Promoting health and preventing disease: an international perspective on youth health promotion.

PURPOSE: To advocate strategies to promote the health of young people that include action to create supportive social and economic conditions, alongside more traditional actions to strengthen individual capacity to protect health.
METHODS: Analysis of different strategies for youth health promotion from different countries, including education, public policies, laws, and regulations that protect young people from exploitation and physical harm, and enhance their capacity to make healthy lifestyle choices.
RESULTS: Access to education and the promotion of basic literacy are, in their own right, important public health goals. Beyond this, efforts to promote health through schools should focus on the creation of an integrated and mutually reinforcing set of experiences for young people, including classroom health education, the creation of a safe and healthy physical environment, and provision of appropriate school health services. The creation of supportive social and economic conditions are also essential, and require political action through the development of public policy. Such policies include restricting access to tobacco, alcohol, and illicit drugs, improving access to essential health services; and regulation of economic exploitation of young people.
CONCLUSIONS: Health promotion is inherently political. Health professionals have to find ways to become more effective political advocates for young people. This should be reflected in the education of health professionals and educators, and in the work of agencies and professional associations.