Healthy Universities: taking the University of Greenwich Healthy Universities Initiative forward

Abstract

This paper aims to use and expand on the important work of the Healthy Universities' approach within higher education and the role the University can have in promoting health and well-being among staff, students and the local community. It focuses upon what we perceive to be important policy and practice developments to take forward the University of Greenwich Healthy Universities' pilot initiative (part of the national strategy). It sets out the background to the national Healthy Universities' strategy within the settings-based approach and briefly outlines the University of Greenwich Healthy Universities' pilot initiative; it then proceeds to outline three distinct but connected social and policy contexts that can be argued for to take forward and embed the initiative within the University. First, we focus on developments in current government policy, which emphasise the need to include concepts of health and well-being throughout policy and practice as a strategic and outcome tool. Second, we locate the initiative within ideas around community action and engagement, emphasising the need for it to be embedded locally; and third, we locate the local initiative within the wider setting of global and technological changes to strengthen the case for continued development.

Keywords:

• well-being
• Healthy Universities
• settings-based health promotion
• community action
• community engagement