Page 176 - GHES-3-2

Global Health Economics and
Sustainability
Health awareness survey of university students

health, as young adults often engage in high health-risk guidelines, including the Ottawa Charter (1986), Agenda
behaviors such as excessive alcohol consumption, physical 21 (1992), the Jakarta Declaration (1997), the Edmonton
inactivity, and inadequate fruit and vegetable intake (Kwan Charter (2005), the Convention on the Rights of Persons
et al., 2013). with Disabilities (2008), the Charter (2015), the 17
The self-assessment method of general health, an Sustainable Development Goals (2015), and the Charter of
established and internationally used method for measuring Digital Fundamental Rights of the European Union (2018).
subjective health in population surveys, was employed At present, over 150 German universities are affiliated
to assess the general health status of German students. with the AGH. In 2018, the Competence Center for Health-
A recent study (Deindl et al., 2023), based on data provided Promoting Universities (KGH: Kompetenzzentrum
by the National Educational Panel Study, surveyed students Gesundheidstfördernde Hochschulen) was established
aged 16 – 25 years in their first study year, asking them to as a collaborative project between the Federal State
rate their health as very good, good, moderate, poor, or very Association for Health and Academy for Social Medicine
poor. The findings showed that 51% of students reported in Lower Saxony and the statutory health insurance fund,
very good health, while 41% stated that their health was Techniker Krankenkasse. The KGH focuses on raising
good. These results contrast with those of a previous awareness, improving skills, and contributing to high-
survey, where 81.8% of the students reported their health quality development and knowledge retention in the field
as either very good or good (Grützmacher et al., 2018). of health-promoting universities. It also aims to strengthen
the cooperation between company health management
Despite the majority of students reporting good to
very good health, there is a notable prevalence of health- and student health management.
risk behaviors among this population. An earlier study In addition to the nationwide network for health-
(Keller et al., 2008) found that 31% of German students promoting universities, there is a growing need for
were current smokers, and 62% engaged in binge drinking. regional networking and exchange. Hence, several
Furthermore, over 95% failed to meet the recommendation regional networks have been established, including the
of eating five or more servings of fruits and vegetables “Netzwerk Gesunde Hochschulen (Network of Health-
daily, and 60% did not exercise sufficiently. These findings Promoting Universities [NORD]),” which was founded in
underscore the importance of investing in health- 2021. Coordinated by the Hannover University of Applied
promoting initiatives at universities. Moreover, German Sciences and Arts, this network is based in Campus
students were also concerned about the broader impact of Kleefeld. At present, 20 universities in northern Germany
the epidemic on their future life-related decisions (Knolle are members of the NORD network. The main goal is
et al., 2021). to share and develop innovations in health-promoting
interventions in universities, transfer knowledge, and
Several German universities are actively involved leverage the interdisciplinary nature of the network as a
in health promotion efforts. As part of the Prevention resource. Furthermore, the network supports embedding
Act, the German statutory health insurance funds health promotion into personnel and organizational
must support health promotion projects based on the policies.
setting-based approach in all living environments,
such as municipalities, day-care facilities, in-patient Following the Prevention Act (Federal Law Gazette,
nursing homes, and universities. As a result, various 2015), the project “Health-Promoting Faculty V - Campus
organizations such as the Federal State Association for Kleefeld” was launched in 2016 at Faculty V of the
Health and Academy for Social Medicine in Lower Saxony Hannover University of Applied Sciences and Arts, with
(Landesvereinigung für Gesundheit und Akademie für the support of the health insurance fund, Techniker
Sozialmedizin Niedersachsen e. V., 2023) have been Krankenkasse. The project concluded on April 15, 2019
established to support health-promoting universities. (Bonse-Rohmann et al., 2020). Notably, this project
Notably, this organization founded the National Working targeted not only the students but also the academic and
Group for Health-Promoting Universities (AGH) in administrative staff. The goal was multifaceted: reducing
1995 (Arbeitskreis Gesundheitsfördernde Hochschulen, health risks and absenteeism; creating attractive study and
2023). The AGH is a nationwide network of university working conditions; offering sustainable and innovative
representatives and university-related organizations, health-promoting interventions; increasing motivation and
aiming to foster health-promoting living, learning, and satisfaction of students, teachers, and staff; and ensuring
working conditions for all university groups and assist consideration for all three status groups on campus.
universities in setting up health-promoting structures. To promote the health of all three status groups, a
The AGH aligns its efforts with several key international steering committee was established using a participatory

Volume 3 Issue 2 (2025) 168 https://doi.org/10.36922/ghes.4290