A presentation I gave on improving the health and wellbeing of students and staff in higher education at a conference on Protecting and Supporting Students: Promoting Wellbeing, Confronting Harassment and Preventing Extremism

1. Improving the health and
wellbeing of students and staff in
universities
Protecting and Supporting Students: Promoting Wellbeing, Confronting Harassment
and Preventing Extremism
Dr Justin Varney
National Lead for Adult Health and Wellbeing
Justin.varney@phe.gov.uk
Twitter: DRJV75

2. Public Health England
We protect and improve the
nation's health and wellbeing, and
reduce health inequalities.
Locally focussed
o 4 regions, 9 centres
o 8 K & I hubs
o Other local presence
Key roles:
1. System leadership
2. Health protection
3. Local support
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3. Overview
• Student and staff health
and wellbeing
• Context of violence and
harassment in
universities
• Opportunities for action
at scale
• Looking to the future
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4. Student and staff health and
wellbeing
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5. Profile of the population in 2014/15
Approximately 2.3mil students in the UK
in 161 provider institutions
Just over a quarter study part-time
Just under 60% are studying full-time a
first degree
56.2% of students are women
13% of undergraduates and 38% of
post-graduates are international
students, with the largest proportion from
China
24.5% of FT first degree students are
from ethnic minorities
Inequalities in access for disadvantaged
groups but gap is closing
Just over 400,000 staff working in higher
education in the UK
49% working in academic roles
About a third work part-time
The average age of full-time academic
staff is 43yrs
13.9% of academic staff come from
ethnic minorities and 4.1% declared a
disability
No data is recorded by HESA on sexual
orientation, faith or gender identity
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Source:HESA Dataset 2014/15

6. Why does staff & student health
and wellbeing matter?
• Clear evidence of correlation between
individual health and wellbeing and
productivity, presenteeism and in health
sector patient safety and outcomes
• Poor health and wellbeing impacts on
individual, their peer group and the wider
organisation
• Late intervention is more costly, time
consuming and ultimately less effective
• Reputation and financial risks
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7. Social marketing and behaviour change
Why prevention matters

