New Prospect for Improving University Students’ Quality of Life

Abstract

Abstract It is well-known that the poor exercise habits characterizing modern civilization are a high risk factor in health. Countervailing them is the responsibility of all social subsystems. This study aims to observe the role of higher education within the framework of comprehensive research carried out at the University of Pannonia, Hungary. A course meeting university standards has been developed for students, the future opinion-shapers, which intends to strengthen the health consciousness, the basis of physical fitness. The objective of the article is to prove the effectiveness of the course and its impact on lifestyle through a longitudinal study. Accordingly, it aims to answer the following questions: Can a change be observed in the factors of students’ psychological and health-related quality of life? Does the health consciousness developed by the course result in a more efficient health-enhancing physical activity? Does broadening knowledge provide long-term motivation for maintaining an active lifestyle? The efficiency of the course has been evaluated through changes observed in the participating students’ quality of life and health consciousness using the following methods: survey (N= 479), in-depth interview (N= 86), and triangulation. The results of the study support the basic assumption that the knowledge acquired in the course contributes in the short run to the students planning their health-preserving life-coaching more consciously, while quality of life indicators change in the long run. Consequently, it has been determined that the transmission of knowledge through the course is an undertakeable and successful endeavor of higher education in the field of health education.