adolescents, whose first report the FOPH presented on 22 June 2026. Developed with around 100 experts and partners in fulfilment of several parliamentary requests, the system analyses 100 scientifically grounded indicators across four thematic areas: health status, health behaviour, the provision and use of health services, and framework conditions. It also gives Switzerland, for the first time, a systematic nationwide picture of child and adolescent health, in line with the objectives of the Federal Council's Health2030 strategy.

While the report recorded progress in physical activity, diet, and alcohol and cannabis use, it also identified negative trends, particularly in adolescent mental health, in the use of tobacco and nicotine products, and in the protection of minors from tobacco and alcohol. School-related stress and bullying have risen markedly and the subjective well-being of 11- to 15-year-olds has declined – developments the FOPH considers significant from a public health perspective, since mental disorders often emerge early in life and impair quality of life over the long term. The findings underpin the FOPH's priorities, in particular under the national strategies on the prevention of non-communicable diseases (NCD) and on addiction, and the report is to serve as the basis for the further development of the monitoring system, with a new monitoring report planned every four years.

For more information, see here.