8. Morbidity in England
•But while life expectancy has increased, this hasn’t been matched by
improvements in levels of ill-health.
•So, as a population we’re living longer but spending more years in ill-health.
Indeed, for several conditions, although death rates have declined, the overall
health burden is increasing.
•For example, while deaths rates from diabetes fell by about 56%, the increases
in illness and disability associated with diabetes have been substantial, rising by
around 75% over the last 23 years.
•Sickness and chronic disability are causing a much greater proportion of the
burden of disease as people are living longer with several illnesses.
•Low back and neck pain is now the leading cause of overall disease burden,
with hearing and vision loss, and depression also in the top 10, alongside
diseases with a high mortality you would expect, such as ischaemic heart
disease, COPD and lung cancer.
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9. Context of violence and
harassment
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10. National picture
• 1 in 4 women and 1 in 6 men will endure violence
from a partner, ex-partner or family member during
their adult life in England and Wales.
• Fewer than 1 in 4 people who suffer abuse at the
hands of their partner - and only around 1 in 10
women who experience serious sexual assault -
report it to the police.
• Intimate partner violence has significant and
enduring impacts on individual health, and through
the collateral impacts on children and families,
social networks and employment is an important
public health issue.
• Globally domestic violence is the leading cause of
injury and death to women
Source: Protecting People, Protecting Health: Department of
Health
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11. Inequalities and DV
Domestic violence is a highly gendered issue,
women experience DV more frequently and are
more likely to experience violence over a
prolonged period before accessing support.
However among some groups the gender gap
closes and men experience similar levels of DV
as women, this is true for gay and bisexual men
and men living with disabilities. Women with
disabilities experience more abuse than women
without disabilities.
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12. Health Consequences of Domestic Violence
• Violence against women can have fatal results like homicide or suicide, 112
women are killed as a result of a domestic violence each year in England.
• 43% of women who experience intimate partner violence reporting an injury
as a consequence of this violence
• Enduring violence can lead to depression, post-traumatic stress disorder,
sleep difficulties, eating disorders, emotional distress and suicide attempts.
• Women how have experienced intimate partner violence are twice as likely
to have experience depression and problem drinking.
• Sexual violence, particularly during childhood, can lead to increased
smoking, drug and alcohol misuse, and risky behaviour in later life. It is also
associated with perpetration of violence and being a victim of violence.
Source: WHO Violence Against Women Factsheet
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13. Cost of domestic violence
• In November 2009 Sylvia Walby of the University of Leeds estimated the
total costs of domestic violence to be £15.7 billion a year. This is broken
down as follows;
• The costs to services (Criminal Justice System, health, social services,
housing, civil legal) amount to £3.8billion per year.
• The loss to the economy – where women taking time of due to injuries – is
£1.9 billion
• Domestic Violence also leads to pain and suffering that is not counted in the
costs of services. The human and emotional costs of domestic violence
amount to £10 billion per year.
Source: http://www.leeds.ac.uk/sociology/people/swdocs/researchsummarycosstdomesticviolence.pdf
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14. Domestic violence and abuse
• Domestic violence is a preventable cause of death, disability and ill
health, particularly for women. In England 2 women are killed each week
by a partner or ex-partner. (Office of National Statistics) Domestic violence
occurs across the life course and in every community and socio-economic
group.
• By adopting a public health approach violence can be prevented.
Violence shows one of the strongest inequalities gradients with emergency
hospital admission rates for violence being around five times higher in most
deprived communities than in the most affluent.
• Violence prevention is a critical element in tackling other public health
issues. Violence impacts on mental wellbeing and quality of life, prevents
people using outdoor spaces and public transport and inhibits the
development of community cohesion.
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15. University context
During their time as a student, 1 in 7 women have reported physical or sexual
assault and 2 in 3 women have reported sexual harassment.
National Union of Students (2010). Hidden Marks. A study of women students’
experiences of harassment, stalking, violence and sexual assault.
Domestic abuse also affects staff. It is a hidden workplace issue, yet 75% of
people who endure abuse experience it at work. Sexual assault and domestic
abuse can have a significant impact on an individual’s health and wellbeing. It
can also negatively affect their ability to learn, grow and thrive.
Walby, S. (2009.) The Cost of Domestic Violence: Up-date 2009. Lancaster University
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16. Opportunities for action at scale
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17. Taking a whole system
approach
• Leadership and culture
• Education and awareness
• Policies & procedures
• Support for people enduring and
for perpetrators
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18. UK Task Force Report Recommendations
Universities, working with students’ unions, should take an institution-wide approach to tackling violence against women,
harassment and hate crime and carry out a regular impact assessment of their approach
Universities should embed a zero-tolerance approach to sexual violence, harassment and hate crime, highlighting up-front the
behaviours that are expected from all students, as well as ensuring staff understand the importance of fostering a zero-tolerance
culture
Universities should develop a clear and accessible response procedure and centralised reporting system for dealing with
incidents of violence, harassment or hate crime, working with relevant external agencies where appropriate
Existing guidance available to universities on managing situations where a student's disciplinary offence may constitute a criminal
offence should be reviewed. Such guidance can be critical in assisting universities to manage cases and provide appropriate
support to students. This review has been carried out and new guidelines are published alongside today’s report
Universities develop and maintain partnership working as a fundamental component of preventing and responding to violence
against women, harassment and hate crime. Partners – including the police, community leaders and specialist services – can be
vital in supporting students, ensuring staff are well-trained and assessing the nature and scale of the issues affecting students at a
given time
Universities UK should hold an annual national conference for the next three years to facilitate the sharing of good practice on
matters related to the work of the taskforce
Universities UK should work with relevant bodies such as the NUS, JISC and Reclaim the Internet to assess what further support
may be needed to tackle the growing prevalence of online harassment and hate crime
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19. PHE Work on Domestic Violence
The Intervention Initiative developed by University of West of England to
support universities in England to implement an evidence-based bystander
intervention programme to prevent intimate partner violence.
Faith Action toolkit for Faith Leaders, building on the AVA resource,
providing case studies and lived experience reflections on how faith leaders
can better respond to members of their congregation experiencing or
perpetrating DV.
AVA E-learning for Healthcare professionals, supporting the
implementation of the NICE guidance through a free e-learning resource for
healthcare professionals.
Report on Domestic Violence and Disability
Podcast series of talks on DV and PHE blogs to raise profile of the issue.
19 Preventing and Responding to Domestic Abuse in Workplaces: The 16 Days of Action Toolkit19 Protecting and Supporting Students: Promoting Wellbeing, Confronting Harassment and Preventing Extremism

20. University Bystander Intervention Programme
• Led by University of West of England
• Based on international evidence base and experience, particularly Scottish
and US experiences
• A free evidence-based educational programme for the prevention of sexual
coercion and domestic abuse in university settings, through empowering
students to act as prosocial citizens
• Eight structured taught modules lasting 60mins each delivered by peer
facilitators and academic leads
• http://www1.uwe.ac.uk/bl/research/interventioninitiative/abouttheprogramme.
aspx
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21. Structure of the toolkit
1. Introduction
2. Culture and gender
3. Rape and sexual assault
4. Domestic abuse
5. Bystander options
6/7/8 Role play
Supported with
• Slides
• Teaching notes
• Handouts
• Additional resources
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“Before taking part in this course I didn’t
realise just how common sexual abuse in
universities is. I was aware of it, and had
experienced it myself, but I never spoke
about it to peers and presumed that was
normal. Since taking the course I feel so
much more supported in my views, and
more confident to speak up and raise
awareness about an issue that I now know
affects so many others.
“I think it’s great that this course is
compulsory. Every university should be
doing it.”
Emma, UWE Student

22. 16 Days ofAction Employer Toolkit
Commissioned Corporate Alliance Against
Domestic Violence
Rationale:
• In 2011, 1/3rd of Domestic homicide
occurred in a workplace.
• Workplaces are a space that individuals
are separate from their partners
Free web resource to support employers
to take action to raise awareness and take
action to support staff
Over 5,000 businesses engaged to date
www.16daysofaction.co.uk
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23. 23

24. 24

25. Looking ahead to the future
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26. Looking to the future
A third of five year old children in the UK will live to
100yrs old
In a 100yr life the three stage model of education,
employment and retirement is likely to morph into
multiple periods of all three phases throughout life
Millennial generation are already the most ethnically
blended and globally contextualised of any generation
to date, and the centennials coming behind them are
likely to take this even further as digital neo-natives
Risks of the 6s assessment/appraisal
Opportunities of dark data
Experience and connection rule!
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27. 27 Public Health Futurology