Research

The Student Health Lab’s approach is research-driven, with a focus on the following key topics

Figure: Reseach of the Student Health Lab

The aim is to generate data that will serve as a foundation for student health promotion projects and help legitimize these efforts among various stakeholders within the KIT research and educational community. 

Research is understood both as a means for initiating change and as a process influenced by change itself. The Student Health Lab applies a lifeworld-oriented action research approach to ensure a dynamic balance between research and transformation. This participatory process enables mutual learning between Lab staff and KIT students.

Research at the Student Health Lab follows a multi-method approach.
Depending on the specific research questions and objectives, a range of qualitative methods (e.g., observations, focus groups) and quantitative methods (e.g., online surveys, network analyses) are employed, alongside reconstructive research approaches. The primary goal is to generate empirical evidence that supports the implementation of health-promoting initiatives—by gaining insight into students’ health status, relevant influencing factors, and the urgency of health-related concerns. At the same time, the research aims to raise student awareness of their own health behaviors and to increase the visibility and recognition of the Student Health Lab within the student body.

Publications

  • Kunz, A. M., Bachert, P., Hildebrand, C. & Reitermayer, J., Kunkel, J., Albrecht, F. (2023). Studentisches Gesundheitsmanagement: Partizipative Forschung, Vernetzung und Entwicklung von Maßnahmen und Strukturen im Projekt MyHealth. Verlagsgruppe Beltz: Weinheim.
  • Bachert, P., Wolbring, L., Hildebrand, C., Woll, A., & Wäsche, H. (2023). Analyzing mechanisms of interdisciplinary cooperation in promoting students’ health at university. In BMC Public Health (Vol. 23, Issue 1). Springer Science and Business Media LLC. https://doi.org/10.1186/s12889-023-16786-2
  • Kunkel, J., Bachert, P., & Hildebrand, C. (2022). Partizipation Studierender im SGM durch Lehre und Forschung. In Handbuch Studentisches Gesundheitsmanagement - Perspektiven, Impulse und Praxiseinblicke (pp. 137–145). Springer Berlin Heidelberg. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-662-65344-9_14
  • Pfisterer, J., Rausch, C., Wohlfarth, D., Bachert, P., Jekauc, D., & Wunsch, K. (2022). Effectiveness of Physical-Activity-Based Interventions Targeting Overweight and Obesity among University Students—A Systematic Review. In International Journal of Environmental Research and Public Health (Vol. 19, Issue 15, p. 9427). MDPI AG. https://doi.org/10.3390/ijerph19159427
  • Kühn, L., Bachert, P., Hildebrand, C., Kunkel, J., Reitermayer, J., Wäsche, H., & Woll, A. (2022). Health Literacy Among University Students: A Systematic Review of Cross-Sectional Studies. In Frontiers in Public Health (Vol. 9). Frontiers Media SA. https://doi.org/10.3389/fpubh.2021.680999
  • Bachert, P., Wäsche, H., Albrecht, F., Hildebrand, C., Kunz, A. M., & Woll, A. (2021). Promoting Students’ Health at University: Key Stakeholders, Cooperation, and Network Development. In Frontiers in Public Health (Vol. 9). Frontiers Media SA. https://doi.org/10.3389/fpubh.2021.680714
  • Paulus, M., Kunkel, J., Schmidt, S. C. E., Bachert, P., Wäsche, H., Neumann, R., & Woll, A. (2021). Standing Breaks in Lectures Improve University Students’ Self-Perceived Physical, Mental, and Cognitive Condition. In International Journal of Environmental Research and Public Health (Vol. 18, Issue 8, p. 4204). MDPI AG. https://doi.org/10.3390/ijerph18084204
  • Wunsch, K., Fiedler, J., Bachert, P., & Woll, A. (2021). The Tridirectional Relationship among Physical Activity, Stress, and Academic Performance in University Students: A Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis. In International Journal of Environmental Research and Public Health (Vol. 18, Issue 2, p. 739). MDPI AG. https://doi.org/10.3390/ijerph18020739
  • Bachert, P., Hildebrand, C., Erley, N., Jekauc, D., Wäsche, H., Kunkel, J., & Woll, A. (2021). Students on stairs: a participatory approach using decisional cues in the form of motivational signs to promote stair use. In Journal of American College Health (Vol. 70, Issue 7, pp. 2152–2158). Informa UK Limited. https://doi.org/10.1080/07448481.2020.1845704
  • Mnich, C., Bachert, P., Kunkel, J., Wäsche, H., Neumann, R., & Nigg, C. R. (2019). Stand Up, Students! Decisional Cues Reduce Sedentary Behavior in University Students. In Frontiers in Public Health (Vol. 7). Frontiers Media SA. https://doi.org/10.3389/fpubh.2019.00230