Social support and peer support are relevant and effective approaches for encouraging younger generations to adopt more preventive health behaviours. Proximity, dialogue and a sense of mutual understanding help overcome many of the barriers to change observed at this stage of life, as demonstrated by numerous behavioural science experiments.
Motivation through proximity
How can young people be encouraged to adopt healthier behaviours? The answer is complex, but it may lie in a range of determinants, including identity, social norms and interpersonal interactions. These are all levers that highlight the motivational potential of peer support and social support in embedding preventive behaviours more firmly into everyday life. “Young adults aged 18–25 are going through a period of transition: leaving home, pursuing higher education or starting their first job, and taking on new responsibilities. This move towards independence exposes them to specific risks, but also provides unique opportunities for collective learning. Approaches that value peer influence and mutual support offer fertile ground for shifting attitudes and behaviours,” explains Nicolas Fieulaine, social psychology researcher at Lyon 2 University.
Featured in the APRIL Foundation’s third Expert Report, dedicated to real‑world experiences, the Quit the Hit project provides a compelling example. By combining self‑management techniques with online support groups on Instagram, the initiative achieved an 18% reduction in vaping over 30 days, thanks to the motivational power of peer proximity.
Trust among peers
More broadly, research in the social sciences confirms the value of using trained peers to deliver prevention messages. Young people are often more receptive to messages from their peers than from adults or healthcare professionals, and the credibility of those messages is frequently higher. Even better, healthy behaviours acquired through peer influence can spread within family and friendship circles, amplifying the ripple effect. “Social networks, in the broad sense, contribute to this process of socialisation and behavioural change through emotional, informational and practical exchanges. The feeling of being supported, being listened to, understood, and helped emotionally or materially, is a well‑established protective factor against stress, anxiety and depression,” notes the sociologist.
Mental health: putting wellbeing at the heart of prevention
La santé mentale est de fait un point d’attention majeur chez les jeunes. Isolement, difficulté à se définir, anxiété face à l’avenir, pression académique ou professionnelle… sont autant de facteurs déstabilisants qui font du psychisme un de leurs talons d’Achille. Les dispositifs de pair-aidance et le soutien social offrent une réponse pragmatique en permettant de créer des espaces de parole, renforcer le sentiment d’appartenance, et développer la confiance en ses capacités de changement.
Mental health is a major concern for young people. Isolation, difficulties in defining one’s identity, anxiety about the future, and academic or professional pressure are all destabilising factors that can make mental wellbeing particularly vulnerable. Peer support initiatives and social support programmes offer a practical response by creating safe spaces for dialogue, strengthening the sense of belonging and building confidence in one’s ability to change.
The Grassroots initiative, featured in the third Expert Report, provides a good example. The programme aims to reduce conflict and bullying in secondary schools through a behavioural approach that directly involves young people in creating a more harmonious school environment. “Influential pupils within their schools act as role models and promote prosocial behaviours, gradually encouraging their peers to adopt more positive attitudes towards conflict, ultimately contributing to improved psychological wellbeing,” summarises Becky Taylor, Professor at the London Institute of Education and co‑evaluator of a programme that reduced disciplinary measures related to conflict and bullying among adolescents by 25% over the course of one year in the United States.
Conditions for success
Experience from the field highlights several key factors that maximise the effectiveness of peer support initiatives among young people:
➜ Training for peer supporters, covering interpersonal skills, health literacy, boundary setting, recognition of signs of distress, confidentiality and related topics. This is essential to prevent emotional overload among peer supporters and to avoid the dissemination of inappropriate messages.
➜ Access to expert supervision and support, ensuring peers can seek advice, resources or guidance, including support for their own wellbeing.
➜ Clearly defined roles, expectations and responsibilities, establishing who does what, the limits of peer support and when referral to a professional is required.
➜ Accessibility and reduced barriers (language, culture, financial constraints, etc.). The more flexible the programme, the more effectively it reaches the young people who need it most.
➜ Positive social norms and a supportive environment. Social support works best when schools, families, communities and media environments reinforce the same messages. Otherwise, those messages may be undermined.
Towards a more collective and supportive approach to prevention
“By harnessing the power of social connections, the lived experience of young peers and the principles of behavioural design (reducing friction, activating social norms and strengthening self‑efficacy), it is possible to develop prevention programmes that create lasting changes in behaviours and health cultures,” says Sophie Ferreira Le Morvan, Executive Director of the APRIL Foundation. This approach positions young people not simply as recipients of information, but as active participants and ambassadors for their own health and that of their communities. The future of youth prevention lies in this synergy, where science and human connection come together to build healthier environments. One of the keys to sustainable change may well reside here: transforming prevention into a shared culture, embodied by young people themselves and supported by society as a whole.