HLTH1004 Well-Being Fundamentals for Success: A Partnership with the Act Belong Commit Mental Health Campaign

The growing prevalence of mental health disorders (MHDs) among higher education students is a critical issue for universities and the wider community1,2. The Australian University Mental Health Framework requests leaders to embed health and well-being within the core business of universities and be recognised as part of teaching and learning3. In response, staff from the School of Health Sciences developed the course ‘HLTH1004 Well-Being Fundamentals for Success’ to directly educate students on practical and evidence-based strategies proven to enhance personal well-being. The theoretical framework was adapted from Mentally Health WA\u27s Act Belong Commit mental health campaign4. Specifically, fifty-eight students participated in the course and outcome well-being measures were self-assessed at weeks 1, 6 and 12 using four scales: (1) Warwick-Edinburgh Mental Well-being Scale (WEMWBS); (2) Perceived Stress Scale (PSS); (3) Brief Resilience Scale (BRS) and (4) Mindful Attention Awareness Scale (MAAS). Post-course group interviews (n = 11) were also undertaken and analysed for key themes. Linear mixed models demonstrated a significant improvement in resilience (BRS) and stress (PSS) across semester. Additionally, well-being (WEMBS) and mindful attention (MAAS) did increase, but not significantly. Key themes that emerged from the group interviews were that (1) University life contributes to well-being; (2) University life contributes to stress; (3) The course helped students see and do things differently and (4) An overall endorsement of the course. University students’ resilience increased over the semester following participation in curriculum focused on well-being, which featured a combination of theoretical content and experiential workshops. Throughout the delivery of this course, a formal partnership with Act Belong Commit was established to better promote student mental health on campus. Overall, this course is believed to have vast potential in reducing the burden of MHDs among university students, holding significant promise in tertiary education and public health. Keywords: Well-being; mental health; resilience. References 1Baik, C., et al. (2019). How universities can enhance student mental wellbeing: the student perspective. High Educ Res Dev, 38(4):674–87. 2Seppälä, E., et al. (2020). Promoting mental health and psychological thriving in university students: a randomized controlled trial of three well-being interventions. Front Psychiatry, 11:590. 3Orygen. (2020). Australian university mental health framework. 4Donovan, R., & Anwar-McHenry J. (2016). Act-belong-commit: lifestyle medicine for keeping mentally healthy. Am J Lifestyle Med, 10(3):193