Background
A 2019 SDCC report (UNG19 EUD) showed that overweight was particularly prevalent among students in Care, Health and Pedagogy programmes: 49% had moderate to severe overweight. At the same time, many students wanted to become more physically active during the school day (52%) and eat more healthily (61%).
Health and weight development are shaped by interacting individual, social and structural factors. This calls for comprehensive, long-term interventions that work across settings and apply a systems-oriented perspective.
Aim
The study aims to examine whether a systems-oriented, participatory intervention based on Group Model Building can:
- bring together municipalities, social and healthcare vocational education schools, internship sites and local stakeholders in a systems-change process centred on the theme "Healthy and Strong Body"
- create a meaningful process with potential for long-term embedding
- lead to health-promoting changes in students' everyday lives.
The study also examines the feasibility and mechanisms of the intervention and explores potential changes in student and staff outcomes, including well-being, physical activity, absenteeism and chronic pain.
Intervention and evaluation
The systems-oriented co-creation process comprised:
- a questionnaire-based health profile among students at the participating schools
- three Group Model Building workshops in which students, managers, staff, municipal administrations, internship sites and local stakeholders mapped the factors shaping students' opportunities for a healthy and strong body
- joint prioritisation, development and implementation of local health promotion initiatives through working groups spanning schools, municipalities and internship sites.
The evaluation combines quantitative and qualitative data and examines the process, the initiatives developed and indications of change. The intervention and data collection have been completed, and analyses and dissemination of results are underway.
Sites and partners
The approach was tested at two sites: Herlev Municipality, SOSU H Herlev, local nursing homes and home care services; and Aarhus Municipality, SOSU Østjylland – Aarhus, and the Husumvej and Fuglebakken nursing homes.
Other partners are Steno Diabetes Center Aarhus, Steno Diabetes Center Zealand, Aarhus University, the University of Southern Denmark and Deakin University, Australia.
Project period
2023 – 2026. The project is in its final analysis and dissemination phase.
Funding
PROVE IT is funded by a Steno Collaborative Project Grant from the Novo Nordisk Foundation.