YHP Thailand

Many behaviours linked to NCD risk can begin during adolescence, making early prevention and health promotion important for young people. Adolescents also need access to trusted health information, supportive school and community environments, and health services that are responsive to their needs.

In urban settings, young people can face a range of overlapping influences on their health and wellbeing, including social norms, digital habits, food environments, air pollution, pressure from peers and barriers to accessing youth-friendly health services. Supporting young people to understand these risks, make informed choices and have a voice in decisions that affect their health is an important part of long-term NCD prevention.

The YHP Thailand aimed to improve the health and wellbeing of young people aged 10–24 by increasing their knowledge of NCD prevention, strengthening their ability to make informed choices and supporting healthier behaviours.

The Programme also aimed to strengthen the environments around young people by engaging schools, parents, caregivers, teachers, health professionals, community leaders and policymakers.

A further objective was to support young people to become advocates for adolescent health, contributing their lived experience and evidence to policy discussions on NCD prevention, youth-friendly health services and the wider factors that influence health.

Implemented by Plan International Thailand, the Programme used four connected strategies:

1. Empowering young people through peer education, youth leadership and health promotion activities focused on NCD prevention and healthy behaviours.
2. Mobilising communities, including schools, parents, caregivers, teachers and community leaders, to create supportive environments for adolescent health.
3. Strengthening youth-friendly health services by working with health professionals, school staff and young people to improve understanding of adolescents’ needs.
4. Supporting youth-led advocacy so young people could contribute to policy dialogue on NCD risk factors, adolescent health and wellbeing.

Peer Educators played a central role across the Programme. They led school and university activities, supported campaigns on awareness days, facilitated sessions with parents and peers, and helped translate NCD prevention messages into practical, engaging and youth-friendly formats.

The Programme also supported Youth Ambassadors to engage in policy dialogue on priority issues affecting young people, including e-cigarette use, alcohol, food and beverage marketing, physical activity, air pollution, mental health and youth-friendly health services.

Between July 2019 and December 2025, YHP Thailand reached young people, families, communities, health professionals and policymakers through peer education, school health activities, community engagement, youth-friendly health service work and youth-led advocacy.

Cumulative reach across the Programme included:

• 130,937 young people aged 10–24 reached through peer education and YHP activities.
• 858 Peer Educators trained and supported to promote NCD prevention and healthy behaviours among their peers.
• 1,322 community leaders and stakeholders engaged.
• 3,777 teachers and school staff reached through training and Programme activities.
• 15,636 parents and caregivers reached with information and practical guidance to support healthier behaviours at home.
• 329 health professionals reached through training and engagement on youth-friendly health services.

• More than 26,900,000 people reached indirectly through wider community, mass activity and media outreach.
• Over 23,000,000 young people reached indirectly.
• Over 3,700,000 wider community members reached indirectly.

The Programme strengthened peer-led approaches to health promotion, with Peer Educators leading interactive sessions, awareness campaigns, physical activity challenges, poster activities, social media content and peer-to-peer discussions on NCD risk factors and healthier choices.

It also strengthened youth-friendly health services by engaging health professionals, school infirmary staff and teachers, and by using young people’s score-carding feedback to inform dialogue with public health stakeholders.

YHP Thailand supported Youth Ambassadors to develop policy recommendations on youth-friendly health services and priority NCD risk behaviours. These included recommendations on e-cigarette use, alcohol, unhealthy food and beverage marketing, physical activity and clean air.

Young people represented the Programme in national, regional and international advocacy spaces, including the National Tobacco Conference, NCD Ecosystem Strategic Forum, UNCRC Child-led Alternative Report process, Youth-Friendly Health Service Seminar, Bangkok Climate Action Week, South-East Asia Physical Activity Conference and Children and Youth Voices Forum.

The Programme also advanced gender equality and inclusion through Girls Takeover events in 2024 and 2025, creating opportunities for girl leaders to engage directly with institutional stakeholders and contribute to discussions on gender equality, health equity and meaningful youth participation.

YHP Thailand’s final evaluation found significant gains in young people’s knowledge of major NCD risk factors, including tobacco, alcohol and physical inactivity.

The evaluation also found improvements in healthy attitudes and behaviours. Young people reported changes such as healthier eating, increased physical activity and reduced tobacco or alcohol use, supported by the Programme’s interactive and peer-led approach.

There was also strong progress in young people’s reported access to youth-friendly health services:

• Young people reporting they could access services increased from 37.9% to 91.3%.
• Young people who had accessed healthcare increased from 44.4% to 60.1%.
• Reported access to high-quality services increased from 46.8% to 80.9%.

By combining peer education, community mobilisation, youth-friendly health services and youth-led advocacy, the Programme helped position young people not only as participants, but as leaders who can influence healthier behaviours, more responsive services and more inclusive policy dialogue.

References

1. World Health Organization (WHO) Thailand. Noncommunicable Diseases (NCDs) in Thailand. Available at: https://www.who.int/thailand/our-work/NCDs

2. United Nations Thailand / World Health Organization. Prevention and Control of Noncommunicable Diseases in Thailand: The Case for Investment. Available at: https://thailand.un.org/en/156264-prevention-and-control-noncommunicable-diseases-thailand-case-investment

3. Plan International Thailand. Young Health Programme Thailand Extension Phase Report, July 2024–December 2025 (internal programme report; not publicly available online).