Improve the health of all students, staff, and faculty on college campus nationwide – an expansive goal that is the mission of Healthy Campus 2020. The 10-year national initiative to accomplish that goal reflects the major public health concerns that impact college students in the U.S.

In order to achieve any objective, your target audience needs to have an understanding of the health concern (knowledge) and want to change their behavior to get the desired effect (attitude).

When our target audience is college students, we can use many tools in our health communication toolbox to aid us in reaching an objective. No single tool can accomplish an objective, and we need a multifaceted approach to achieve behavior change. Some of the tools you already use to spread health messages might include social norming messages, collaboration with other departments, fliers, posters, workshops, events, campaigns, awareness weeks, movies, and/or outside speakers. 

Consider adding this tool to your toolbox: video. You can create your own videos at your health center, use videos created by other health organizations, or do both!

Why use video? 
College students want quick and easy access to information. The faster the information can be found and the easier it is to understand, the better. Pictures, charts, graphs, infographics, and videos can portray information in a quick, easy-to-comprehend format.

As we all know, and the data supports, college students are massive users of the internet. They make up a very large portion of social media users and, in particular, use video-sharing sites such as YouTube. According to the Pew Research Center Report on Video-Sharing, 92 percent of 18-29 year olds have used video sharing sites, and 47 percent have used those sites “yesterday.” With many of our students spending their time online using video sites, we have an opportunity to reach them with our health messages through video.   

How can college health centers nationwide use video to their advantage? Repackage traditional ways of presenting health information to students, add some out-of-the-box thinking, follow best practices, and create a video. Although creating a video takes knowledge, time, effort, and resources, a video’s ability to reach a large number of students is just one “share” away.  

Videos can be an additional tool to help achieve Healthy Campus 2020 student objectives. For example, one student objective is to reduce the proportion of students who report that their academic performance was adversely affected by cold/flu/sore throat in the past 12 months. Many college health centers and other health agencies used video to promote flu shots during flu season. Here are a few examples: 

• Flu – Coming To A Campus Near You by The University of New Hampshire Health Services
• UCF Singing Flu Shot Campaign and Debunking Myths About The Flu Shot by The University of Central Florida Health Services
• Wilbur and Wilma Get Their Flu Shots at Campus Health by The University of Arizona Campus Health Service
  
• CDC Flu Prevention Videos 
  
• WebMD Flu & Cold Prevention Video 
  

Video gives us the ability to repackage and reframe health messages into a format which better resonates with college students. Add this powerful tool to your health communication toolbox – and stay tuned for a future blog post with details of how various campuses have implemented videos.

By: George Brown, University of Alabama, chair of the Engagement Subcommittee of the ACHA Healthy Campus Coalition and co-chair of the NIRSA Health and Wellbeing Commission 

Institutions of higher education across the country encourage students, faculty, staff, alumni, and even community members to attain and maintain health through facilities, programs, and services. Many institutions provide technologically-advanced state-of-the-art recreation and fitness facilities for cardio and strength and conditioning purposes as well as impressive aquatic centers and climbing/challenge course offerings. Convenient hours, safe and well-supervised equipment, and low costs all aid in attracting a wide variety of exercise and fitness enthusiasts.  

Encompassing More than Physical Wellbeing 

While exercise and fitness play a big role in campus recreation, these programs also impact their campus in further wellness dimensions. In fact, NIRSA: Leaders in Collegiate Recreation (formerly the National Intramural-Recreational Sports Association) recently created and recognized the Health and Wellbeing Commission as a core strategic value of their organization. NIRSA provides a vast array of resources for collegiate recreation departments seeking to maximize awareness and promote health and wellbeing in their campus communities. While recreation offerings on college and university campuses have long been associated with improving physical wellness (stronger bodies, improved muscular tone, increased cardiorespiratory endurance), the NIRSA Health and Wellbeing Commission is seeking to contribute to the dialog on the role and importance campus recreation plays in many other aspects of health.  
Outside of physical health, campus recreation resources also impacts:

• Social Wellbeing: Playing intramural and club sports on teams formed by affinity groups such as residence halls, fraternities, sororities, and faith-based organizations develops an appreciation for teamwork, cooperation, and sportsmanship. Being a part of a group promotes interactions that transcend the sport or activity, creating friendships and support groups.

• Emotional Wellbeing: Working out can provide healthy releases of stress and anxiety often associated with the pressures of college life. Physical activity can improve coping mechanisms that are often challenged in collegiate settings.

• Intellectual Wellbeing: Studies repeatedly show that study breaks – especially those that include physical activities and exercise – improve comprehension and retention of academic course material.

Involving Campus Recreation in Wellbeing Initiatives 

When institutions embark on health and wellbeing initiatives such as Healthy Campus or other campus-wide health programs, recreation departments are often asked to provide resources and expertise on physical wellness. Campus recreation staff and services can impact participants more broadly as well.  Recreation centers are high-traffic locations and are a good place to share/post health-related information such as smoking cessation programs, alcohol and other drug awareness campaigns, safe spring break alternatives, and stress reduction resources around final exams.

Recreation Promotion

Getting folks involved in recreation is easy. Many programs offer introductory fitness classes, individual and group personal training, and sports leagues that seek “free agents” who may not have established team connections. Do not let your campus community members be misled by the myth that they have to be a superstar athlete to participate. Today’s campus recreation departments offer something for everyone and provide a way to connect with others who share a desire to stay healthy and well. 

Visit your campus recreation facility today to learn more, participate, and connect on campus-wide health and wellness initiatives!