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Reichel JL, Rigotti T, Tibubos AN, Werner AM, Schäfer M, Edelmann D, Pfirrmann D, Deci N, Beutel ME, Stark B, Simon P, Letzel S, Dietz P. Challenge Accepted! a Critical Reflection on How to Perform a Health Survey Among University Students-An Example of the Healthy Campus Mainz Project. Front Public Health 2021; 9:616437. [PMID: 34235128 PMCID: PMC8255799 DOI: 10.3389/fpubh.2021.616437] [Citation(s) in RCA: 10] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/12/2020] [Accepted: 04/28/2021] [Indexed: 01/10/2023] Open
Abstract
Background: Universities represent an important setting of everyday life for health promotion. The Healthy Campus Mainz project aims to develop an evidence-based and comprehensive student health management program covering physical, mental, and social health promotion. Hence, an initial health survey was performed in order to identify the students' health concerns and resources. Up until now, it remains unclear which topics to choose in a health survey among university students and which strategies can be recommended to receive an acceptable response rate or representative student sample within a university setting. The present paper contributes to the call for the present research topic "Public Health Promotion in University Students" by describing methods for health assessment. Therefore, the current paper aims to give an empirical example on how to perform a health survey among university students, focusing on (1) choosing topics for the survey and (2) methodological considerations of how to reach the target population. Methods: An online questionnaire including around 270 items was developed covering a comprehensive set of health topics. Participants were recruited via the university email. Mixed channels for survey promotion, such as lecture visits and social media, were used, accompanied by different monetary and non-monetary incentives. Descriptive analyses were performed to describe the sample. Results: A total of 5,006 participants (out of 31,213 registered students) viewed the first page of the questionnaire; of whom, 4,714 continued further. After a manual data cleaning according to the predefined criteria, the final sample was 4,351, demonstrating a response rate of 13.9%. Students from different study disciplines participated. However, some study disciplines showed a low participation rate, hence, making the results not free from some bias. Discussion: This survey is exceptional as it integrates a great variety of health aspects. The incentive strategy demonstrated promising results. Future research should try to improve target-group-specific recruitment strategies for the traditionally underrepresented groups, such as males and specific study disciplines. This would not only include advancing marketing strategies, but also refining the incentive strategy.
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Affiliation(s)
- Jennifer L. Reichel
- Institute of Occupational, Social and Environmental Medicine, University Medical Center of the University of Mainz, Mainz, Germany
| | - Thomas Rigotti
- Department of Work, Organizational, and Business Psychology, Institute for Psychology, Johannes Gutenberg University Mainz, Mainz, Germany
- Leibniz Institute for Resilience Research, Mainz, Germany
| | - Ana Nanette Tibubos
- Department of Psychosomatic Medicine and Psychotherapy, University Medical Center of the Johannes Gutenberg University Mainz, Mainz, Germany
| | - Antonia M. Werner
- Department of Psychosomatic Medicine and Psychotherapy, University Medical Center of the Johannes Gutenberg University Mainz, Mainz, Germany
| | - Markus Schäfer
- Department of Communication, Johannes Gutenberg University Mainz, Mainz, Germany
| | - Dennis Edelmann
- Department Sports Medicine, Rehabilitation and Disease Prevention, Institute of Sports Science, Johannes Gutenberg University, Mainz, Germany
| | - Daniel Pfirrmann
- Department Sports Medicine, Rehabilitation and Disease Prevention, Institute of Sports Science, Johannes Gutenberg University, Mainz, Germany
| | - Nicole Deci
- Department of Work, Organizational, and Business Psychology, Institute for Psychology, Johannes Gutenberg University Mainz, Mainz, Germany
| | - Manfred E. Beutel
- Department of Psychosomatic Medicine and Psychotherapy, University Medical Center of the Johannes Gutenberg University Mainz, Mainz, Germany
| | - Birgit Stark
- Department of Communication, Johannes Gutenberg University Mainz, Mainz, Germany
| | - Perikles Simon
