Approximately 13 million children and adolescents live in Germany. This represents 16 % of the population. Around 700,000 children are born each year.

Childhood and adolescence are characterised by a series of developmental phases with their own specific conditions for wellbeing, physical and mental health, as well as risks of illness. The health of children and adolescents is influenced by family and social structures as well as medical care services, and also increasingly by their own behaviour as they grow older. Health and health-related behaviour during childhood and adolescence has a significant effect on health in later years.

Due to the many changes in the living conditions of children and adolescents, the COVID-19 pandemic had a particular impact on the conditions for growing up healthy. Between February 2022 and May 2023, the RKI survey "Kindergesundheit in Deutschland aktuell" (KIDA) therefore recorded how health and health behaviour of children and adolescents aged 3 to 17 years presented and developed over the course of the COVID-19 pandemic. The randomised telephone and online surveys focused on questions about physical and mental health, well-being, health behaviour and the use of counselling and care services. The results are published in the form of quarterly reports (in German) and are included in scientific publications.

KiGGS study accompanies children into adulthood

The focus of the KiGGS study is the health of children and adolescents in Germany. This long-term study monitors the health situation of children and adolescents living in Germany and follows them into adulthood. In the planning and execution of the KiGGS study, the RKI works together with many research institutes in Germany and other countries. Along with DEGS and GEDA, KiGGS is one of three studies of the RKI health monitoring.

The KiGGS results have been included in many scientific publications, in the federal health reporting and in public health plans. Examples are the 13th Children and Youth Report, an expertise for the Federal Ministry of Health on "Health inequalities among children and adolescents", as well as contributory work for the Council of Experts for the Health System on the topic “Health of children and adolescents in specific life phases in Germany”.

Furthermore, the KiGGS results were considered in the Federal Government’s Poverty and Wealth Report, in the strategy for promoting children’s health, in the national health targets, and in the planning of prevention and health promotion programmes in the German federal states. The KiGGS results were also picked up with great interest in other German-speaking countries (for example in the Austrian Federal Government’s “Child Health Dialogue” programme).

Further information

RKI publications server edoc: Publications in the Journal of Health Monitoring

Research projects, publications and reports on the German website