On this page

1. National strategy(ies)

2. Encouraging healthy lifestyles and healthy nutrition for young people

3. Health education and healthy lifestyles education in schools

4. Peer-to-peer education approaches

5. Collaboration and partnerships

6. Raising awareness on healthy lifestyles and on factors affecting the health and well-being of young people

National strategy(ies)

The Prevention and Health Promotion Strategy

The Prevention and Health Promotion Strategy (Estrategia de Promoción de la Salud y Prevención en el Sistema Nacional de Salud), active 2013 and revised in 2022, is coordinated by the Interterritorial Council,  and aligns with the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) .

The overall objective is to promote the health and well-being of the population by promoting healthy environments and lifestyles and improving safety from injury. The strategic lines addressed are public health empowerment, territorial coordination and governance, health equity, reorientation of health services, intersectoral health, healthy and safe environments, as well as community participation and action.

The 2022 revision introduced a greater focus on social determinants of health, digital health promotion, and mental health in youth. 

Although the strategy is aimed at the Spanish community in general, the strategy continues to prioritize children and adolescents, especially those under 15, and is implemented through both health and education sectors.

Strategy for Nutrition, Physical Activity and Obesity Prevention (NAOS)

The Strategy for Nutrition, Physical Activity and Obesity Prevention (NAOS) (Estrategia para la Nutrición, Actividad Física y Prevención de la Obesidad, NOAS), in force since 2005 and reaffirmed in 2023, is a health strategy framed in the policies of the international health agencies (WHO, the EU) and its main objective is to reverse the trend of the prevalence of obesity by promoting a healthy diet and the practice of physical activity. 

Although the strategy targets the entire population, it fundamentally prioritises children, young people and the most disadvantaged population groups, focusing on gender and avoiding inequalities in health. 

It is led by the Spanish Agency for Food Safety and Nutrition (AESAN), under the Ministry of Consumer Affairs. It has as main strategic lines of action:

• Health protection: it proposes to facilitate access to a varied diet, balanced and moderate in terms of caloric consumption, of fats and sugars.
• Prevention and promotion of health: it tries to reduce the exposure of people to risk factors such as inadequate feeding, sedentariness and inactivity. Following up, monitoring and evaluation: created with the intention of controlling the prevalence of obesity and overweight, as well as its determinants.

NAOS has launched new digital resources and communication campaigns (such as Activilandia and "Pon más héroes en tu plato"), and places a strong emphasis on reducing health inequalities and gender gaps in obesity.

National Strategic Plan for the Reduction of Childhood Obesity 2022-2030

Spain participates in the WHO European Childhood Obesity Surveillance Initiative (COSI), with national monitoring through the ALADINO studies (2011, 2013, 2015 y 2019 studies on food, physical activity, child development and obesity of children aged 6 to 9). Spain remains among the countries with the highest rates of childhood obesity in Europe. 

In response, the National Strategic Plan for the Reduction of Childhood Obesity 2022-2030 (Plan Estratégico Nacioal para la Reducción de la Obesidad Infantil 2022-2030). Although the plan’s title refers to “childhood” obesity, its scope and actions explicitly include both children and adolescents, addressing the full youth population up to age 18. 

The plan adopts a cross-sectoral approach, involving education, urban planning, food marketing regulation, and public health, to ensure that healthy growth is a right for all children, regardless of social or territorial origin. The first monitoring reports are expected in 2025.

Encouraging healthy lifestyles and healthy nutrition for young people

The Healthy lifestyles web portal of the Ministry of health offers a comprehensive set of digital resources and interactive tools for children, adolescents, and youth:

• Map of content related to children (Mapa de contenidos relacionados con Menores): Provides information and resources on healthy lifestyles for children under 5 years old, including nutrition, physical activity, and injury prevention, with interactive guides and videos for families and educators..
• Youth-related content map (Mapa de contenidos relacionados con Jóvenes): Offers tailored information for minors aged 5 to 17 years old covering healthy eating, physical activity, tobacco and alcohol prevention, emotional wellbeing, and digital health. This section includes:
  • Interactive self-assessment tools (e.g., “¿Eres realmente una persona activa?”, “¿Cómo es mi alimentación?”) to help young people evaluate and improve their habits.
  • Videos, infographics, and downloadable guides designed for youth and their families.
  • Regularly updated campaigns and news, such as “Put more heroes on your plate” (“Pon más héroes en tu plato”) and “Activilandia”  a virtual theme park for healthy habits.
• Nutrition and Physical Activity Campaigns: The Ministry of Health and AESAN provide new educational materials, such as the “Healthy Plate” video, and resources for schools and youth organizations.

These digital resources are regularly updated to reflect the latest evidence and national strategies, supporting young people in adopting and maintaining healthy lifestyles.

Health education and healthy lifestyles education in schools

Health education

Organic Law 3/2020, of 29 December, which amends Organic Law 2/2006, of 3 May, on Education (LOMLOE) establishes health education as a cross-cutting theme at all educational stages, emphasizing responsible consumption, nutrition, physical activity, emotional wellbeing, affective-sexual education, equality, and cooperation among equals. 

The law aligns with the WHO Global Strategy on Diet, Physical Activity and Health, urging the adoption  of policies that support healthy lifestyles in schools.

Implementation (2022–2025):

• The Ministry of Education and Ministry of Health have published new curricular guidelines and digital resources for teachers, including the Healthy Lifestyle Portal (Estilos de Vida Saludable) with classroom materials, videos, and interactive guides.
• New guides for the promotion of emotional wellbeing and mental health in schools have been introduced.
• Digital health and online safety modules are increasingly integrated, covering topics such as cyberbullying, digital addiction, and healthy use of screens.
• Updated nutrition and physical activity guides for school canteens and extracurricular activities are available, supporting the implementation of healthy environments.

There is no single national curriculum for Health Education, although the areas usually taught in schools include physical activity, healthy eating, emotional and mental health, affective-sexual education, safety and risk prevention, and substance abuse prevention (alcohol, tobacco and illegal drugs).

Sex education and personal relationships education

Sex education in Spain is not regulated at the national level and is  left to the discretion of educational institutions. However, there are programmes developed by municipalities, autonomous communities and other institutions, such as the Sexual and Reproductive Health Programme (Programa de Salud Sexual y Reproductiva) of the Madrid Ministry of Health, which is implemented in schools that voluntarily adopt it. These programmes aim to educate young people – including those from the LGBTI community and with social vulnerabilities – on contraceptive methods, HUV/AIDS prevention, sexual orientation and healthy relationships.

Peer-to-peer education approaches

There is no online resources available on national programs, projects and/or strategies for peer education approaches. However, peer education and peer learning have worked in different educational settings. The Community of Extremadura, for example, has implemented the Program “Peer support. Accompanying students.”  for primary and secondary education, which aims to involve students in the teaching process with the objective of preventing, detecting and resolving coexistence conflicts.

Another case is the Youth 4 Youth proposal, coordinated by the Mediterranean Institute of Gender Studies (MIGS). It is a program for awareness raising, training and peer education in formal and non-formal educational settings. A manual has been developed to promote its implementation in schools and youth centers. The monitoring and evaluation process will depend on the centers that implement the project through feedback and questionnaires, demonstrating the impact that peer education really has on the knowledge of the students involved.

Collaboration and partnerships

Collaboration in health promotion and nutrition is coordinated at national, regional, and local levels. The Ministry of Health, Ministry of Education, and Autonomous Communities work together through interministerial groups and technical working groups (such as AESAN’s cooperation agency) to ensure consistent policy and implementation.

A key example is the 2022 agreement  between the Ministry of Health and the Spanish Federation of Municipalities and Provinces, which supports the  Spanish Network of Healthy Cities (RECS) and local implementation of health promotion strategies.

The NAOS strategy is coordinated with Autonomous Communities and relevant ministries, ensuring adaptation to regional needs. Schools often partner with local health centers, municipal services, and NGOs to deliver health promotion activities.

Collaboration also includes joint monitoring and evaluation of initiatives, such as the National Strategic Plan for the Reduction of Childhood, with regular reporting by national and regional actors. For instance, the ALADINO 2023 results and the 2023 report on food offerings in schools (Programme 16 of PNCOCA) were presented at the annual meeting of the AESAN Observatorio in November 2024 and contribute to tracking the plan’s progress

Raising awareness on healthy lifestyles and on factors affecting the health and well-being of young people

The Ministry of Health and the Spanish Agency for Food Safety and Nutrition (AESAN) regularly launch awareness campaigns targeting young people, focusing on nutrition, physical activity, emotional wellbeing, sexual health, and substance use prevention. These campaigns are disseminated through schools, social media, and youth organizations.

Ministry of Health campaigns:

The Ministry's web page provides access to the different campaigns that have been carried out since 2005 on consumption, risk behaviour, gender violence, sexually transmitted diseases, social inclusion and vaccination, most of them aimed at young people.

Nutrition and Physical Activity Campaigns:

Recent examples include the following:

1. Nutrition and Physical Activity Campaigns:

• Healthy plate: How to make a healthy composition of a plate of food following the recommendations of the "Harvard Plate".
• "Put more heroes on your plate” (“Pon más heroes en tu plato”): Its objective is to promote healthy eating and fight against childhood obesity.
• Activilandia: is a Virtual Theme Park focused on healthy eating, varied physical activity and active leisure, as well as other healthy habits, aimed at children between 6 and 12 years old, their parents or guardians.

2. Campaigns on emotional wellbeing and mental health

Such as those addressing the impact of social isolation and promoting self-care and solidarity among youth.

3. Sexual health campaigns

Including those focused on HIV and STI prevention, with inclusive messaging for LGBTIQ+ youth.

4. Campaigns preventing the consumption of drugs and alcohol

The website of the National Plan on Drugs also contains the campaign "Minors without alcohol: Educate-Inform-Prevent" to inform and alert parents of the dangers and consequences of alcohol consumption on health. These initiatives are supported by digital resources, interactive tools, and audiovisual materials available on the Ministry of Health´s website and the AESAN website. 

Regional and local authorities also contribute through tailored campaigns and school-based activities, often in collaboration with NGOs and community services. These include workshops on healthy habits, emotional health, and digital safety, as well as targeted outreach to vulnerable youth populations.