New Survey Tool Assesses the Health and Wellness of University and College Employees

  • 02/06/18

HANOVER, MD – The American College Health Association (ACHA), the nation's principal advocate and leadership organization for college health, announces the release of its new assessment tool, the National Faculty and Staff Health Assessment (ACHA-NFSHA).

The ACHA-NFSHA is modeled after the ACHA-National College Health Assessment, a nationally recognized research survey that for almost 20 years has been collecting precise data about college students' health habits, behaviors, and perceptions.

Having current, relevant data about faculty and staff health and wellness can help colleges and universities enhance health promotion and prevention services across campus and enhance their understanding of how faculty and staff health and wellness relate to student health and wellness. 

This new survey tool, the first benchmarked survey of its kind and designed specifically for faculty, staff, and graduate student employees working on college and university campuses, can assist schools in determining which employee wellness programs and services are needed and identifying the most common health and behavior risks affecting employees' performance and productivity.

"Meeting the needs of faculty and staff is a critical component of building a healthy campus community, and institutions need to be cognizant of the intersection of employee health and student health," explains ACHA's Chief Research Officer Mary Hoban, Ph.D., CHES. "To fully support student health and success, campus employees need to be supported in their own health and wellness. The ACHA-NFSHA can provide more accurate insight into the areas where an institution can make strides to improve the health of its employees."  

"ACHA works to advance the health and wellness of all members of our nations' campus communities. Using this important survey tool from ACHA, institutions can now gauge the health and wellness of its employees and better support those responsible for serving students and fulfilling the institutional mission," says Devin Jopp, Ed.D., ACHA's chief executive officer. "Equipped with data on employee health, and wellness, colleges and universities can design evidence-based health promotion programs and allocate resources based upon measurable needs." 

The ACHA-NFSHA addresses multiple topics and provides institutions with the ability to compare their results using reference group reports. Schools participating in the ACHA-NFSHA have the option to add additional questions to further refine results.

About ACHA 
The American College Health Association (ACHA), founded in 1920, is a national nonprofit association serving as the nation's principal leadership organization for advancing the health of college students and campus communities through advocacy, education, and research. ACHA represents a diverse membership that provides and supports the delivery of health care, prevention, and wellness services for the nation's 20 million college students. ACHA advocates for student health by integrating the critical role of college health into the mission of higher education. For more information about the association, visit www.acha.org.

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