The burden of chronic illness is increasing globally. Managing chronic conditions – or, better yet, preventing them in the first place – requires teamwork between patients and healthcare providers to make sure they’re living their healthiest lives.
But often self-care is tricky to get right, even the fundamentals: a good diet, regular exercise, and quality sleep.
Motivation to adopt new healthy habits is often the hardest part. In rural and regional areas, it’s even more important to encourage people to take care of themselves, as they may be more isolated and find it harder to access the healthcare they need.
So how can we combine new insights from psychology, population health, and digital tools to understand what motivates people to stick with healthy habits – and then translate that evidence into practice?
Born from an award-winning program The Happy Life Club in China, The Healthy Regions Intervention (THRIVE) program was established at Federation University in 2022 to support rural and regional Victorian communities. It helps people at risk of chronic illness, and those already diagnosed, to adopt healthier lifestyles.
“Federation University has a mission to support rural health,” says Professor Colette Browning, one of the program’s leaders. She saw a unique opportunity to combine expertise from multiple health science disciplines at Federation, developing a new research program targeting chronic illness through behaviour-change approaches.
THRIVE works with partners across public health, community health and aged care settings, and its gained momentum and global attention. Research partners at Cambridge University in the UK and Texas A&M University in the USA are now collaborating with Federation researchers in the program.
The team is also finding innovative ways to use digital-health services in real-world settings – not just in controlled trials. Prof Browning says it’s about encouraging and motivating people to work with clinicians to improve their wellbeing.
“Real life is messy – but that’s where we want to see what happens,” she says.
Keen to research the best ways to help others live healthier lives? Federation University has a whole range of thriving research projects like this one waiting for you. Visit our website to learn more.
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