The health and wellbeing of undergraduate students in Indonesia: descriptive results of a survey in three public universities

Around a quarter of the Indonesian population are adolescents and young adults (AYA), the future leaders of upcoming decades. Investing in AYA current health is important to secure their future health and ability to lead the development of Indonesia. There is a need to comprehensively assess the current health of Indonesia's future leaders. This study describes the health and wellbeing of AYA undergraduates, as well as their risk-taking behaviours, to inform the design of university based primary care services that meet student needs. A multicentre survey of undergraduate students was conducted in three Indonesian public universities from October 2022 to October 2023. The questionnaires were adapted from a similar study at the University of Melbourne and covered the domains of general health, academic outcome, risk-taking behaviours, mental health, social pressures-and-supports, perceived discrimination and awareness of the university health services. The data were analysed descriptively to demonstrate the number and percentages of students experiencing conditions in each domain. A total of 4365 students completed the survey, with an average of 2947 completing each section of the questionnaire. Most of the students perceived their general health as good or very good (n = 2,164; 73.7% from those filing in the section; 49.6% from overall participants) and have GPA > 3 (n = 2903;73.5%; 66.5%). However, high percentages had mild to severe depressive (n = 2,240; 74.7%; 51.3%), and anxiety symptoms (n = 1,696; 56.6%; 38.9%). Some expressed risk-taking behaviours, such as smoking cigarettes (n = 460; 16.6%; 10.5%), already engaged in sexual activities (n = 268, 12.9%; 6.1%). Most participants reported having a dysfunctional family (n = 2,755; 92.3%; 63.1%), gender and sexual discrimination (n = 304; 11.6%; 6.9%;), and only a third are involved in social clubs (n = 876; 33.5%; 20.1%). Half of the overall participants are aware of the university health service (n = 2,066; 79%; 47.3%). Despite having high academic achievement, the high proportion of Indonesian students experiencing mental ill health and risk factors for non-communicable diseases are alarming. Health risks are further exacerbated by low social support indicated by most having a dysfunctional family and few involved in social clubs. Further action is required to heighten student awareness of, and access to, university health services and to ensure these services can address their health and social issues.