The week is the showpiece event in a year-long HealthyU programme, which takes health services to students on campus and in halls of residences. So far this year over 500 students have accessed screening for sexually transmitted infections at HealthyU events.
Denise Eaves, Health Promotion Advisor at the University, runs the programme and is delighted with the number of services which have agreed to take part.
She said: “The University is committed to providing health information and support to all students during their time here. HealthyU week is a great way of ensuring this in a relaxed and easily accessible environment.
“By holding free activities throughout the week we also hope to encourage more students to take up regular exercise in combination with the advice from the services that will be on campus on Tuesday and Thursday. By doing this we hope students will find the right balance between lifestyle, work and study to ensure their time here is as productive and enjoyable as possible.”
Equal Opportunities and Welfare Officer at Nottingham’s Student Union, Katie MacKay, also believes that it is vital for students to have easy access to welfare services and revealed plans to get at least 100 students to access sexual health screening and to sign up to the C Card scheme (providing free access for under 25s to condoms at various outlets across Nottingham) during the week.
She said: “Health is integral to student life. Being a student presents itself with a multitude of welfare issues from finances to managing social and academic life. Such issues are evident in our big review survey that was conducted in 2010 where students’ daily concerns predominantly surrounded the latter.
“HealthyU aims to engage student societies to help run the week and direct the events that are put on. The event is there to inform students of the support that is there for them should they need it. Activities put on throughout the week are engaging and the sexual health screenings provide an essential and invaluable service.
For more information about HealthyU, visit www.nottingham.ac.uk/currentstudents/healthyu/index.aspx
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Notes to editors: The University of Nottingham, described by The Sunday Times University Guide 2011 as ‘the embodiment of the modern international university’, has award-winning campuses in the United Kingdom, China and Malaysia. It is ranked in the UK's Top 10 and the World's Top 75 universities by the Shanghai Jiao Tong (SJTU) and the QS World University Rankings. It was named ‘Europe’s greenest university’ in the UI GreenMetric World University Ranking, a league table of the world’s most environmentally-friendly higher education institutions, which ranked Nottingham second in the world overall.
The University is committed to providing a truly international education for its 40,000 students, producing world-leading research and benefiting the communities around its campuses in the UK and Asia.
More than 90 per cent of research at The University of Nottingham is of international quality, according to the most recent Research Assessment Exercise, with almost 60 per cent of all research defined as ‘world-leading’ or ‘internationally excellent’. Research Fortnight analysis of RAE 2008 ranked the University 7th in the UK by research power.
The University’s vision is to be recognised around the world for its signature contributions, especially in global food security, energy & sustainability, and health.
More news from the University at: www.nottingham.ac.uk/news