Mental Health Focus
(Asynchronous)
Predicting Undergraduate College Student Interest in Health Education Information by Mental Health Status
Paper Presentation in a Themed Session Andrea M. Brace, Zuojin Yu, Carrie McFadden, Caroline I. Wood
Approximately 10% of college students experience mental illness. Anxiety occurs in 41% of cases, depression in 36% of cases, and 24% of students report suicidal ideation within the past year in the United States. Approximately 50% of transgender students reported a mental health diagnosis. Academic performance, perceived well-being, and social health can be negatively impacted by mental disorders. Health education programming on college campuses can help students find resources and tools to cope with mental health. The purpose of this study is to analyze the differences in student interest in receiving health education information by mental health status among US college students. We hypothesize there will be a difference in interest in health education information based on mental health status. Health behavior data will be obtained from the 2018 National College Health Assessment II. Data include self-reported mental health status, mental health diagnosis, student interest in receiving health education information, and demographics. Data analysis includes descriptive statistics, correlation, and ANOVA using the mental health status and interest in health education topics (alcohol and tobacco, depression/anxiety, grief, injury prevention, etc.) variables. We will assess differences among subgroups based on year in school, whether they are transfer or international students, gender identity, and sexual orientation. Analyses will reveal any differences in interest in health education information based on mental health status. The results of this study can serve as evidence to support the need for increased planning for health education programs on college campuses to target students who have mental health conditions.
Online Teacher Education in the Pacific: Advancing Health and Equity View Digital Media
Paper Presentation in a Themed Session Deborah K. Zuercher
The Pasifika region has the highest rates of obesity and Type 2 diabetes in the world — and diet and weight-related health issues have been rising since the 1970s. Now approximately one in three residents of American Samoa suffers from diabetes and 93.5% American Samoa population are overweight or obese. Educators at the University of Hawaii created online health education courses that were culturally-responsive while addressing critical health concerns with K-12 teachers in the Pacific. Culturally-responsive teaching is a pedagogy that empowers learners intellectually, socially, emotionally, and politically by using cultural referents to impart knowledge, skills, and attitudes. Pacific teachers were able to utilize both content and online instructional strategies during the Measles and COVID 19 Pandemic, which shut down travel and F2F education in American Samoa. The purpose of sharing this case study from the Pacific is to prompt dialog and reflection about the importance of making social/cultural connections with learners in health education.
