Euregional factor project

The residents of South Limburg live one year less, on average, than everyone else in the Netherlands. This is apparent from ‘the Limburg factor’ study carried out by the GGD Zuid Limburg (NL) in 2015. But what if we compare South Limburg (NL) with the rest of the Meuse-Rhine Euregion (EMR)?

The ‘Euregional factor’ study has mapped out the health situation of the EMR and its regions.

Focus of the project

The aim of this project was to find Euregional clues in searching for the ‘Limburg factor’:
How can the health gap in South Limburg (NL) be reduced?

Study

The study, which was carried out by the GGD Zuid Limburg (NL), is comprised of a literature study and a quantitative and qualitative study.

• The qualitative part describes the various health systems and the organisation of health data and collaboration in the various EMR regions.
• The quantitative part of the study involves the health data of the EMR. This part sprang from the ‘Data in the EMR ’ project, in which the GGD cooperated with the euPrevent | EMR Foundation and the CBS [Dutch Central Statistical Office]. The indicators were:
  – Demographic indicators, such as gender and age.
  – Health indicators, such as life expectancy, mortality, morbidity.
  – Social-economic  indicators, such as education and unemployment.

Collaboration

The following organisations and experts were approached for collecting the available data:

• GGD Zuid Limburg (NL)
• Provincie Limburg (NL)
• CBS (NL)
• Sociaal Historisch Centrum Limburg (NL)
• Gesundheidsamt Aachen (DE)
• Gesundheidsamt Euskirchen (DE)
• Gesundheidsamt Heinsberg (DE)
• Gesundheidsamt Düren (DE)
• Provincie Limburg (BE)
• Observatoire de la Santé Liège (BE)
• LOGO Limburg (BE)
• ASL Eupen (BE)
• Agentschap Zorg en Gezondheid Vlaanderen (BE)
• stichting euPrevent|EMR (EMR)
• Dear Euregio (EMR)

Results

The report was handed over to the Province of Limburg (NL) on 1 March 2018. This report is only available in Dutch. The summaries of this report are available in Dutch, French and German.

Publications