YHP Mexico

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Location

Mexico City, Jalisco, and the State of Mexico, prioritising vulnerable urban and peri-urban communities with limited access to youth-friendly health promotion services.

Timing

2019-2028

The local context

Mexico faces a high burden of non-communicable diseases (NCDs), accounting for roughly 80% of all deaths in the country, driven by modifiable risk factors such as unhealthy diets, physical inactivity, tobacco use, and harmful alcohol consumption.

This burden is further compounded by one of the world’s highest rates of early-onset type 2 diabetes.1,2

The country’s youth population (aged 10–24) exceeds 30 million, making adolescence a critical window for shaping lifelong health behaviours. However, social, economic and gender inequalities, limited access to youth-friendly services, and emerging challenges in mental health and environmental determinants influence risk exposure, particularly in vulnerable communities.3,4

Mexico has implemented public policies to reduce harmful exposures, including front-of-pack warning labels on foods and beverages, taxes on sugar-sweetened drinks, and a ban on electronic cigarettes and vaping products.5

The persistent availability and appeal of unhealthy products among adolescents highlights the need for sustained, youth-centred prevention strategies - the focus of the Young Health Programme in Mexico.

Our objectives

The Young Health Programme in Mexico aims to ensure that adolescents and young people aged 10-24 reduce exposure to NCD risk factors and adopt healthier behaviours through:

  • Increased knowledge, skills, and leadership among young people.
  • Strengthened youth-friendly health and community support systems.
  • Enabling environments that promote prevention, wellbeing, and equity.

Since its launch in 2019, the programme has evolved from a city-level pilot into a multi-state youth health prevention platform, expanding reach and deepening community engagement over time

Our focus

Strengthening youth leadership and community action to prevent NCDs and address health inequity.

Our programme

YHP Mexico is a youth-centred, peer-education model that trains and empowers young leaders to:

  • Promote healthy lifestyles and wellbeing among their peers
  • Deliver evidence-based prevention messages on nutrition, physical activity, and environmental health
  • Connect young people with available health and community services
  • Advocate for youth-responsive policies and supportive environments.

The implementation includes:

  • Schools and universities, reaching young people aged 10-24
  • Community and non-school settings, prioritising vulnerable and out-of-school youth
  • Multisector partnerships across education, health, civil society, and government
  • Mentorship, leadership, and advocacy initiatives that strengthen youth agency

The programme follows a holistic well-being and human rights-based approach, addressing individual, social, and structural determinants of health.

 

Our achievements

Since 2019, YHP Mexico has grown from a local pilot in Mexico City to a scaled, multi-state prevention initiative.

The results through to 2025 include:

  • More than 290,000 adolescents and young people reached with NCD prevention information.
  • 2,424 peer educators trained to deliver health promotion and community replication.
  • 380 health professionals and 2,457 parents, caregivers and teachers trained to support youth wellbeing.
  • Launch of mentoring, youth leadership, and advocacy initiatives, including projects led by young people.
  • Strengthened institutional alliances enabling programme expansion and sustainability.

These results demonstrate the effectiveness of youth-led prevention in expanding reach, strengthening community engagement, and building sustainable health promotion ecosystems.

 

Our partners

Project HOPE is a leading global health and humanitarian organisation with over 65 years of experience transforming the health and well-being of communities around the world.

Find out more about Project Hope

References

1. WHO — Noncommunicable diseases (NCDs) fact sheet, 2024: NCDs cause ~80 % of deaths globally and in many middle-income countries like Mexico. https://www.who.int/news-room/fact-sheets/detail/noncommunicable-diseases

2. Gaceta UNAM – A global increase in diabetes among children and young adults is recorded. https://www.gaceta.unam.mx/se-registra-en-el-mundo-aumento-de-diabetes-en-ninos-y-adultos-jovenes/

3. Mexican Demographic data – INEGI estimates youth population https://www.inegi.org.mx/contenidos/saladeprensa/aproposito/2025/EAP_Juventud.pdf

4. ENSANUT (National Health and Nutrition Survey) highlights obesity and risk factor prevalence among children and adolescents. https://ensanut.insp.mx/encuestas/ensanutcontinua2023/doctos/analiticos/15842-Texto%20del%20art%C3%ADculo-82492-3-10-20240822.pdf

5. Government ban on electronic cigarettes and vaping product commercialization in Mexico. https://dof.gob.mx/nota_detalle.php?codigo=5747305&fecha=17/01/2025#gsc.tab=0