The Healthy Erasmus Project aims to give Erasmus students the basic practical information about their health and personal hygiene, and to promote a healthy life style among them, by creating an informative booklet and disseminate it among all European medical faculties.

This project is a joint initiative of the European Medical Students’ Association (EMSA), the European Pharmaceutical Students’ Association (EPSA) and the Erasmus Students Network (ESN).

For many Erasmus students, going abroad for Erasmus exchange is their first time away from home. As a consequence, temptation for experimental behaviour is strong and the importance of a healthy life style is often underestimated.

Objectives

The Healthy Erasmus project aims to give Erasmus students the basic practical information about their health and personal hygiene, and to promote a healthy life style among them. Also the project aims to give students guidance in unfamiliar situations and to empower them to make their own (responsible) decisions. The project will therefore promote young people’s health and intercultural learning.

Methods

Using the expertise of medical students, pharmaceutical students and Erasmus students, a booklet will be created, containing all information on a healthy life style during an Erasmus Exchange. The following topics will be covered in the booklet:

1)     Drugs

2)     Alcohol

3)     Food/diet

4)     Life style

5)     Health care system / insurance information

6)     Emergencies

7)     Medication

8)     Sex

9)     Rare events

The booklet will be easy to understand and pleasant to read. It will be drafted in an appealing lay-out. It will be spread among all universities in Europe participating in the Erasmus programme and will therefore reach around 150.000 Erasmus students around Europe.