OU Health Services, OU Food Pantry releases survey on health behaviors of students | News

OU Health Services and the OU Food Pantry released a collaborative survey on April 4, aiming to assess student health behaviors to provide better services for university students.

Nationally recognized survey the National College Health Assessment was released by OU Health Services and OU Food Pantry and sponsored and distributed by the American College Health Association to collect precise data about health habits, behaviors and perceptions among university students, OU Director of Communications Kesha Keith wrote in an email after consulting OU Health Services and the OU Food Pantry. The survey’s questions included topics such as COVID-19, sleeping patterns, food diets and relationships. 

Since the survey began in 2000, more than 1.4 million students at over 740 colleges across the country have participated in the survey developed by the ACHA, Keith wrote in an email. 

“OU Health Services at Goddard Health Center traditionally administers the NCHA every two years to gain a comprehensive picture of the health of OU students,” Keith wrote. “The collection of this data enhances campuswide health promotion and prevention services.” 

OU Health Services will donate $1 to the OU Food Pantry for each student who completes the survey, capping the donation at $5,000, OU Health Services wrote in an email to OU students. The OU Food Pantry wrote its mission is to ensure the health of OU students by providing supplemental food assistance.

Keith wrote the NCHA provides data to universities participating in the survey on areas such as alcohol, drug use, sexual health, nutrition, exercise and mental health. 

The survey will be used by the OU Health Promotion team at Goddard Health Center to help inform annual programming, create health-related content, and target and evaluate program outcomes, Keith wrote. 

Any reports based on the research will use group data and will not identify a single individual, ACHA wrote in the email to students. The survey will close on April 22, and OU students’ responses to the national survey will be specific to the university.