Summary

Background
A healthy lifestyle is beneficial for everyone, including students and employees of universities of applied sciences (UAS). Although these groups experience high stress-levels and spent many hours sedentary, only few lifestyle interventions focus on these target groups that potentially could improve their well-being, and physical and mental health.

Objective
This study explores the lifestyle of students and employees at the Hague UAS using a narrative research method. The study aims to create personas, separate for students and employees, to inform future tailored lifestyle interventions.

Methods
Semi-structured interviews were conducted with 13 employees (26+ years old; 4 males, 9 females), and 12 students (18-35 years old; 4 males, 6 females, 2 identified as other). Via the storytelling technique[1], participants were asked to describe past situations on lifestyle-related decisions. Two researchers independently extracted stories from the interviews and linked a theme to each story. Analysis involved a cyclic process of constant comparison. The themes were grouped in main themes to create a story web. Thereafter, personas were created for both students and employees.

Results
Although we are in the midst of analyzing, preliminary distinction can be made between several groups of people. For example, one group tends to be underweight and struggles to maintain a healthy lifestyle. A second group deals with allergies, food intolerances, physical limitations or chronical illnesses. A third group incorporated health in their lifestyle. And a fourth group does not care, has other priorities or has insufficient knowledge about a healthy lifestyle.

Conclusion
Lifestyle is personal and, therefore, a one-size-fits-all approach for all students and employees is inadequate. In more detail, some people will benefit from social interventions, e.g. setting up a sports competition, others from physical interventions, e.g. nudging the stairs. Our next step is developing tailored lifestyle interventions in co-creation with students and employees.