AstraZeneca Young Health Programme

Going beyond medicines to help improve the health of a generation

The Young Health Programme is AstraZeneca’s global community investment initiative that is about helping young people in need around the world to deal with the health problems they face and improve their chances for a better life in the future. The programme is a partnership between AstraZeneca, Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health and Plan International, a leading global children’s charity.

The Programme is based on three core principles:

I. A global framework, delivering local benefits:

The programme works both globally and locally with the flexibility to be able to identify urgent young health needs in local communities and address these with a combination of work on the ground, research and advocacy.

Currently, programmes are up and running in India, Brazil, Zambia, Canada, Sweden and the UK with the expectation that we will reach 15-25 countries globally by 2015.

II. Building our understanding and knowledge through research

Through research, the programme will build understanding of the health needs of the most disadvantaged youth across the world and look particularly at the barriers to these groups accessing health.

III. Making a measurable, sustainable difference:

This is a long-term investment because it will take time to make the measurable and sustainable difference we are aiming for. We want to reach more than a million young people through this Programme over the next five years.

For further information, visit the Young Health Programme website. This site is aimed at organisations and individuals who work with young people to provide information on the Young Health Programme and share materials and resources. Visit Young Health Programme

Why adolescent health?

One fifth of the world’s population is aged between 10 and 19 years old and many of these young people don’t get the support they need to deal with the health challenges that can significantly impact their lives.

Because it’s a significantly underserved aspect of the healthcare agenda.

Globally, the greatest health issue for this age group is sexual and reproductive health. Early pregnancy and sexually transmitted diseases, including HIV, have a considerable impact on their health as well as negatively impacting individual life chances. Other health issues can be dependent on geography and include substance abuse such as tobacco and alcohol, mental health problems, including suicide, and suboptimal diet ranging from general malnutrition in poorer communities to obesity in high income countries.

Adolescence is a critical time for paving the way to good health in adulthood. Research has shown when young people have more control over their social environments they make better behavioural choices regarding their health, (Harris 2010).