Frans J. Meijman

Development of a student health questionnaire: the necessity of a symbiosis of science and practice.

Rationale, aims and objectives: University students report more health complaints than their working peers, but do not appear to seek help for these problems. This stresses the importance of early detection. The aim of this study was to obtain information on indicators of health associated with academic functioning to develop a preliminary health surveillance questionnaire. In addition, we aimed to gain insight in the additional value of adding experience-based information from the priority population, and individuals in their direct environment, to the knowledge gained from the scientific literature. Method: First, a review of literature on indicators of health associated with academic functioning was conducted. Next, interviews were held with students (n = 11) and two groups of significant others with professional experience in student health care: general practitioners (n = 9) and practice assistants (n = 8). Results and conclusions: A health surveillance questionnaire to detect students with health problems associated with academic functioning should consist of questions on social support, general health, physical health, psychological health, study-related issues and health, help-seeking behaviour and life events in the past. Experiences from practice should be integrated when developing a questionnaire. (Global Health Promotion, 2009; 16(3): pp. 35-44)

Perceived health profiles of Dutch university students living with their parents, alone or with peers.

Students report a lower health status compared with working peers. This discrepancy may be the result of differences in their living situation, such as student housing. The aim of this study was to compare students who were living with their parents with students who were not living with their parents but rather with peers, alone, or with a partner using logistic regression analyses. We hypothesized that students who were living with their parents would report better health outcomes than students who were living with peers or alone or with a partner. A group of 8,258 students studying at the University of Amsterdam, the Netherlands were invited to complete an internet-distributed questionnaire, consisting of questions about general health, fatigue, psychological health, support, study-related issues, study-related problem solving, time pressure, perceived study delay and program study delay, and living situation. Students who are living with their parents reported a lower health status compared with students living with peers or alone/with a partner. Students living with their parents were less often using tobacco, alcohol, or drugs compared with the other two groups. Our hypothesis is not supported by the results of the present study. Students living alone or with a partner and students who are living with peers reported a better general health status than students living with their parents.

Health-related profiles of study delay in university students in the Netherlands.

Compared with their working peers, students report more health complaints. A worse self-rated health status could hinder students to function optimally within the high demands of studying at university. On the other hand, it can be expected that worse academic functioning may have a negative influence on existing health problems or even initiate health problems. The aim of this study was to investigate associations between indicators of health and study delay in university students in the Netherlands. A group of 5,859 students was invited to complete a questionnaire, consisting of questions about general health, fatigue, psychological health, support, study-related issues, study-related problem solving, time pressure, perceived study delay and program study delay. Three study delay profiles were calculated--program delay without perceived delay (A), perceived delay without program delay (B), and perceived and program delay (C) with no study delay as reference. The response rate was 51%. Profile A was associated with unfavorable outcomes in support, study-related issues, and study-related problem solving. Profiles B and C presented unfavorable outcomes in all dimensions. Perceived study delay appeared to be a more important determinant of unfavorable outcomes than program delay. The group with perceived delay without program delay closely resembled the group with perceived and program delay. This group may be at risk for future program-study delay.

Ziek door de media

Samenvatting‘Weer een zweer op het doek’ deed de verkoop van kroketten in de sketch van Wim Sonneveld drastisch dalen, maar zo’n zweer op het televisiescherm zou mensen naar de dokter jagen. Klopt dat? Geërgerde dokters lijken aanleiding en oorzaak te verwarren.

Self-regulation for the promotion of student health. Traffic lights: the development of a tailored web-based instrument providing immediate personalized feedback

Background and objective: University students report more health complaints and a poorer quality of life than their working peers. The majority of these students do not seek contact with health professionals. Health problems result not only from risk behaviors (e.g. drugs use) but also from various stress-related factors, necessitating the investigation of several factors of students’ lives. The Internet provides a suitable environment for developing an accessible screening and self-regulation instrument for student health promotion. Design and methods: A web questionnaire was created that included reliable measurement scales (e.g. health, health (risk) behavior, quality of life, satisfaction with study), calculation modules with cut-off points and personalized feedback. The instrument included traffic lights, personal scores for comparison with peer scores, advice and referral. The validity, reliability, feasibility and effectiveness of the instrument were demonstrated using three studies (n = 334; n = 267; n = 4009). Results: The hypothesized research model, including the direct and indirect effects of the self-regulation of health via quality of life and health (risk) behaviors was an appropriate fit to the data (Structural Equation Modeling), explaining a substantial amount of variance (67%) and thus demonstrating predictive validity. Students reported intentions to change their behavior, actual behavioral changes and quality of life improvements up to a year after initially participating in a study. Conclusions: This instrument: (1) detects health complaints at an individual level and group level (e.g. study program); (2) encourages students to change their health (risk) behavior via personalized feedback; (3) provides students with a fairly complete and elaborate overview of their health-related quality of life and (4) is the first instrument providing a very high level of tailoring. Self-regulation (both self-assessment and personalized feedback) can fulfill an important role in addressing health problems and risks at an early stage and without the immediate need for professional intervention.

De webagenda: speelruimte om toegankelijkheid van de praktijk te verhogen

SamenvattingSteeds meer huisartsenpraktijken in Nederland (27%) hebben een webagenda als onderdeel van hun e-healthaanbod om een effectievere en efficiëntere zorg te leveren.1,2 Een webagenda kan de toegankelijkheid van de huisartsenpraktijk verbeteren,3 maar wordt nog weinig gebruikt.4-6 Mogelijke voordelen zijn: afname van no-shows, betere telefonische bereikbaarheid van de praktijk en meer keuzevrijheid en tijdsbesparing voor de patiënt. Doktersassistentes kunnen tijd besteden aan andere taken. Er zijn ook nadelen: het triageproces kan er onder lijden, de privacy en veiligheid van de data is een zorg en het kost tijd en geld om een webagenda te ontwikkelen en implementeren.

Wonca woordenboek : Bentzen N. WONCA dictionary of general/family practice. Kopenhagen: Mänedsskrift for Praktisk Lægegerning, 2003. 135 pagina’s. ISBN 87-88638-22-7. Prijs:

SamenvattingMet elkaar de gemeenschappelijke werkelijkheid zorgvuldig tegemoet treden vereist onderlinge overeenstemming over de betekenis van gehanteerde begrippen en termen. Bij het voortschrijden van de professionalisering en verwetenschappelijking van de huisartsgeneeskunde drong de behoefte aan standaardisering en uniformering van terminologie en classificaties zich dan ook al spoedig op. Zo dateren de eerste bijdragen over classificatie in dit tijdschrift van veertig jaar geleden en werd de WONCA International Classification Committee (WICC) in 1972 opgericht. Deze commissie is vooral bekend geworden door een overrompelende reeks classificaties van contactredenen, ziektes en interventies met als voorlopig rustpunt de International Classification of Primary Care in zijn tweede versie uit 1998 (ICPC-2). Minder bekend zijn de inspanningen om te komen tot een wereldwijd onderschreven lijst van huisartsgeneeskundige termen. Toch stamt de eerste General Practice Glossary al uit 1973 en verscheen in 1981 een latere versie integraal in dit tijdschrift.