Nearly 50,000 young people in Vietnam benefit from Young Health Programme

The meeting was held recently to review the performance of the Young Health Programme

AstraZeneca Vietnam and Plan International Vietnam organised an event on June 13 to review the performance of the YHP in Vietnam over the 2019-2022 period in collaboration with its two implementing partners – the National Youth Centre and the Hanoi Centre for Disease Control.

The YHP is AstraZeneca’s global community investment initiative, focusing on youth and the prevention of the most common non-communicable diseases (NCD) – cancer, diabetes, heart disease, respiratory disease, and mental illness.

With a total investment of around $910,000, the YHP Vietnam has been implemented in the Hai Ba Trung and Dong Anh districts of Hanoi since 2019.

It has a focus on addressing the primary NCD risk factors of tobacco and alcohol use, physical inactivity, poor diet, and air pollution, as well as supporting the broader health and rights of young people.

Nitin Kapoor, chairman and general director of AstraZeneca Vietnam and Asia Area Frontier Markets said, “Young people have the power to create a healthier and more sustainable world. Through the YHP, we empower them to be their own health advocates. We are proud of the programme’s remarkable achievements in not only improving disease awareness but also advocating for policies that promote lasting benefits for young people.”

“With these very encouraging results in the first there years, AstraZeneca is exploring the opportunity to continue to support the next phase of the YHP in Vietnam,” he added.

Over the three years of successful implementation, close to 100 training courses have been organised on NCDs, providing knowledge and soft skills for young people, their parents, and community leaders to improve their skills as peer educators.

The expert spoke about the Vietnam YHP's impacts on healthcare education for young people

The YHP Vietnam has accomplished all of its key goals and has had an important impact on the beneficiary groups.

In detail, more than 49,300 young people in schools, universities, and industrial zones have directly received knowledge about risk behaviours and NCD prevention through more than 1,000 creative contests, discussions, and group activities – carried out by almost 540 peer educators.

Importantly, key content about NCD prevention has been integrated into the latest Vietnam Youth Development Strategy 2021-2030 and other key policy documents thanks partly to the programme's efforts.

Sharon Kane, country director of Plan International in Vietnam said, “The YHP Vietnam supports young people to raise awareness and build knowledge about how to prevent NCDs – such as maintaining a healthy diet, increasing physical activity, avoiding alcohol and smoking, and contributing to eliminate air pollution – to ensure they have the best start in life.”

Since its launch in 2010, the programme has reached more than 30 countries and 40 million young people with information about NCD risk behaviours.

The YHP has gained international recognition and has won several prestigious awards including the 2018 Ethical Corporation Community Investment of the Year.