Good Practice: Fitness and Health Education

Fitness and Health Education: Personal Prevention Programme

Organisation    Heliomare
Country The Netherlands
Short description The design of the Personal Prevention Programme is based on PMR (preventive medical research). The aim the preventive activities is to limit the number of people falling out on their job because of lifestyle related problems.

The target group includes people fitting into the profile some indications to do such programme:
  • High BMI  
  • High blood pressure
  • Passive life  
  • Bad eating habits 
  • High level of stress or bad coping style  
  • Using stimulants like alcohol or cigarettes 
Co-productive activities The main activity includes 6 months of physical training, with a personal instructor. It resolves around education in lifestyle factors: Movement, Smoking, Alcohol, Food and Relaxation. It implicates co-production with other companies such as the following:
  1. Tata Steel Europe (provider of participants/ employees) 
  2. Arboned: occupational health and safety service 
  3. Health care provider (from 2007-2010) 
  4. Heliomare as provider of the programme
This programme is based on a contract with the 4 participating companies.

Tata steel is paying for the programme, so the participants have to sign a informed consent before they start the programme. In this situation the participant joins the programme until the 6 months are over. This design works well, because it is not only a programme about fitness but about health education as well.
Many people stay in the centre after the first 6 months and then pay for themselves.

Fixed moments of measurement at the start, in between and at the end motivates the participants to go on changing their health habits.
In this case it is a co-production between the trainer and the participant.
Underlying theories The design of the programme the key to success because it is not only a programme about fitness but about health education as well.
Direct impact   Fixed deadlines for measurements and milestones (in-between and at the end) motivates the participants to continue and change their health habits.
Together with a company doctor from Arboned, the results of the programme were measured. There was a significant decrease of BMI and the participants reported a higher well-being and increased condition.
Conclusions and results The main challenge was to move people to the centre and motivate them to work on vitality.
However, the success of the programme is due to new fitness trends, customized education, personal touch and different choices.
Duration
and Milestones 		The practice was initiated in 2006, and it is still running in the Vitality Centre of Heliomare.
Contact/More information Account Manager - Erik Muller: e.muller@heliomare.nl