Page 179 - GHES-3-2

Global Health Economics and
Sustainability
Health awareness survey of university students

COVID-19 pandemic, the transition to online learning, playground equipment rental, outdoor teaching,
technical difficulties and challenges, increased workplace healthy apple snacks, water dispensers, eCHECKUP
demands (particularly for those in the nursing sector TO GO, alcohol prevention, health runs, high-
working in emergency rooms), spiraling inflation, rising intensity interval training (HIIT), partnership with
energy cost following the pandemic, and the onset of the ELMO (European Lifestyle Medicine Organization),
Russia–Ukraine conflict. and other health promotion actions in studies, and
The first objective was to assess awareness of previous other
health-promoting interventions on campus. Students (v) How satisfied are you with the health promotion
were asked to provide their opinions on whether they services offered on campus? (1 = very satisfied to 5 =
very dissatisfied).
were aware of these interventions, had participated in (vi) How complete is the health promotion offer on
them, and considered them successful. This assessment campus? How complete is the offer? (1 = very complete
utilized a Likert scale. In addition, students were asked to 5 = very incomplete).
to evaluate the comprehensiveness of the interventions (vii) Do you have any other ideas for health promotion
and the effectiveness of the communication. The second activities? Yes, specifically: No
objective was to assess students’ needs and preferences, (viii) How satisfied are you with the communication and
beginning with a general question about the importance dissemination of information about health promotion?
of health promotion in universities. Students were also (1 = very satisfied to 5 = very dissatisfied)
asked to identify the most important health-related
topics, which included commonly recognized themes (ix) Does student health promotion need to be covered
(e.g., physical health, mental health, drug abuse) and during class time? (1 = completely agree to 5 =
less common ones (e.g., social well-being, the use of completely disagree)
media, sedentary behavior). This approach allowed for (x) Would you like to be involved in the design of health
a broader understanding of health without requiring promotion on campus? Yes, no, or maybe. If no, why
not?: I lack the necessary knowledge/expertise, I don’t
prior knowledge. An open-ended question was included find it meaningful, the topics don’t appeal to me,
to further explore students’ needs, allowing students to because of my studies I don’t have time, because of my
suggest health-promoting interventions. A third focus workload I don’t have time, because of my family life I
was on identifying students interested in participating don’t have time, and other. If maybe, what makes you
in future health-promoting interventions. The nature of doubt?
the questions will be analyzed in more detail below. The
survey questions, originally formulated and conducted 2.2. Data collection
in German, have been translated into English for this A survey questionnaire was developed with Google
article. Forms in the German language. The questionnaire
was structured into several sections. Initially, basic
2.1. Survey questions
demographic characteristics, such as age, sex, and study
The survey employed structured questions to assess course, were collected. The second section inquired
students’ awareness, involvement, and needs regarding about the importance of health promotion on campus/
campus health promotion, covering demographics, past at the university and which health-related topics are
participation, satisfaction, and future engagement. The key considered crucial for a health-promoting university
items are outlined below: (e.g., physical health, mental health, social well-being,
(i) Personal data (age, sex, education) sleep, and substance abuse). The third section provided
(ii) How important is the provision of health promotion an overview of past health-promoting interventions and
services in a university environment to you? (1 = very environmental changes on campus. Students were asked
important to 5 = very unimportant) if they were aware of these measures, had utilized them,
(iii) Indicate the importance of each health topic (1 = very and how successful they perceived them to be. In addition,
important to 5 = very unimportant). Multiple answers they were asked about their satisfaction with the health
are possible: exercise, stress management, substance promotion offerings and whether they had suggestions for
use, mental health, social health, media use, sleeping, improvement. Satisfaction with communication regarding
sedentary behavior, healthy eating, drinking enough health promotion and the inclusion of health promotion
water, and other in courses was also assessed. In the final section, students
(iv) What on-campus activities have you participated were asked about their interest in participating in a working
in/What on-campus facilities have you used in the group to implement various health-promoting ideas on
past? Multiple responses possible: social gardening, campus, evaluating their popularity and sustainability.

Volume 3 Issue 2 (2025) 171 https://doi.org/10.36922/ghes.4290