Deliver a health improvement message
This subtopic focuses on equipping young health champions with the skills to prepare, deliver, and evaluate a health improvement message to peers. It emphasizes understanding the unique influence peers have due to shared experiences, and applying communication techniques to convey health information engagingly and credibly. Practical application includes planning evidence-based content, adapting delivery to the audience, and reflecting on outcomes to enhance future messages.
Assessment criteria
Topic Overview
The RSPH Level 2 Award for Young Health Champions is a vocationally-related qualification designed to empower young people (typically aged 14-19) to become advocates for health and wellbeing within their communities. This qualification, regulated by Ofqual and awarded by the Royal Society for Public Health, focuses on developing knowledge and skills to promote health, prevent disease, and address health inequalities. It covers key topics such as understanding health and wellbeing, communication skills, planning and delivering health campaigns, and evaluating their impact. By completing this award, students gain a recognised qualification that supports progression into further study or careers in health, social care, public health, or youth work.
This qualification is particularly relevant in the context of the UK's public health priorities, such as reducing obesity, improving mental health, and tackling smoking and substance misuse. Young Health Champions learn to identify health needs in their peer groups and communities, design evidence-based interventions, and use effective communication to influence positive behaviour change. The course emphasises practical application, with students required to plan and deliver a health campaign or project. This hands-on approach not only builds confidence but also develops transferable skills like teamwork, leadership, and problem-solving, which are highly valued by employers and further education providers.
Within the wider Health & Social Care curriculum, this award complements topics such as public health, health promotion, and person-centred care. It provides a foundation for understanding how social determinants, lifestyle choices, and health services interact to affect population health. Students who complete this qualification often progress to Level 3 qualifications in public health, health and social care, or related fields, or use it as evidence of their commitment to health improvement in applications for apprenticeships, college courses, or employment in health-related roles.
Key Concepts
Core ideas you must understand for this topic
- →Health and wellbeing: Understanding the holistic nature of health (physical, mental, social) and the factors that influence it, including lifestyle, environment, and access to services.
- →Health inequalities: Recognising that health outcomes vary across different population groups due to social, economic, and environmental factors, and how to address these disparities through targeted interventions.
- →Effective communication: Using verbal and non-verbal techniques, active listening, and tailoring messages to different audiences to promote health and engage peers.
- →Planning and delivering a health campaign: Applying a systematic approach including needs assessment, setting aims and objectives, identifying resources, implementing activities, and evaluating outcomes.
- →Ethical considerations: Understanding confidentiality, consent, and safeguarding when working with peers and vulnerable groups in health promotion contexts.
Learning Objectives
What you need to know and understand
- Understand why peer advice is important for the delivery of health improvement messagesCarry out preparations for delivering a health improvement messageDeliver a health improvement messageCarry out a review of the delivery of the health improvement message
Assessment Criteria
Key criteria assessors look for in your portfolio
- Award credit for demonstrating a clear explanation of why peer advice is impactful, referencing concepts like social influence, trust, and relatability.
- Expect evidence of thorough preparation, including audience analysis, selection of credible sources, and structuring the message logically.
- Require demonstration of effective delivery skills: appropriate tone, active listening, use of open questions, and non-verbal engagement.
- Credit should be given for a reflective review that identifies specific strengths, weaknesses, and actionable improvements, supported by feedback.
Assessment Guidance
Guidance for achieving higher grades
- 💡In the delivery, use real-life examples and a conversational style to build rapport and make the message relatable.
- 💡For the review, go beyond describing what happened: critically analyse why certain aspects worked and how you will adapt future practice.
- 💡When preparing, ensure your message aligns with national health guidance or local priorities to demonstrate evidence-based practice.
- 💡When answering questions about planning a campaign, always refer to a specific health issue (e.g., vaping among teenagers) and use the SMART framework (Specific, Measurable, Achievable, Relevant, Time-bound) for your objectives. This shows you can apply theory to real-world scenarios.
- 💡For evaluation questions, don't just list what went well; include challenges faced and how you overcame them. Use evidence such as feedback from peers or data on campaign reach to support your points. This demonstrates critical thinking and reflection.
- 💡In communication questions, mention the importance of adapting your language and tone for different audiences (e.g., using social media for teens vs. leaflets for parents). Give examples of how you adjusted your approach in your own campaign.
Common Mistakes
Common errors to avoid in your coursework
- Assuming that simply providing facts will change behaviour, neglecting to engage emotions or motivate action.
- Overlooking the importance of rehearsal, leading to unclear messaging, nervousness, or rushed delivery.
- Failing to collect or incorporate peer feedback, resulting in a superficial review that does not identify genuine areas for development.
- Misconception: Health promotion is just about giving information. Correction: Effective health promotion involves more than just providing facts; it requires understanding barriers to behaviour change, using motivational techniques, and creating supportive environments.
- Misconception: Young people cannot make a real difference in public health. Correction: Young Health Champions have successfully influenced peer behaviour on issues like smoking, mental health stigma, and healthy eating through relatable campaigns and social media.
- Misconception: The qualification is only for those wanting to become nurses or doctors. Correction: This award is valuable for any career involving people, including youth work, teaching, social work, and even marketing or policy, as it builds communication and project management skills.
Frequently Asked Questions
Common questions students ask about this topic
Pass / Merit / Distinction Evidence Checklist
How your portfolio evidence is graded for ROYAL SOCIETY FOR PUBLIC HEALTH Deliver a health improvement message
Every vocational unit is marked against named criteria rather than an exam percentage. Your tutor's brief lists the exact codes for this unit — here is what each band is asking you to do.
Demonstrate baseline knowledge, accurate terminology, and core practical application.
Provide detailed analysis, structured explanations, and clear workplace reasoning.
Deliver thorough evaluation, original problem solving, and fully justified recommendations.
Before You Start
Prior knowledge that will help with this topic
- •Basic understanding of health and wellbeing concepts, such as the difference between health and illness, and factors affecting health (e.g., diet, exercise, stress).
- •Some experience of working in a team or group project, as the qualification involves collaborative planning and delivery of a health campaign.
- •A willingness to engage with sensitive topics (e.g., mental health, sexual health) and respect diverse perspectives, as health promotion often involves discussing personal behaviours.
Coursework AI Review
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Key Terminology
Essential terms to know
- Understand why peer advice is important for the delivery of health improvement messagesCarry out preparations for delivering a health improvement messageDeliver a health improvement messageCarry out a review of the delivery of the health improvement message
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