student health

The headline of the story is noteworthy - "I Am A College Student With 0% BAC" but for reasons that may not be obvious. According to 93,034 student responses to the 2015 ACHA National College Health Assessment approximately 21.3% of students have never used alcohol.

William Stixrud and Ned Johnson, are the authors of “The Self-Driven Child: The Science and Sense of Giving Your Kids More Control Over Their Lives and report in their New York Times article that "thirty percent of freshmen won’t return for their sophomore year, and the wheels can start to fall off as early as Thanksgiving." They suggest that what your college student needs most is practice running his or her own life — and college is a risky place to do that for the first time."

The reality is that 75% of all mental health conditions begin by age 24. That’s why the college years are so critical for families to be prepared to understand and speak about mental health issues.

Did you know that 75% of all mental health conditions begin by age 24? That’s why the college years are so critical for families to be prepared to understand and speak about mental health issues. 

Did you know that 75% of all mental health conditions begin by age 24? That’s why the college years are so critical for families to be prepared to understand and speak about mental health issues. 

The American College Health Association annual survey on National College Health student health reports incidents such as illnesses, accidents, and injuries can frequently happen, even to young and healthy college students. The good news is that college families can protect their investment by purchasing tuition insurance coverage starting at $29.95 for $2,500 per term.

College sex. The truth is in the numbers.

This time of year - particularly with mid-terms can bring a great deal of stress in the lives of college students and their families. This is somewhat predictable given the high expectations and academic workloads. There are some things all parents need to know about your college student and their mental health.

  image by flickr user lee morley, cc license For every two years of college, 1.7% of students can expect a parent to pass away. This statistic, from Balk, Walker and Baker's "Prevalence And Severity Of College Student Bereavement Examined In A Randomly Selected Sample," shows how common parent death is among college students. In numbers alone, 1.7% of students translates to roughly 360,000 college students in the U.S. over a two-year period.  Compounding this astounding rate of loss and heartbreak is the fact that losing a parent can effect educational attainment. 

Student health centers are critical to student success. This is true on many levels. In recent years, we’ve seen data points like these: