Student Health and Wellness

Wellness

Student Health and Wellness

How We Can Improve Student Well-being

Presented by Barb Sanders, Norma Gaier, Greg Passty, Donna Vandiver, and Dana Willett

Brief Description

The collegiate experience represents the beginning of one of the most transformative experiences of a student’s life. Beyond growth in learning and professionalism, students also undergo significant personal development. Habits formed during the college years can and often do persist beyond graduation and have an impact on careers and family. Among other dimensions of personal growth and aspects of student learning, the university experience should address a student’s overall well-being—physical, social, spiritual, financial, environmental, intellectual, emotional, and occupational. For many students, residing and studying at Texas State University is the first experience with independent living. Deliberate programming assisting students in learning about wellness and encouraging the development of a healthy lifestyle forms the basis of this proposal.

The issue of our students’ health and well-being weaves through all divisions of the university and with the recent university commitment to the WellCats program for faculty and staff, it stands to reason we would include students in this initiative. Nationally, an organization sponsors a Healthy Campus Award and here is an excerpt from their announcement of recent winning campuses:

In recognizing the healthiest college campuses in the nation, the Healthy Campus Award celebrates institutions that are transitioning from a traditional infirmary model of student health care toward a public health care approach to student well-being—a change of emphasis from getting healthy to staying well. This focus on awareness and prevention also encompasses multiple dimensions of health (not just physical health) to include mental, social, and financial well-being. (from the Active Minds Website)

Goals

  • Help students improve their academic success by improving their personal wellness in multiple dimensions of health.
  • Help students identify and experience the dimensions of wellness.
  • Show students how to incorporate the knowledge of wellness principles into their day-to-day lives.
  • Provide programs for students to assist them in maintaining their mental, social, and financial well-being, going beyond just their physical health.
  • Engage students in active lifestyles and the culture of the university.
  • Help students to focus on staying healthy rather than getting well, by formulating their own individual wellness plan.
  • Improve students’ critical thinking by providing them the information to interpret media reports related to wellness and how it fits into their own lives.

Strategies for Implementation

  • Introduce the topics in University Seminar and measure student learning.
  • Create a Student Wellness Center.
  • Provide multiple opportunities for participation.
  • Investigate methods to incentivize student participation in wellness activities.

Student Learning Outcomes

  • Students will be able to identify basic principles related to what is “healthy” (holistically), based on eight dimensions—physical, social, spiritual, financial, environmental, intellectual, emotional and occupational.
  • Students will be able to identify and interpret research regarding health and wellness.
  • Students will be able to make informed decisions (based on empirical findings) regarding their personal health.
  • Students will identify, recognize, and incorporate wellness activities, behaviors, and attitudes that fit with their individual interests, increasing knowledge of self.
  • Students will be able to identify, recognize, and apply healthy activities to respond to personal stress.
  • Students will be able to assess health choices and their consequences to self and others (locally, nationally, and globally).

Justification of the Topic

Students who are well improve their performance academically, emotionally, socially, and athletically. All of these contribute toward better performance in classes and lead to improved retention and graduation rates.

In addition, student wellness encompasses financial literacy, housing security, and campus safety - additional factors affecting each student’s experience at Texas State University.

Finally, potential associated research topics include food insecurity and its relationship to obesity and other health issues.

Benefits to the Institution & Students

  • Establishes a university culture of health and wellness.
  • Improves wellness knowledge across campus/society.
  • Develops an appreciation of holistic wellness throughout life.

Evaluation and Assessment Strategies

  • Assessment of knowledge – pre/post of all classifications (i.e., freshmen, sophomores, juniors, and seniors) (Eight Dimensions of Wellness)
  • Documentation of participation in a variety of wellness-based activities (Wellness Center)
  • Development (or addition to portfolio assessment) of lifestyle changes relative to wellness
  • Overall review of the change in retention data
  • Student engagement index

Description of How the Selection Criteria, as well as the University Mission and Goals, will be Met

Aligned with the mission of the institution, greater awareness of and increased wellness among students would enhance the student-focused approach to student success as well as preparing graduates to better participate fully and freely as citizens of Texas, the nation, and the world. Further, the proposal directly addresses strategic planning goals for 2017-2023: to improve the overall student experience (Goal 1.1); to provide educational programs and co-curricular activities that support career exploration and personal development (Goal 1.8); to promote student well-being and development (Goal 1.13); to support the success of students by improving the function, condition, reliability, and aesthetics of the facilities and grounds of the university (Goal 1.11); to provide training and educational resources to enhance personal and community safety (Goal 4.5); and to provide programs and services that support and enhance the health and wellness of the university community (Goal 4.13).