catering round-up I opinion

PART1

Six steps to student wellness

Written by Professor David Russell in partnership with Charlotte Harbour

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n this two-part series,
we'll be discussing six key
areas of focus to augment
positive student health and
wellbeing outcomes. This
month, we'll scan three visible
and recognisable drivers of
student wellbeing stemming
from higher education
institutions - nutrition, exercise
and emotional support services.
Next month, we will delve
deeper into alternative or less
visible mediums of wellbeing
management and optimisation.

Let's begin...

1. Nutritionally
Dense Food and
Beverage Offers
Here at the Russell Partnership,
food is at the heart of what
we do, so it will come as no
surprise that our number
one recommendation for
optimised student wellness is
the provision of nutritionally
dense food and beverage offers.
In practical terms, this means a
predominately plant-based diet
rich in raw and cooked rainbow
vegetables, low-sugar fruits, nuts,
seeds, pulses, RSPCA Assured
animal products such as free-
"Adequate, accessible and recognisable emotional
encouragement services in the form of pastoral
support, talking therapies and counselling will pave
the way to greater student wellbeing"
range eggs, dairy and chicken as
well as MSC sustainably sourced
seafood such as salmon, trout
and mackerel. Research
continues to demonstrate
the significant effect diet
has on physical longevity,
mental health outcomes and
academic performance.
2. Physical
Activity Spaces
Our bodies are organic
machines that were built to
move, grow and improve. A
staple of health and wellbeing,
regardless of age or student
status, is the regularity and
intensity of conscious exercise.
Studies suggest that the most
beneficial form of exercises are a
combination of weight-bearing
and cardio, with outdoor team
sports being even better due to
the community aspect - and
fresh air. By offering subsidised
gym memberships on or nearby
campus, running classes in
influence students to spend
their leisure time participating
in physical activity.
• Are you running alternative
exercise classes on campus
such as aerial yoga, climbing
and trampolining?
3. Emotional
Encouragement and
Support Services
Life for our students is busier
than ever. Our world is full
of opportunities, distractions,
pressures and obligations.
Indeed, research now shows that
up to a quarter of our students
could be suffering from a mental
health problem - with some
estimates suggesting a 300%
increase in anxiety-related
disorders over the past 20 years.
Whilst this could be due to an
increase in reporting incidences
societal pressures are taking a
greater emotional t7ill on our
students' generation. Ensuring
there are adequate, accessible
and recognisable emotional
encouragement services in the
form of pastoral support, talking
therapies and counselling will
pave the way to greater student
wellbeing. Furthermore, online
self-assessment software such
as the Stems by R P Resilience
and Vulnerability Index
(RAVI) are also valuable in
engaging students before a crisis
occurs and in determining
emotional awareness and
adaptive help seeking.
• Have you considered
implementing a self-assessment
tool for students to optimise
their own emotional awareness?
Join us next month for

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• Are you running nutrition the sports hall and engaging and greater advocacy for mental the part 2 of Six Steps to
workshops and cooking for students in the team sports health-related dialogue - we Student Wellness, in the
health sessions on campus? available, we can positively should also consider that next issue of UB.

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