Students as leaders in supporting campus well-being: Peer-to-peer health promotion in higher education.

ISSUE ADDRESSED: This study aimed to analyse the relationship between peer-delivered health promotion programmes and student well-being and to expand the limited body of research examining peer-to-peer mental health promotion as experienced by student leaders. METHODS: The study was cross-sectional and focused on the experience of participants of a Sydney-based University Mental Health Day event, including student leaders, student participants, university staff and industry partners. It adopted a mixed-method approach to data collection, including a quantitative and a qualitative phase. RESULTS: Results from the quantitative phase demonstrate the benefits of peer-delivered health promotion programmes to students who receive the event. Results from the qualitative phase of the study provide a deeper insight into the delivery of the event, from both a student leader perspective, and also from the perspective of other stakeholders, who worked closely with student leaders. Two main themes emerged from the qualitative material and are explored in detail: enabling leadership and creating a sense of purpose. CONCLUSION: The study concludes that, while there is mounting evidence of the benefits of student-led mental health programmes for both leaders and their peers, more research needs to be carried out to better understand how to optimise these experiences and unlock their full potential with reference to student mental health. SO WHAT?: With the ongoing pressure on university student services to support student well-being not being met with appropriate resourcing, peer-to-peer programmes, like the Mental Health and Well-being Student Ambassador Programme, have a real opportunity to make strides in supporting and promoting student mental health.

Creating Healthy Universities: The role of campus-based health promotion events in supporting student well-being.

ISSUE ADDRESSED: University students have been increasingly recognised as a population with a high prevalence of mental ill health, with research suggesting that psychological distress is higher among tertiary education students than nonstudents. The purpose of this study was to assess students' perceptions of the effectiveness of student-led, campus-based mental health promotion events on their well-being. METHODS: The cross-sectional study included six campus-based events, and collected data from 700 university students using a survey tool that included quantitative and qualitative measures. A multivariate logistic regression model was developed to investigate the association among explanatory variables and the response variable. A log-likelihood ratio test was used to assess the goodness of fitness of the final model. Qualitative data were thematically analysed. RESULTS: Results showed that the majority of students (84%) agreed the event promoted and supported student well-being, with three variables being statistically related to this agreement: (a) respondents' decision to spend more time on campus due to the event; (b) how respondents felt about receiving health information from student peers; and (c) the number of activities in which they took part. CONCLUSIONS: Our findings suggest that campus-based mental health promotion events need to be designed with emphasis on activities that attract, retain and educate students about mental health, and are delivered with the benefits of peer-to-peer health promotion in mind, in order to reach their full potential in supporting improved student mental health. SO WHAT?: The findings highlight the opportunities that can be created by university events to promote and support student mental health by building peer relationships and creating a sense of community.