FRESHAIR4Life: Youth Advocacy as a Strategy for Restoring Trust in Health Institutions

This correspondence, published in The Lancet, responds to a recent review by Marcello Ienca and colleagues regarding the increasing erosion of public trust in health institutions. The authors express strong agreement with the premise that restoring emotional engagement and resonance is essential for rebuilding this trust. However, they critique the original review for overlooking youth advocacy as a critical, scalable strategy. Citing the World Health Organization (WHO) framework, the correspondents argue that youth advocacy serves as an effective co-production mechanism that encompasses most aspects of the solutions proposed by Ienca et al. The letter highlights the FRESHAIR4Life initiative as a prime example of how engaging young people can bridge the gap between health systems and the public. By integrating youth voices into health policy and communication strategies, institutions can foster greater transparency and reliability. This piece emphasizes the need for health leaders to adopt inclusive approaches that leverage the energy and perspective of younger generations to counteract skepticism and strengthen the foundational relationship between healthcare providers and the communities they serve.