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YouthWiki

EACEA National Policies Platform
Italy

Italy

7. Health and Well-Being

Last update: 18 March 2024

This chapter describes the way in which the issue of health and well-being of young people in Italy is addressed, as well as the interventions and measures implemented on national territory.

The Italian health system is a co-managed  matter between the State and the Regions. However, numerous other public and private bodies are responsible for providing services aimed at the psycho-physical well-being of young people, in compliance with the idea that health promotion and protection must be configured as an interactive process between government institutions and civil society. The factors that negatively affect the health of young people are generally inherent in a particularly widespread lifestyle that includes malnutrition (often in excess), sedentary lifestyle, cigarette smoking, alcohol abuse and substance consumption. 

These are elements that hinder the achievement of health to be understood, consistently with the WHO (World Health Organisation) definition, as “a dynamic state of complete physical, mental and social well-being and not mere absence of disease”.

It is precisely on these factors that  Italy is taking action, through synergistic action and the transversal involvement of stakeholders, with projects and interventions that promote healthy lifestyles among young people, with a view to prevention and health education.