YHP Serbia
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Location
National
Timing
2022 – 2025
The local context
Research in Serbia shows a trend of increasing obesity levels among children. In the most recent survey, by the Subotica Institute of Public Health1, 17% of children, aged 5-14 years, were 'over-nourished' and 13% 'obese' - a significant increase on previous years.
The latest data, from the ‘Dr Milan Jovanović Batut Institute’, showed that only every other child eats fruit and vegetables daily, while nearly 24% of children consume sweets once a day.2
At the same time, outside of regular school classes, over 11% of children never exercise.2
Our objectives
To redefine young people's attitude towards healthy living through education and participation in youth-tailored activities and channels.
Our programme
Launched in 2022, the programme was designed to raise awareness of the importance of a healthy lifestyle, including a nutritious diet and physical activity.
It was built on 3 pillars:
1. Education: raising awareness of what constitutes an unhealthy lifestyle, the link to diabetes and other non-communcable diseases (NCDs) and promoting healthy living with access to information on good diet and physical activity.
2. Action: engaging target groups in activities tailored to their specific needs, such as online campaigns capturing young people's perspectives on unhealthy lifestyles.
3. Empowerment and peer support: encouraging young people to become advocates for the issues affecting their health and well-being in order to influence policy and demand accountability.
Our achievements
Reducing NCD risk through healthier behaviours: the programme delivered on its vision to improve the health of children and adolescents in Serbia by addressing key risk factors for non-communicable diseases (NCDs), including poor diet, physical inactivity and obesity. It strengthened awareness, behaviours and environments that support long-term disease prevention.
Reach and engagement:
- Nearly 7,000 primary school students directly participated in the peer education programme.
- Approximately 9,500 children reached across all project activities.
- Around 10,000 children reached indirectly through communications, including PR, social media, website and mobile application.
- More than 300 Peer Educators trained.
- Workshops delivered across over 200 school classes.
Embedding peer-led prevention: the programme demonstrated that peer education is an effective approach to influencing behaviours linked to NCD risk. With structured training and support, Peer Educators increased awareness of healthy eating, physical activity and overall wellbeing among younger students, helping to establish positive habits early in life.
Strengthening digital platforms and visibility: a strong digital presence supported programme delivery and engagement, with a dedicated website, social media channels and a mobile application providing accessible, youth-friendly content. High levels of media coverage further amplified awareness of healthy lifestyles and NCD prevention.
Driving innovation in health education: innovative, engaging content supported behaviour change with very positive feedback:
- ‘Kuhinjica zdravih recepata’ (Healthy Recipe Kitchen) provided 80 healthy recipes to encourage better nutrition, created in collaboration with the internationally recognised paediatric nutritionist Prim. Dr. Jasminka Komnenovic.
- Video content promoted physical activity and motor skill development through play.
- The ‘Mali Zdravci’ (Little Health Champs) series used peer voices to reinforce healthy behaviours.
- Participation in events such as ‘Novobeogradsko sportsko leto 2024’ (New Belgrade Summer of Sport 2024) engaged children in interactive learning around nutrition and physical activity.
Building skills, leadership and agency: Peer Educators developed leadership, communication and facilitation skills, strengthening their confidence and ability to act as health ambassadors. Many extended their impact by initiating additional activities, reinforcing peer-to-peer learning and sustained behaviour change.
Enabling supportive systems for prevention: the programme received Ministry of Education approval and was successfully embedded within schools. Positive feedback from teachers, students and parents highlighted its effectiveness. Collaboration with schools and partners helped create environments that support healthier choices and contribute to long-term NCD prevention.
Our partners
UVEK Zdrav Stav Association focuses on improving health, prevention awareness and encouraging healthy lifestyles through knowledge-sharing, campaigns, and activities.
