We know that students are often affected by health-related problems and demands such as stress, psychological problems and physical ailments. Currently, we know too little about how students at Fulda University of Applied Sciences are doing. With the HFD Health Survey, we want to assess the health of students at Fulda University of Applied Sciences and investigate whether and how students' health changes over the course of their studies. We are also interested in whether there are connections between the health of students and their academic success.

Our study is a so-called longitudinal study, i. e. we invite all students to participate in a survey every year (initially for the next three years). Only then will it be possible for us to examine the development of students' health.

The overarching goal is to monitor the health of students and, in cooperation with the university departments, to create offers that meet the needs of the students. A healthier way of studying at Fulda University of Applied Sciences is our vision.

• So far, mainly cross-sectional studies have been conducted, i. e. studies in which students are surveyed once. However, we are conducting a longitudinal study in which we repeatedly ask you to participate in our surveys. Until now, these types of surveys have hardly been conducted - but they allow us to get a more comprehensive picture of the health situation of students at Fulda University of Applied Sciences.
• In our study, we want to investigate whether and what connections exist between the health of students and their academic success. This is not only a scientific question, but of very practical relevance. If health and academic success are connected, we must do more to maintain and promote the health of students.
• The HFD Health Survey is  not just a scientific study, but the starting point for planning and implementing health promotion offers for students at Fulda University of Applied Sciences. Here we work together with all institutions and stakeholders at the university.

A total of three surveys will take place. The first will start in the winter semester 2022/23, the next two will follow in the following years (winter semester 2023/2024 and winter semester 2024/2025). In order to obtain the most meaningful results possible, we would appreciate it if you would take part in all surveys.

We will ask you a variety of questions related to your health and academic success. In addition to information about yourself (e. g. age, origin), we will ask you about various areas of health and well-being (e. g. chronic illness, psychological stress), health-related behaviour (e. g. exercise, nutrition and sleep) and your resources. We will also ask you about your assessment of the current study situation. Among other things, we will ask you about your level of satisfaction with your degree programme and your commitment to your studies.

In order to create changes at the universtiy and in your department to enable a healthier way of studying, we first need information about the health of students. By taking part in the health survey, you can help us to develop targeted offers to maintain and promote health. The results will be evaluated spcifically for the individual departments so that the offers can be made exactly where they are needed.

In addition, through your participation you contribute to the generation of scientific knowledge from whcih other universities and other students can benefit. Although our health survey refers specifically to Fulda University of Applied Sciences, we hope to gain valuable insights that will also benefit other universities and therefore all students.

Finally, we will also be drawing small prizes for participation in the HFD Health Survey. Let yourself be surprised - you'll find out more here soon.

Naturally, we want you to have access to the results of the Health Survey at any time. Therefore, we will make them available in the form of topic-specific fact sheets here on the site under Results. This will be done after each survey (i. e. every year) and not just after the three years. This way you can always see directly how the health of students at Fulda University of Applied Sciences is doing and which topics are of particular importance. We will also regularly inform you about new results via the universtiy's social media channels.

The health survey is pseudonymous, which means that we do not know your name or who you are. You will create your own pseudonym (i. e. an individual code that will be explained in the questionnaire), with which we can link your answer from the individual surveys without knowing which person is behind this code. Of course, your answers will be secured and will not be accessible to anyone outside the project team. For more information on data protection, click here.