Region Värmland has started a digital investment to support the people of Värmland in changing unhealthy habits. A key part is that patients together in a group and with the support of health coaches should be able to bring about a real behavioral change.
The initiative "Steps for sustainable health" is at Vårdcentral Värmland, which is responsible for digital healthcare in the county. Unit manager Karin Jacobson has together with Sara Göransson, behavioral scientist and Phil. dr in psychology, was given the task of driving the long-term work of developing a program that supports Værmlanders in creating more healthy habits.
Part of the recipe for success is focusing on small steps, adding small simple habits to already existing ones, and having participants make the change thoroughly. They are helped to understand their "why" and then gradually work in the direction they set.
Development pilot started in January
The National Board of Health and Welfare has guidelines relating to physical activity, diet and tobacco and alcohol habits. However, Region Värmland's program has a broader approach and wants to capture a larger selection of unhealthy habits, where loneliness, violence in close relationships, stress and gambling addiction are some examples. A first development pilot was launched in January, where 30 participants were offered support to change habits linked to diet, physical activity and stress, among other things.
Before the new venture, Sara Göransson has done a preliminary study that included monitoring of the environment. The conclusion was that initiatives have not been lacking in either Region Värmland or in other regions. The common denominator, however, is that most efforts have been information-oriented, but without concrete guidance and support.
- It's not about people not knowing what to do, but how to change their unhealthy habits, says Sara Göransson.
Karin Jacobson and Sara Göransson jointly lead Region Värmland's initiative "Steps for sustainable health", which will support Värmlanders in creating more healthy habits.
A key idea is to let the patients support each other in an online group. In the groups, there can also be an overlap of various unhealthy habits, where, for example, stress can also lead to a poorer diet. Participants will also have access to a digital health coach and relevant medical information. The health coach can deal with questions you don't want to take up in a group and also offer continued support when the group stays end.
- We know that change takes time and that you therefore need support over time. The research also shows that self-help groups where you support each other are well-functioning precisely for behavioral changes, says Karin Jacobson.
Inspiration important driving force
The social, active – even lustful – is something that both Karin Jacobson and Sara Göranson push to bring about a change in behaviour. For example, there are plans for "Booster meetings", where the participants meet physically a couple of times a year to get energy and inspiration. Different types of research aimed at behavior change and nudgeing techniques can also be tried to give the individual the opportunity to build their own toolbox that works in everyday life.
- It can be a mixture of different theoretical fields that meet, but do not collide. The reason you end up in the program is that you fail to implement a behavioral change on your own. We want it to be a warm program with humor and joy. It is tough to make a behavioral change, so we want the program to be lively and inspiring, says Sara Göransson.
Wants to create a digital platform for the entire county
There are two ways to enter the digital support program. One is that you are already ill and are in care, the other is that you yourself want to change an unhealthy habit for preventive purposes. A selection will probably be made after an initial health talk, where those who feel the need to change an unhealthy habit should have good opportunities to participate.
After gathering knowledge and experience from the development pilot, the long-term goal is to offer support for healthier habits for the entire county via a digital platform. DigitalWell Arena has been a sounding board in the process of finding interested parties who can contribute to creating such a platform and follows with interest the development of "Steps for sustainable health".
- Digital tools that increase people's opportunities to take greater responsibility for their own health will be important in the future, if we are to manage welfare despite reduced resources, says Elin Fouganthine, Innovation Manager at DigitalWell Arena.
Can counteract the increase in chronic public diseases
Obesity, high blood pressure and pre-diabetes are examples of conditions that can be affected by healthier habits. The value of averting the risk of chronic public diseases in time is great, both for the individual and society. In a previous analysis made by Region Värmland, the gap between two different scenarios for the county where an additional two percent of the population develops unhealthy habits, versus it decreasing by the same percentage, is 3,000 new cases of disease in 15 years.
