Page 175 - GHES-3-2

Global Health Economics and
Sustainability

ORIGINAL RESEARCH ARTICLE
Survey findings in a health-promoting university

campus in Northern Germany: Monitoring
students’ health awareness and needs

Vasiliki Kolovou * and Delphine Dierckens 2
1
1 Department of Nursing and Health Care, Faculty V of Diaconic Studies, Health Care and Social
Work, Hannover University of Applied Sciences and Arts, Hannover, Lower Saxony, Germany
2 Applied Health And Lifestyle Sciences, Hogeschool West-Vlaanderen (Howest) University of
Applied Sciences, Bruges, West Flanders, Belgium

Abstract

This study examines the implementation of a health-promoting project in a university
faculty campus in northern Germany, involving students enrolled in nursing and
health care, social work, and inclusive education programs, both in full-time and
vocational tracks. The study explores students’ current level of awareness regarding
Academic editor: the main health-promoting activities through a baseline survey. The survey’s
Mihajlo Jakovljevic M.D. Ph.D. MAE primary objective was to inform and enhance the university’s existing student health
*Corresponding author: activities. This paper outlines the study design and presents the descriptive findings
Vasiliki Kolovou of the baseline survey data, focusing on students’ awareness, involvement, and
(vasiliki.kolovou@hs-hannover.de) needs on campus. The survey represents a practice-oriented approach to actively
Citation: Kolovou, V. & Dierckens, D. monitor students’ needs while raising awareness about health promotion within the
(2025). Survey findings in a health- university environment.
promoting university campus in
northern Germany: Monitoring
students’ health awareness and
needs. Global Health Econ Sustain, Keywords: Health promotion; University; Setting; Survey
3(2):167-179.
https://doi.org/10.36922/ghes.4290
Submitted: 19 July 2024
1st revised: 7 October 2024 1. Introduction
In July 2015, the new “Prevention Act” (Federal Law Gazette, 2015) came into effect in
2nd revised: 6 November 2024
Germany, aiming to improve cooperation between social security institutions, federal
Accepted: 22 November 2024 states, and local authorities in prevention and health promotion across various age groups
Published online: February 25, and life settings. This legislation aligns with the Ottawa Charter for Health Promotion,
2025 which states that prevention and health promotion should occur where people live,
Copyright: © 2025 Author(s). work, and learn (Ottawa-Charta, 1986). The “setting-based approach” advocates for
This is an Open-Access article developing preventive interventions that address the contexts in which people live,
distributed under the terms of the
Creative Commons Attribution learn, and work, as well as the needs and their needs and capacities in different settings.
License, permitting distribution, Health is significantly influenced by environmental, economic, social, organizational,
and reproduction in any medium, and cultural factors (Dooris et al., 2014).
provided the original work is
properly cited. Universities represent a crucial setting for health promotion. In Germany, universities
Publisher’s Note: AccScience employ approximately 780,000 staff members and enroll about 2.86 million students
Publishing remains neutral with (Destatis, 2024). Beyond their substantial presence, universities are significant because
regard to jurisdictional claims in
published maps and institutional students are future professionals who can act as potential multipliers of health promotion
affiliations. in other settings. Furthermore, students are a vulnerable target group regarding

Volume 3 Issue 2 (2025) 167 https://doi.org/10.36922/ghes.4290