Implementing vitality interventions

Abstract

The aim of this graduation project is to increase the effectiveness of lifestyle interventions, focused on vitality, for employees with a low socioeconomic status (SES). This project explores and maps out the organizational ecosystem of municipal reintegration company DZB Leiden to determine areas for improvement. These improvements should in-turn increase the effectiveness of lifestyle interventions at DZB Leiden. There are large differences in personal health as a consequence of different lifestyles between people with low or high socioeconomic status. By increasing the effectiveness of lifestyle interventions we might be able to decrease these differences. Low SES is often related to a poor lifestyle through poorer food choices, reduced physical activity, drinking and smoking habits. These habits have negative implications for the people with low SES as well as for the company they work for. Increased absenteeism, increased chance for non-communicable diseases, reduced productivity and a shorter life expectancy are some of the consequences that people with low SES have to cope with. DZB Leiden is a municipal reintegration company of the municipality of Leiden. DZB works with employees with a low SES in their sheltered workshops on a daily basis. They are there for anyone who has difficulty with keeping up with the daily work practices and offer them a safe environment to grow and thrive. People working in the sheltered workshops often cope with multiple disabilities. A healthy lifestyle can contribute on dealing with these disabilities and improve their way of life. Thus, increasing the effectiveness of lifestyle interventions should provide an improved quality of life as well as increasing the desirability of these employees. Multiple lifestyle interventions have been introduced at DZB Leiden, however these interventions have not always been successful. The interventions are often poorly executed, or simply forgotten, and dilute quickly due to daily issues that receive priority. Exploratory research has been performed to define two research scopes, which have the potential to contribute to increasing the effectiveness of lifestyle interventions. These research scopes reside within the interpersonal and organizational ecosystems introduced by Bronfenbrenner in 1977. This graduation thesis explores the organizational ecosystem of DZB in-depth through semi-structured interviews and a stakeholder analysis. A strategy has been devised to improve different areas of the organizational system of DZB uncovered by the performed in-depth research. The performed research resulted in multiple findings for improving the effectiveness of the lifestyle interventions. These findings have been translated into design criteria for the devised strategy. One of these findings is the potential Team Fit has within DZB to increase awareness for vitality and introduce lifestyle interventions successfully. Therefore, Team Fit is used central in the devised strategy. This strategy is substantiated by the development of a future vision for DZB to strive towards. A strategic and tactical roadmap are introduced to guide DZB towards this future vision. These roadmaps show the goals that should be worked towards, the strategy necessary to achieve these goals, the tactics on how to achieve the strategy and the operationalization of the tasks that need to be performed. The devised strategy aims to set up a vitality network with municipal reintegration companies and healthcare providers via the collaboration of DZB and SPARK. Finally, the proposed strategy was evaluated with the current interim director of DZB and Team Fit. The aim of the evaluation was to determine if the proposed strategy meets all three key attributes of feasibility, desirability and viability towards valuable design. The evaluation shows that the proposed strategy in its current state is both feasible and desirable. However, further research is needed to determine if the strategy is viable and can survive in the long run. For the strategy to be viable it is recommended that a learning cycle for the interventions is implemented and research is conducted on the interpersonal ecosystem and incorporated into the proposed strategy. The graduation project consists of a total of four deliverables. Through a stakeholder analysis a power-interest matrix and stakeholder maps have been created which shows the involved parties, their interest in vitality as well as how much power they have to help realize this. Two roadmaps have been created via design roadmapping which allows us to strategically and tactically map out what is necessary to increase the effectiveness of lifestyle interventions. Finally, recommendations for DZB are made on how to improve the strategy.