Project Title: Health and Wellness Kits for Checkout

Project Lead's Name: Laura Birkenhauer

Project Lead's Email: crosbylm@MiamiOH.edu

Project Lead's Phone: 513-529-4148

Project Lead's Division: ULB

Primary Department: Libraries

Other Team Members: n/a

List Departments Benefiting or Affected by this proposal:

• Libraries
• Student Counseling Service
• Student Health Service
• Office of Student Wellness

Estimated Number of Under-Graduate students affected per year (should be number who will actually use solution, not just who is it available to): 300

Estimated Number of Graduate students affected per year (should be number who will actually use solution, not just who is it available to): 30

Describe the problem you are attempting to solve and your approach for solving that problem:

With a significant population of Miami University students affected by mental health concerns and the additional negative impact of COVID-19 on students’ lives, the importance of offering support for Miami University students’ health and well-being is clear. We propose offering kits for checkout from the Miami University Libraries containing technology and easy-to-clean equipment tailored to the health and wellness needs of Miami students.

According to the 2015 Healthy Minds Survey, 31% of Miami students report having a mental disorder diagnosis, with 20% screening positive for depression and 20% screening positive for anxiety. 59% of Miami students report at least one day in the past month that their academic performance was negatively impacted by mental health difficulties (Ward, 2021). The Miami University Student Counseling Service frequently serves clients with concerns including stress, anxiety, and depression. While the materials proposed do not replace vital services such as the Student Counseling Service, they will serve as a free supplemental resource to support students coping with mental health concerns. Each kit will include materials referring students to campus services such as the Student Counseling Service and Student Health Service, to encourage utilization of professional services.

Each kit will include items designed to help with a particular concern, specifically stress, anxiety, and depression.

For a kit themed around “stress” as a concern, we propose the purchase of Muse 2 devices, a wearable technology offering users guided meditation and real-time feedback on brain activity. Studies have shown that mindfulness and meditation are effective in improving mental health and reducing stress, anxiety, and depression (González-Valero, et al., 2019, reviews the scientific literature on the topic, for example).

For kits themed around “anxiety” as a concern, we recommend purchasing sound therapy machines. The use of music and white noise to reduce stress and anxiety is well studied (Steelman, 1990; Ilkkaya, et al., 2014). For use with the sound therapy machines, we propose the purchase of a weighted blanket and weighted shoulder wrap. The use of weighted products such as weighted blankets is shown to significantly reduce anxiety (Becklund, et al. 2021).

Finally, for kits themed around “depression” as a concern, the purchase of light therapy lamps with built-in timers is proposed. Light therapy — or exposure to a light box for up to 120 minutes per day — has been shown in many studies to be successful in the treatment of depression and anxiety (Jiang, et al. 2020, for example).

Accompanying each “stress” and “depression” kit is a sensory tool, or “fidget,” which may be useful for self-regulation, relaxation, or focus.

The Libraries will promote these materials generally via social media and the Libraries’ website, in addition to targeted outreach to Resident Assistants (RAs), HAWKS Peer Health Educators, and other relevant student groups to encourage the utilization of kits in student health and wellness programming across campus.

Sources:

Becklund, A. L., Rapp-McCall, L., & Nudo, J. (2021). Using weighted blankets in an inpatient mental health hospital to decrease anxiety. Journal of Integrative Medicine, 19(2), 129–134.

Gonzalez-Valero, G., Zurita-Ortega, F., Luis Ubago-Jimenez, J., & Puertas-Molero, P. (2019). Use of Meditation and Cognitive Behavioral Therapies for the Treatment of Stress, Depression and Anxiety in Students. A Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis. International Journal Of Environmental Research And Public Health, 16(22), 4394.

Steelman, V. M. (1990). Intraoperative music therapy: Effects on anxiety, blood pressure. AORN Journal, 52(5), 1026-1034.

Ilkkaya, N. K., Ustun, F. E., Sener, E. B., Kaya, C., Ustun, Y. B., Koksal, E., ... & Ozkan, F. (2014). The effects of music, white noise, and ambient noise on sedation and anxiety in patients under spinal anesthesia during surgery. Journal of Perianesthesia Nursing, 29(5), 418-426.

Ward, J. (2021, March). Student Mental Health: Resources and Responsibilities [PowerPoint Presentation]. MUASAA Workshop: Student Counseling Services, Online.

Jiang, L., Zhang, S., Wang, Y., So, K.-F., Ren, C., & Tao, Q. (2020). Efficacy of light therapy for a college student sample with non-seasonal subthreshold depression: An RCT study. Journal of Affective Disorders, 277, 443–449.

How would you describe the innovation and/or the significance of your project:

The availability of the proposed kits for checkout from the Libraries will make costly equipment easily accessible, through a borrowing process most students are already very familiar with, i.e. checking out books and other materials from the library.

How will you assess the success of the project?

The success of the project will be assessed based on the number of checkouts for each kit, measured one year after kits become available for borrowing.

Financial Information

Total Amount Requested: $1,100

Budget Details:

• 2 MUSE headbands $500
• 2 sensory gel maze $60
• 2 portable sound therapy machines $100
• 1 wipe clean weighted shoulder wrap $65
• 1 wipe clear weighted blanket $165
• 2 compact light therapy lamps $100
• 2 Tie Dye Bubble Fidget Game $18

Google Doc with Budget Details with Links Follow this URL: shorturl.at/yHVX9

Please address how, if at all, this project aligns with University, Divisional, Departmental or Center strategic goals:

This proposal aligns with the University Libraries' mission, which in part states that “we proactively connect our community with resources [...] to empower [...] success.” It is also in order with the University’s Strategic Plan Recommendation #6, which in part encourages health and wellness initiatives as a piece of an overall focus on renewing the partnership between academics and residence life.