MOSCOW (Sputnik) – The number of minors hospitalized in the Netherlands due to alcohol poisoning in 2014 has risen from 700 to 783, Dutch News reported Monday, citing a child health care organization.
According to the media outlet, the increase was especially notable among children aged 13 and 14.
The number of 16 and 17-year-olds who were hospitalized for alcohol poisoning in 2014 decreased, which could be attributed to a raise in the legal drinking age, the Dutch News reported. The Netherlands raised the legal drinking age for non-spirits from 16 to 18 last January.
"Nevertheless, the introduction of the law has not led to a real change in mentality," pediatrician Nico van der Lely told Dutch broadcaster NOS.
The Dutch provinces of Noord-Holland and Zuid-Holland had the most incidents of hospitalization, with the average rates doubling in the city of Utrecht.
