Evaluation of the BARMER Campus-Coach Prevention Program
In recent years, the health situation of students has become increasingly worse. According to the Campus Kompass study conducted by Techniker Krankenkasse, only 61% of students in 2023 rated their health as “good” or “very good”, compared to 84% in 2015. Particularly alarming is the rise in mental health issues: in 2023, 60% of students reported being health-impacted by stress, nearly double the percentage from 2015.
Consequently, universities play a central role in promoting health and prevention. An established example is the BARMER Campus-Coach, a prevention program also offered at the Technical University of Munich (TUM) as part of TUM4Mind. This program addresses key aspects of physical and mental health, including nutrition, fitness, stress, and addiction. Students benefit from app-based usage, free access to the mindfulness app 7Mind, as well as digital information and events that focus on practical strategies and shared personal experiences. At a structural level, workshops, lectures, and experiential days complement the program to sustainably establish health-promoting structures within universities.
The goal of the current project is to comprehensively evaluate the BARMER Campus-Coach. The study consists of two main components:
- Effectiveness Evaluation: The program’s effectiveness regarding students’ health will be examined over a period of ten months, with a special focus on mental well-being. Students will be surveyed at two time points: the first survey will take place from February to June (T0), and the second from October to December (T1). The aim is to capture changes in specific indicators of (mental) health.
- Process Evaluation: This evaluation includes retrospective surveys of students who have already used the program, as well as staff members from participating universities. The focus will be on aspects such as acceptance, applicability within the university setting, and frequency of use of the program’s offerings. The results will help contextualize the program’s effectiveness and support its targeted development.
This evaluation makes a significant contribution to strengthening evidence-based health promotion for students and supports the sustainable implementation of health-promoting structures within the university setting. More information here.