The main objective of the HYPE project is to promote mental health and substance-free living in North Savo. It is done by using BitHabit.
At the beginning of 2024, a joint project of the national Impact Centre Network, the North Savo Wellbeing Region and the University of Eastern Finland, Improving the Effectiveness of Wellbeing Promotion and Integration of Basic Social Services in North Savo (HYPE), was launched.
“The main goal of the project is to promote mental health and substance-free living in North Savo,” says Professor of Social Policy, who is involved in the project. Tomi Mäki-Opas Tomi Opa-Opas, the project’s project manager, explains.
In North Savo, a population-level study will be conducted using Wellpro Impact Solutions Oy’s innovative digital tool, BitHabit, to assess risk factors for mental wellbeing and promote lifestyle and mental wellbeing among residents.
“BitHabit will be used to create an overall picture of the state of mental health and well-being in North Savo. We offer people a simple intervention with small daily actions to support and promote their well-being.”
Impactful results
Wellpro and BitHabit were selected to join the HYPE project as a result of a long collaboration.
The BitHabit app was originally developed by the University of Eastern Finland’s Stop Diabetes project to encourage adults to make lifestyle changes and form new healthy habits. The study showed promising results on the effects of using the app on the diet and physical activity of the subjects.
In spring 2023, the North Savo Region’s Opinion programme offered the app to all North Savo residents for a two-month trial. For this pilot, small actions were added to the app to promote mental wellbeing, such as relaxation and breathing exercises, paying attention to people around you, and increasing mindful presence and positive thinking.
“The results of the pilot were really encouraging and we received funding for a population survey for the whole of North Savo, where we can assess the actual impact.”
Based on the positive reception and encouraging results, we expect impressive results also in the further research of the HYPE project.
“We are looking at how the app works at a population level and how much change we can make. We will also gain a wide range of insights into how digital tools work to promote mental health. This is pioneering work in evaluating the effectiveness of a digital app that has not been done before in Finland.”
According to Mäki-Oppa, the cooperation with Wellpro and BitHabit has been fruitful. Researchers have gained many new perspectives on their own work; developing digital intervention.
“The aim is to make the digital intervention as human- and user-friendly as possible,” says Tomi Mäki-Opas.
