Cohort profile: the SHoT-study, a national health and well-being survey of Norwegian university students

Abstract

Purpose The SHoT study was set up as a national student health survey for higher education in Norway, conducted at 4-year intervals. The dataset comprises a wide range of self-reported data covering information on mental and physical health, quality of life, health-related behaviours as well as more specific study-related information. Participants The SHoT studies conducted so far in 2010, 2014 and 2018, included 6053, 13 525 and 50 054 fulltime students (aged 18–35), respectively. Findings to date The main results from the first two waves have been published in three comprehensive Norwegian reports, with the most important finding being an increase in mental health problems (HSCL-score ≥2.0) among Norwegian college students from 2010 (16%) to 2014 (21%) to 2018 (29%). Future plans The next SHoT study will be conducted in 2022, 2026 and so on. Starting from 2018-study, the survey data can also be linked to several national registers.