Information about the study

Study

Student survey on substance use, gaming, gambling, mental well-being, and contextual factors

Description and purpose of the study

This study aims to assess substance use, gaming, gambling, mental well-being, and related contextual factors among students through a one-time online survey. While this study provides no direct medical or personal benefits, its results will identify trends and emerging phenomena, offering insights for prevention and risk reduction. Participation is free of charge, and broad student participation is essential. This study will take about 25 minutes to complete.

The study is organized in all Dutch speaking Higher education institutions in Flanders and Brussels.

The sponsorship of this study is jointly undertaken by ‘Vlaams expertisecentrum Alcohol en andere Drugs’ (VAD) (Vanderlindenstraat 15, 1030 Brussel; email: vad@vad.be, phone: 02 423 03 33), ‘Vlaams Instituut Gezond Leven’ (Gustave Schildknechtstraat 9, 1020 Brussel), ‘KU Leuven’ (Oude Markt 13, 3000 Leuven), ‘Universiteit Gent’ (Sint-Pietersnieuwstraat 25, 9000 Gent) en ‘Vrije Universiteit Brussel’ (Pleinlaan 2, 1050 Brussel). Decisions regarding this study are ultimately submitted for approval to a “steering committee,” in which all participating higher education institutions are represented.

The study has been approved by the Ethics Committee Research UZ / KU Leuven, the Ethics Committee University Hasselt, the Ethics Committee for Social Sciences and Humanities of Antwerp University, the Medical Ethics Committee of Ghent University (Hospital) and the Medical Ethics Committee of VUB and will adhere to ICH/GCP guidelines and the Declaration of Helsinki.

Data protection

First of all, you will not be directly identified anywhere. We do not collect your name, birth date, address, or IP address. Individual results will not be identifiable in reports, as the goal is only to extract aggregated data reflecting trends among Flemish students.

Your data will be stored in a single Flemish database alongside results from other students at Flemish and Brussels-based Dutch-speaking institutions. After data collection, educational institutions will receive data specific to their students. Neither in the Flemish database, nor in the database each educational institution receives can you be directly identified. In the Flemish database, institutional identifiers are also removed from the database, so no participant can be linked to its educational institution. In compliance with the General Data Protection Regulation (Regulation (EU) 2016/679) and the Act of 22 August 2002 on privacy protection, your data will only be used for this study and remain inaccessible to unauthorized individuals.

Some institutions organize a prize draw for participants who complete the survey. If applicable, you will be asked to provide your official email address at the end of the survey. By submitting your email, you agree to enter the draw and may be contacted if you win a prize. Participation is voluntary, and you may opt out by not submitting your email. Email addresses will be stored separately from the data you submit in the survey.

Insofar as you can still be identified from your responses, you have the right to request the following information from VAD and your educational institution:

• You have the right to access and receive a copy of the personal data that concerns you.
• You have the right to correct or supplement your data if it is inaccurate or incomplete. 
• You may request the deletion of your personal data if it is no longer necessary for the purposes for which it was collected or processed, if there is no longer a legitimate basis for processing, or if you withdraw your consent and the organization cannot rely on another legitimate basis for processing.
• You can receive the personal data you provided to us, which we process automatically, in a structured, commonly used, and machine-readable format, so that you can transfer it to another data controller or request that we transfer it to another data controller, if technically feasible. 
• For personal data processed based on your consent, you can withdraw your consent at any time. The processing of data prior to the withdrawal of consent remains valid.

To exercise these rights, contact our DPO at privacy@vad.be. The DPO (Data Protection Officer) oversees the protection of your personal data and provides support in handling privacy-related requests.

We may require proof of identity (e.g., a redacted copy of your ID card). To help identify your responses, we may also request certain answers and the survey completion date.

You can file a complaint with the Data Protection Authority at:

Data Protection Authority
Drukpersstraat 35, 1000 Brussel
+32 (0)2 274 48 00
+32 (0)2 274 48 35
contact@apd-gba.be

Retention period

The database containing email addresses will be deleted after the prize draw.

The Flemish database and institution databases will be retained in their original form for five years. After this period, demographic elements that could potentially lead to re-identification will be removed, ensuring that only factual sufficiently aggregated data is preserved. This is to enable more in-depth analyses, such as monitoring trends over time.

Consent and refusal

Participation is voluntary, and you may refuse or withdraw at any time without providing a reason. Non-participation will not affect your relationship with peers, instructors, staff, or your institution.

By clicking the participation link, you consent to take part in the study, confirming that you have been adequately informed about its nature, method, and purpose, and agree to the processing of your data. If you do not wish to participate, close this document and the survey webpage. This remains without further consequence.

For some students, answering this survey may feel confronting. If you have questions, need initial advice, or are looking for support regarding alcohol, drugs, medication, gaming, or gambling you can contact ‘De Druglijn’ free of charge and anonymously for tailored, judgment-free advice. All contact details can be found at www.druglijn.be. For questions about mental well-being or the survey you can reach out to the contact person at your educational institution listed below: