Young people's future health inquiry Aiming to build the policy, research and place-based agenda to improve the future health of today’s young people

The Health Foundation commissioned Kantar Public, an independent social research agency, which partnered with Livity, a youth engagement specialist, to conduct an engagement exercise with young people living in the UK aged 22–26. The aim was to discover the factors that helped or hindered them in their transition to adulthood.

We went to five UK towns and cities and listened to the perspectives of young people and youth organisations about access to the assets needed for a healthy transition into adulthood. Our visits uncovered common themes and a strong sense of place, shaping the young people’s identity and how they described themselves.

Our final report brings together all of the learnings from the Inquiry, exploring the factors that are putting the UK’s 12-24 year-olds at risk of ill-health later in life, and introducing the policy analysis that has taken place. As part of this, we also commissioned nine expert partner organisations to publish their recommendations for young people’s needs to be put at the centre of government policy making, focusing in seven policy areas.

We commissioned with the Association of Young People’s Health and UCL’s Institute of Child Health to carry out research that would inform the Inquiry’s analysis. We published four working papers:

• The social determinants of young people’s health
• Young people’s suggestions for the assets needed in the transition to adulthood
• Allostatic load
• How many young people are accruing the assets they need for a healthy transition into adulthood?