TU Dresden on course to become a Healthy University: Student health management launched

Dresden University of Technology  (TUD) , supported by the Techniker Krankenkasse (TK) Sachsen (health insurance company), launched a prevention project on Student Health Management (SGM) on September 1, 2023. More than EUR 300,000 will initially be injected into the health project, which is aimed specifically at students, over a period of three years. According to the motto "Health(y) TUDay - with you, for you", it focuses on both a structural and an individual approach in terms of prevention: The emphasis is on promoting healthy study conditions, but also classic measures, e.g. offers on mindfulness and healthy eating, are also planned.

Almost half (45 percent) of the students at TUD feel that their studies are very stressful. This is illustrated by the results of the current student survey conducted as part of the TuDo! project. One third of the participants showed signs of a depressive syndrome. The students surveyed also see an increased need for prevention in the areas of "mental health", "study organization" and " physical activity". Data from the 2023 Health Report Techniker Krankenkasse  also indicate that the general health of students across Germany has deteriorated significantly. Eight years ago, 84 percent of students rated their health as very good, but only 61 percent said so in 2023. The percentage of those who feel stressed has almost doubled since 2015.

TU Dresden is responding to this development with its new Student Health Management.  "It is important to us to proceed with the continued development of TUD into a 'Healthy University' together with all internal and external stakeholders involved," say Prof. Roswitha Böhm, Vice-Rector University Culture, and the Vice-Rector Academic Affairs, Prof. Michael Kobel. "This includes a holistic view of healthy study conditions and a healthy campus design, low-threshold meeting and physical activity opportunities, and complementary individual health promotion services."

Alexander Krauß, Head of the Regional Office of Techniker Krankenkasse Saxony: "The pressures on students relate to a large extent to the study conditions . We observe that participation in individual measures is currently very low. It's like a vicious circle: Everything on top of studies is an additional burden and is not well appreciated, even though we know from surveys that there is a need for it," he says. Through focus groups or surveys, the specific needs and burdens of the students will be determined and the university will be supported in establishing health-promoting structures.

TUD's student body also sees the need for a Student Health Management: "We particularly welcome the planned development of management structures, including data collection, from which measures are subsequently to be derived at the institutional and individual level. In this way, major challenges, e.g. the compensation of disadvantages in the case of (mental) chronic illnesses, can be addressed," say Fay Uhlmann, student senator and Barbara Hoffmann, student member of the Extended Senate.

Contact

TU Dresden
Dr. Astrid Friedmann-Ketzmerick
 0351 463-36255

Annette Schuster
0351 463-40215

Stephanie Gaitzsch
0351 463-40214

TK
Katrin Lindner
0351 4773-909