Dr. Resti Tito Villarino, professor of CTU-Moalboal Campus and National Research Council of the Philippines (NRCP) member, spearheaded the Department of Science and Technology (DOST)-NRCP funded study on the effectiveness of an online well-being development program.
The aim was to engage students during pandemic with online community and a chance to be connected with fellow students and introduce them to the concepts of health and well-being with emphasis on mental health.
This 6-month study which started last May 2021 addressed the calling of DOST Secretary Fortunato T. de la Pena, for the government and the education sectors to go hand-in-hand to make interventions on the general well-being and mental health of students during this time.
Respondents of the study were 178 students from a private college and state university in Cebu and Bohol. They were grouped into two; control and test groups. The control group did their usual everyday tasks while the test groups were exposed to intervention tools such as questionnaires and guides promoting positive emotion, engagement, relationships, meaning, and accomplishments. Post-test scores of test groups revealed some improvement in COVID-19 prevention attitudes, frequency of eating nutritious food, number of sleeping hours, and levels of depression, anxiety, and stress.
The results of the study was packaged into a policy brief entitled, “Student’s Online Health and Well-being during the Pandemic.” Dr. Villarino proposed the results to the Commission on Higher Education (CHED) and Department of Health(DOH) in developing similar initiatives in a wider context and longer study duration.
Co-authors of the study included Maureen Lorence F. Villarino3, Maria Concepcion L. Temblor1,2, Nilde T. Chabit1,2, Christopher Asuncion L. Arcay4, Grace B. Gimena1, Prosper Bernard5, Michel Plaisent5
1Cebu Technological University, Moalboal, Cebu, Philippines, 2National Research Council of the Philippines, Manila, Philippines 3University of San Agustin, Iloilo City, Philippines 4Mater Dei College, Tubigon, Bohol, Philippines 5Université du Québec à Montréal, Montréal, QC, Canada
–Rosalea Fenina A. Margallo- Moalboal Campus/ICPA Moalboal Campus