Student health promotion from the perspective of university students in Austria

Background and aim. Student health promotion (SHP) is not yet widely applied but is considered highly relevant. To be of interest for the target group, SHP should meet their expectations and wishes. For this purpose, a nation-wide online survey was completed in June 2022. Materials and methods. More than 40 quantitative items and several open questions surveyed attitudes towards, use and impact of, determinants of participation, wishes, and needs regarding SHP. The items were assessed using a Likert scale (5 categories) and were available in German and English. Results. Overall, 90.6% like the idea of SHP, but only 49.8% found an offer at their university. Furthermore, 56.7% wish for more offers, mainly regarding mental health (+ 70% and + 60% agreement). The same is true for nutrition and specific nutrition suggestions, exercise, ergonomics, and compensation exercise for prolonged sitting. Furthermore, 26.9% want more offers for prevention of substance abuse. About 60% wish for more offers regarding various networking opportunities. Many suggestions regarding setting design and specific offers were provided in the open comments. Conclusion. SHP is seen very positively and should be increased, mainly regarding mental health, nutrition, and exercise. A possibility might be to focus on information and competence development at the start of their studies and then complement it with further specifics later.