Asian Journal of Education and Social Studies

This qualitative study examines how higher educational institutions in Kerala function as social spaces in which young people construct, negotiate, and reproduce meanings of health. Primary data were collected during 2023–2024 through focus group discussions, semi-structured interviews with students, and key informant interviews with teachers and social service providers in Malappuram and Ernakulam districts. Thematic analysis was informed by social constructivism, habitus, and reflexive modernity. The findings indicate that participants commonly understood health through bodily management, fitness, appearance, personality, and emotional well-being rather than solely as the absence of illness. Peer relationships shaped health behaviour in contradictory ways. They encouraged gym attendance, blood donation, health check-ups, information sharing, and emotional support, but also reinforced body-image concerns, restrictive dieting, unhealthy food practices, inadequate sleep, and pressure to follow social media trends. Treatment choices were further influenced by family authority, institutional practices, financial constraints, online information, and consultation with friends, including self-medication among some students. Although participants demonstrated substantial awareness of health risks and competing sources of knowledge, their practices remained socially and collectively negotiated. The study concludes that educational institutions should be understood not only as settings for health promotion but also as sites of health socialisation. Participatory initiatives that strengthen positive peer cultures, mental health support, and accessible student health services may better reflect the everyday social processes through which young people in Kerala make health decisions.