Health and Well-Being in the Context of Health-Promoting University Initiatives: Protocol for a Mixed Methods Needs Assessment Study at Qatar University

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Al-Jayyousi, Ghadir Fakhri
Alsayed Hassan, Diana
Abdul Rahim, Hanan
E Abdel-Rahman, Manar
Ferreira, Isabel
Mukhalalati, Banan
O'Hara, Lily
Khalil, Hanan
Tayyem, Reema
S Abu Alhaija, Elham
Abidia, Randa
Zolezzi, Monica
El-Awaisi, Alla
Al-Wattary, Noor
Mahmood Al Saady, Rafif
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2024
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BACKGROUND: Health-promoting universities are dedicated to fostering learning environments and organizational cultures that support the physical and mental well-being of students, faculty, and staff. As students constitute the largest group within the university community, any policy intervention targeting them is likely to have a significant impact on the university as a whole. OBJECTIVE: This study aims to assess the health status and needs of Qatar University (QU) students using a comprehensive and holistic definition of health, informed by the perspectives of students, faculty members, and key informants. The ultimate goal is to inform evidence-based policies and services designed to improve students' physical and mental well-being. METHODS: An explanatory sequential mixed-methods research design will be used to conduct a comprehensive assessment of students' health status and needs. This assessment will consist of a quantitative component (a web-based health survey) administered to a convenience sample of students, and a qualitative component, including focus groups with students and faculty members, as well as interviews with key informants. Priority health issues and their determinants, identified through the quantitative assessment, will inform and guide the qualitative assessment to provide a deeper understanding of the various contexts and factors shaping them. Descriptive analyses (eg, proportions or means with SDs), comparative analyses (eg, t tests or chi-square tests), and association analyses (eg, linear, logistic, or Poisson regression models) will be used to analyze the quantitative data. Thematic analysis will be used in the qualitative assessments. Additionally, an environmental scan will be conducted to assess relevant facilities, services, and programs at the QU campus and the QU Primary Healthcare Corporation Center, as well as to review university policies and regulations that may affect students' health and well-being. Together, the needs assessment and environmental scan will inform the design of multilevel interventions, including health education and promotion programs, health services orientation, and proposed policy changes. RESULTS: Between March and December 2022, 812 students completed the web-based health survey. Data have been extracted, cleaned, and harmonized. Analyses to assess the extent of selection bias and the calculation of weights to account for this in all subsequent analyses have been completed (by December 2023). Following the completion of all quantitative data analyses (expected by the end of 2024), focus groups, interviews, and the environmental scan will begin in January-December 2025. CONCLUSIONS: This project will help identify and prioritize the health needs of QU students and their determinants, and inform relevant services and policies targeting these needs. By using comprehensive and context-appropriate methods, this project will contribute to QU's strategic efforts to become a Health-Promoting University. INTERNATIONAL REGISTERED REPORT IDENTIFIER (IRRID): DERR1-10.2196/58860.

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JMIR Research Protocols

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13

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©Ghadir Fakhri Al-Jayyousi, Diana Alsayed Hassan, Hanan Abdul Rahim, Manar E Abdel-Rahman, Isabel Ferreira, Banan Mukhalalati, Lily O'Hara, Hanan Khalil, Reema Tayyem, Elham S Abu Alhaija, Randa Abidia, Monica Zolezzi, Alla El-Awaisi, Noor Al-Wattary, Rafif Mahmood Al Saady, Maguy Saffouh El Hajj, Mujahed Shraim, Arpi K Abouhanian, Hatoun Saeb, Mustapha Mohammed, QU Health Youth Wellbeing Research Network Group. Originally published in JMIR Research Protocols (https://www.researchprotocols.org), 18.12.2024. This is an open-access article distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution License (https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/), which permits unrestricted use, distribution, and reproduction in any medium, provided the original work, first published in JMIR Research Protocols, is properly cited. The complete bibliographic information, a link to the original publication on https://www.researchprotocols.org, as well as this copyright and license information must be included.

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Health services and systems

Public health

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Al-Jayyousi, GF; Alsayed Hassan, D; Abdul Rahim, H; E Abdel-Rahman, M; Ferreira, I; Mukhalalati, B; O'Hara, L; Khalil, H; Tayyem, R; S Abu Alhaija, E; Abidia, R; Zolezzi, M; El-Awaisi, A; Al-Wattary, N; Mahmood Al Saady, R; Saffouh El Hajj, M; Shraim, M; K Abouhanian, A; Saeb, H; Mohammed, M; QU Health Youth Wellbeing Research Network Group, , Health and Well-Being in the Context of Health-Promoting University Initiatives: Protocol for a Mixed Methods Needs Assessment Study at Qatar University, JMIR Research Protocols, 2024, 13, pp. e58860

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