- Department Sports Medicine, Rehabilitation and Disease Prevention, Institute of Sports Science, Johannes Gutenberg University, Mainz, Germany
| | - Stephan Letzel
- Institute of Occupational, Social and Environmental Medicine, University Medical Center of the University of Mainz, Mainz, Germany
| | - Pavel Dietz
- Institute of Occupational, Social and Environmental Medicine, University Medical Center of the University of Mainz, Mainz, Germany
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Nutritional quality and carbon footprint of university students' diets: results from the EHU12/24 study. Public Health Nutr 2021; 25:183-195. [PMID: 34155963 PMCID: PMC8825978 DOI: 10.1017/s1368980021002640] [Citation(s) in RCA: 7] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 01/10/2023]
Abstract
Objective: To evaluate diets in terms of nutritional characteristics and quality from the perspectives of health, greenhouse gas emissions (GHGE) and possible associations with each other in a representative sample of students at a public university. Design: Cross-sectional. Dietary intake was evaluated with a validated FFQ, and diet quality was assessed through the Healthy Eating Index (HEI-2010) and MedDietScore (MDS). GHGE data were obtained from the literature. In addition, sex, socio-economic status (SES) and body fat (BF) status were analysed as covariates. Setting: Basque Autonomous Community, Spain. Participants: Totally, 26 165 healthy adults aged 18–28 years. Results: Student diets were characterised by low consumption of carbohydrates (38·72 % of total energy intake (TEI)) and a high intake of lipids (39·08 % of TEI). Over half of the participants had low dietary quality. The low-emitting diets were more likely to be consumed by subjects with low HEI-2010 scores (β: 0·039 kg eCO2/1000 kcal/d) and high MDS scores (β: −0·023 kg eCO2/1000 kcal/d), after controlling for sex, SES and BF status. Both the low-emitting and healthy diets were more likely to be consumed by women and by those with normal BF percentage. Conclusions: UPV/EHU university students’ diets were characterised by moderate quality from a nutritional perspective and moderate variation in the size of carbon footprints. In this population, diets of the highest quality were not always those with the lowest diet-related GHGE; this relationship depended in part on the constructs and scoring criteria of diet quality indices used.
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Risk factors of overweight/obesity-related lifestyles in university students: Results from the EHU12/24 study. Br J Nutr 2021; 127:914-926. [PMID: 33955337 PMCID: PMC8908003 DOI: 10.1017/s0007114521001483] [Citation(s) in RCA: 10] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 01/10/2023]
Abstract
This paper investigates the prevalence and interaction of overweight/obesity-related lifestyles (specifically, examining whether subjects meet the recommended criteria), in a representative sample of university students. This study is part of the project EHU12/24, an observational cross-sectional study, designed to assess the prevalence of excess body fat (BF) and major risk of developing overweight/obesity, according to a standardised protocol. In a cohort of 603 students, aged between 18 and 28 years, of the University of the Basque Country, information about meal patterns, diet quality, physical activity, sitting time, sleeping time, toxic habits and anthropometric measurements were collected. Sampling took place from February 2014 to May 2017. Binary logistic regression models adjusted for the covariates were utilised to test the association between lifestyles and risk of excess adiposity. The prevalence of overweight/obesity, according to BF percentage, was 14·4 %. The variables analysed related to meal pattern were associated with diet quality, and less healthy food habits were associated with other less health-related behaviours. Among men, moderate/low physical activity, breakfast skipping, non-adequate breakfast duration, number of eating occasions and eating breakfast alone/depending on the occasion were associated with excess BF, while among women, low MedDietScore, moderate/high alcohol consumption, non-adequate sleep duration, eating breakfast and lunch alone/depending on the occasion. Results suggest that certain unhealthy lifestyle behaviours coexist, interact with one another and increase the risk of overweight/obesity in this population. Sex-specific differences in risk factors of obesity have implications for interventions for primary prevention of obesity within this environment.
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