Reflections on the Development and Implementation of a University Student Health and Well-being Online Survey: the BOOST-Well Project.

Abstract

Background: First year university students may be at risk of poor health behaviours and outcomes. Unfortunately, online surveys assessing multiple aspects of the health and well-being of university students have poor response rates, meaning the representativeness of such data may be questionable. This study sought to develop and implement an online survey to examine the health and well-being behaviours of medical and allied health students, with higher participation and response rate than have been reported in previous surveys.

Methods: A cross-sectional online survey was developed following recommendations to maximise the participation and response rates. All new students (defined as commencing a degree in May or September 2024) from undergraduate medical and postgraduate allied health programs from one Australian university were requested to participate. The survey included 136 items, most of which were validated questionnaires commonly used in national surveys. Participants were requested to complete the survey on their own device during scheduled class time within the first two weeks of their degree.

Results: Of 273 eligible students, 217 (79.5%) accessed the survey, with 201 (73.6%) completing it at least partially and 63.7% completing it fully. Median completion time was 14.4 (IQR: 12.3-16.8) minutes, and item-level response rates were high across disciplines. Differences in completion rates and survey duration were observed, with occupational therapy students taking the longest time to complete the survey (17.4 min).

Conclusions: The BOOST-Well survey achieved markedly higher response rates than comparable studies. This may reflect the student-informed survey design, concise format, strategic timing, and evidence-based recruitment and implementation strategies.