Institutionalizing wellness: the health-promoting university in India and its impact on public health.

Abstract

The Health-Promoting Higher Educational Institute concept integrates health and wellness into institutional culture, policies, and activities. The Health-Promoting Institute (HPI) model in India is relatively new, with limited research on its implementation and impact. This study examines the potential of the HPI model within the Indian educational context, ensuring alignment with the Okanagan Charter principles. To assess the impact of a university-wide health promotion programme on student and staff well-being over 5 years (2015-19) using cross-sectional and longitudinal methods, a study was conducted at a university with 13 500 students and 1431 staff. Key measures included: body mass index (BMI) normalization: increased from 67.95% to 76.89% in students; blood pressure reduction: declined from 10.55% to 6.4% in staff and from 2.69% to 1.03% in students; wellness engagement: increased recreational facility use and annual wellness check-up participation; mental health services: stable among students, increased among staff; and healthcare affordability: lower out-of-pocket expenses. Institutional health promotion programmes promote health indicators of BMI, blood pressure, and access to health care effectively. The HPI model improves students' and personnel's well-being, which can be aligned with Sustainable Development Goal III (Good Health and Well-being). Scalability, policy mainstreaming, and long-term sustainability of the health-promoting university initiatives in India should be assessed in future studies.