Health Services launches orangehealth-e to improve student health and wellness

Health Services launches orangehealth-e to improve student health and wellnessApril 07, 2005Matthew R. Snydermrsnyder@syr.edu

Students are being encouraged to take a more active role in their individual health and wellness, thanks to a new campaign launched by Syracuse University Health Services. An e-mail-based newsletter designed solely for students, orangehealth-e is based on the 10 leading health indicators in the American College Health Association’s (ACHA) Healthy Campus 2010 to establish national health objectives for improving student health and wellness. They include:

• physical activity
• nutrition
• avoidance of tobacco use
• avoidance of substance abuse
• responsible sexual behavior
• mental health
• freedom from injury and violence
• good environmental quality
• immunization
• access to health care

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“Health Services believes the orangehealth-e campaign has advantages over more traditional health education and wellness promotion programming. For example, students may access the information contained in orangehealth-e at times and locations convenient to them,” says Dr. James R. Jacobs, director of health services. “By reading a brief health-related e-tip, clicking on a link for additional information or forwarding it a to friend or significant other, students can demonstrate their desire and ability to make pro-active health decisions.”

Under this new program, Health Services is working collaboratively to collect the shared expertise across the various health and wellness units within the Division of Student Affairs, including the Counseling Center, University R.A.P.E. Center, S.A.P.H.E. Office and the Department of Recreation Services. Health Services contacts all SU students through their syr.edu e-mail accounts and provides an educational factoid as well as links for students to additional wellness opportunities at SU and within the greater Syracuse community. The targeted messages will be sent out every one to two weeks, with the goal of the pilot program to deliver six editions of orangehealth-e within the next six weeks. If the pilot program is successful, Health Services will expand the intended audience to include faculty and staff.

“We realize today’s college students are highly critical consumers of information; therefore in order to obtain the credibility necessary to secure a ‘buy in’, health education and wellness promotion messages must be delivered through high-quality marketing strategies,” says Jacobs. “It’s simple-e-mail affords Health Services an opportunity to reach many students with interesting and useful information through a non-threatening, non-invasive and even appealing approach.”