The research project Health and Lifestyles in Higher Education in Portugal (ES+Saúde), which started this July, aims to characterize health, well-being and behaviors in higher education in Portugal.
This study, which will be carried out through a questionnaire survey applied to a representative sample of the student population of the 1st and 2nd cycle of higher education from all universities and polytechnics in the public sector, aims to analyze indicators related to health status. and well-being of this target group, as well as health-promoting and disease prevention behaviors and attitudes associated with lifestyle changes at this stage of life, such as study habits, physical exercise, food and sleep, access to care health, substance use and addictive behaviors, among others, taking into account socioeconomic, gender, social and geographical origin, course and level of education.
The multidimensionality of the results will be useful for the development of informed policies and for the implementation of programs and activities at a national or local level, by decision-making bodies and higher education institutions, as well as other organizations in the sector, which can contribute for the health and well-being of students, with an impact on their academic and lifelong success.
The research project, which has the High Sponsorship of His Excellency the President of the Republic, is developed by the Institute of Social Sciences of the University of Lisbon (ICS-ULisboa), and integrates a multidisciplinary team, composed of elements from areas as diverse as Sociology, Psychology, Medicine, Nutrition, Anthropology and Communication, from various universities and institutions.
ES+Saúde is supported by the Service for Intervention in Addictive Behaviors and Dependencies (SICAD), Santa Casa da Misericórdia de Lisboa (SCML), Portuguese Institute of Sports and Youth (IPDJ, IP), Calouste Gulbenkian Foundation, Santander Universities, and Commission for Citizenship and Gender Equality (CIG). The Council of Rectors of Portuguese Universities (CRUP) and the Coordinating Council of Higher Polytechnic Institutes (CCISP) collaborate in the study, through advising and articulating with the institutions they represent.