For over two million young adults across Canada, attending post-secondary institutions can be a time of great excitement, independence and growth.
Unfortunately, research also shows that during this time, students face substantial increases in health-risk behaviour, including poor mental health, decreased physical activity, increased substance abuse, poor nutrition, and stress. The CCWS aims to equip post-secondary institutions with the data they need to inform policies and practices to support student health and wellbeing.
Post-secondary institutions rely on the ongoing efforts of their employees. In order to support student wellbeing, staff and faculty must be well. It is widely acknowledged that employees will be more productive and impactful when they feel cared for, empowered and valued (Newton et al., 2016)—and that in a higher education setting, this ‘productivity’ is directly concerned with student experience, satisfaction and well-being.
It is important to monitor and enhance our understanding of campus health, particularly given the current context. To do this effectively, population-level interventions are needed and the CCWS provides a coordinated system to collect the necessary health data on employees of Canadian post-secondary institutions. By participating in the CCWS, post-secondary institutions can be better equipped to support students and employees, and increase capacity to link research with policy and practices on campuses and beyond. Now, more than ever, we are facing a mental health challenge on Canadian campuses. This is greatly amplified by the extraordinary times we are now living in during the COVID-19 pandemic.
Canadian Data for Canadian Campuses
Many post-secondary institutions have relied on the National College Health Assessment (NCHA), an American assessment tool, which has limitations in a Canadian campus context. The CCWS is tailored to Canadian post-secondary institutions, and provides relevant data to help inform policies and practices to support student and employee health and wellbeing on Canadian campuses.
Healthier campus Communities
Post-secondary institutions are in a unique position to help shape a student’s life-long health and wellbeing behaviours. To do this effectively, population-level interventions are needed, however there is currently no coordinated system to collect the necessary health data on Canadian post-secondary students.
By participating in the CCWS, post-secondary institutions are better equipped to support students and employees, and to increase capacity to link research with policy and practices on campuses and beyond.
Knowledge Sharing across Institutions
Participating post-secondary institutions receive a customized dataset for their own institution, as well as access to an interactive reporting tool (i.e. Tableau dashboard) to allow for comparisons between data for non-identified institutions, allowing for knowledge and resource sharing. They are able to examine health and wellbeing issues affecting the broader post-secondary population, explore differences between geographical areas, and share policies and practices that can help create healthier campus communities.
Confidential and voluntary
The CCWS is quick, comprehensive, voluntary and confidential. The student survey takes 15-20 minutes to complete online, while the employee version is under 15 minutes long. Participants may skip any questions they are not comfortable with. The CCWS is administered by a team of CCWS analysts.
Contact
Have questions, or ready to take part in the Canadian Campus Wellbeing Survey?
Photo credit: Paul H. Joseph / UBC Brand & Marketing
