Previous projects

We spend most of the waking hours of our day at work or studying. How we work and study at the university, under what conditions and wiht what success, influences our well-being and therefore also our health and performance.

Fulda University of Applied Sciences strives for excellence in teaching and research. Health-sustaining and motivating working and study conditions can support the achievement of this goal (HS Fulda Development Plan, 2016-2020).

Therefore, the GFH pursues the following goals and tasks:

• Designing framework conditions at the university with the involvement of students and employees in order to maintain and promote their health and well-being (oriented towards the 'setting approach')
• Establishing and expanding health-promoting working, studying and living conditions at our university
• Promoting and maintaining the health, well-being and performance of employees and students
• Sustainable consideration of health promotion and prevention in the university working, learning and living environment
• Advancing the conceptual and institutional integration of the topic of "health" in our university and its long-term implementation

The goals realised from 2009-2015 initially focused on primary and development-oriented activities, which included, among others:

• Raising awareness of the topic of "health" among university members
• Coordinating health-related activities
• Counselling with internal and external health competence at the university
• Initiating and generating momentum on health promotion issues and topics

Target until 2019

According to the HS Fulda Development Plan 2016-2020, strategic development goals for the long-term anchoring of the topic of "health" at Fulda University of Applied Sciences should include the following aspects:

• The further development of the HPU toward the institutionalisation of occupational health management embedded in the organisation of the university, which also integrates the concerns of the students;
• Consideration of the cross-cutting issue of "health" in the various areas of work at the university;
• Embedding the cross-cutting issue of "health" in the QM process (HS Fulda Development Plan, 2016-2020: 53).

This is linked to the following approaches and goals:

• Favouring a resource-oriented approach to health promotion and supplementing and expanding the risk factor-oriented approach.
• A cross-status group and target group oriented approach
• Orientation towards the concepts of participation and empowerment
• Raising awareness of health issues among decision-markers at Fulda University of Applied Sciences (HS Fulda Development Plan, 2016-2020: 53).

Since its "foundation" in 2010, the Health Promoting University (HPU) at Fulda University of Applied Sciences has contributed to a stronger consideration of prevention and health promotion in the working, studying and living conditions for students and employees at the university through numerous activities and initiatives.

The planned new building of the cafeteria as well as the campus redesign were the reason to strive for the consideration of health-promoting framework conditions at Fulda University of Applied Sciences. Initially financed by funds from the Federal Ministry of Food and Agriculture, the foundation was laid for today's HPU.

Encouraged by the first positive experiences in taking health aspects into account in everyday university life, the work of the HPU could be further advanced through funding from the health insurance company Techniker Krankenasse at the university. In addition to many individual activies, the topic of health promotion was successfully anchored throughout Fulda University of Applied Sciences (see HS Development Plan 2010-2020). A milestone in this context was the inclusion of the topic of health promotion in the target agreements between Fulda University of Applied Sciences and the Hessian Minsitry of Science an the Arts.

Despite many successes that are visible on campus and are also reflected in the university's structures, there is still a need for further action. Important tasks for the future are the consistent attention to the topic of health promotion as a cross-sectional task as well as the sensitisation of all universtiy members, in particular also of managers, for health-relevant topics. The continuation of already initiated individual activities as well as their expansion and, above all, the goal of steadily advancing the integration of the  HPU in the institutional structures of the universtiy as well as in the awareness ot the university community are central challenges for the future. The continuation of the cooperation with Techniker Krankenkasse and funding for another three years as well as the support of the university are helpful in this regard.

In order to successfully implement health promotion and prevention at Fulda University of Applied Sciences, the HPU works with internal and external cooperation partners.