The objectives of this study were to (1) measure the acceptability of Students As LifeStyle Activists (SALSA) Youth Voices (SYV) programme, (2) determine the skills gained by peer leaders from their participation in SYV and (3) determine whether peer leaders were able to design and implement an action to promote healthy eating and physical activity in their school.

Painted handball and volleyball courts, water refill stations and sporting grounds with artificial turf are all ideas from high school students in western Sydney.

A NSW Government Article about the SALSA Program: “An online peer-led leadership program is helping students build healthier school communities while learning some valuable skills for life.”

Background: Childhood obesity is increasing in prevalence. Effective interventions are needed, including those promoting healthy lifestyle habits in children and adolescents.

Objective: This article describes the development and feasibility of a peer led health promotion program in a New South Wales high school and the role GPs can play in community based health promotion activities.

Discussion: The Students As Lifestyle Activists (SALSA) program was developed by general practitioners, a local community health organisation and a local high school. Preliminary evaluation suggests that a peer led approach is feasible, acceptable and valued by both students and staff.

Objective: To evaluate the effect on physical activity and sedentary behaviour of a pilot school-based peer education programme in urban Beijing, China.

Conclusions: Peer education appears to be a promising intervention in reducing sedentary behaviours in adolescents in China. These results need confirmation in a larger study.

Background: Adolescence is a critical time for developing healthy lifestyle behaviours. It is a period where young people assume a greater responsibility for their physical activity and eating habits, which often persist into adulthood.1 Schools are an ideal setting for promoting health, as most adolescents attend school and can be easily reached. There is also strong evidence demonstrating that school-based programmes can increase physical activity and improve dietary habits of students.2 3

The Students As LifeStyle Activists (SALSA) programme uses a peer educational model, driven by students, to promote physical activity and healthy eating in a supportive school environment.4 Our premise is that students not only learn through teaching their peers, but they also serve as powerful motivators and role models for others.5 Adolescents can also be effective ‘change agents’ within their family and the wider school community.