Project: TINE Heimdal Duration: 12 weeks Applications: Myworkout GO, Contest Module, Kick Off with Jan Helgerud and Digital Clinic
TINE is a Norwegian cooperative owned by milk producers who supply milk to the company. Its core business is the production and sale of milk, cheese and other dairy products in Norway and abroad. The Group has over 5,000 employees and is owned by well over 8,000 milk producers. The Group comprises the parent company TINE SA and several wholly and partly owned subsidiaries in other food businesses.
Inactivity costs businesses and society dearly. Norwegians are becoming less and less active, so we have a long way to go to achieve recommended activity levels. Inactivity can lead to a number of lifestyle diseases, and over 40 percent of the Norwegian population now live at high risk of developing these diseases, which negatively affects quality of life and can shorten life. The Norwegian Directorate of Health recommends that adults between the ages of 18 and 64 get at least 150 to 300 minutes of moderate intensity exercise per week, or 75 to 150 minutes of high intensity exercise. Myworkout recommends as little as 32 HIT minutes a week, and if we can achieve this, we could save society up to 455 billion kroner annually. The reasons for this huge economic benefit are many, but among them we find that active people are generally more engaged citizens and have lower healthcare costs. Health expenditure plays a major role here, as approximately NOK 288 billion was spent on healthcare for Norwegians in 2013, equivalent to almost NOK 57,000 per capita.
The collaboration was initiated after a meeting in the fall of 2023, when HR manager Terje from Tine SA expressed curiosity about how Myworkout could have a positive impact on Tine's sick leave. Before the year was over, we agreed to start a pilot project where Myworkout GO's campaign function, Kick-off with Jan Helgerud and Digital Clinic would be tested at TINE Heimdal. The purpose was to explore how this would affect the employees' physical capacity and well-being among the employees.
The campaign was divided into two phases. Phase one was to identify suitable candidates for the digital clinic and launch them before phase two, which was to involve all employees at the Heimdal department. Seven candidates were initiated by authorized healthcare professionals. The purpose was to find examples that others could relate to and demonstrate the effect of creating motivation and inspiration to participate without the help of authorized healthcare professionals, but with the Myworkout GO app and its campaign function. A total of 103 active participants took part in the campaign and were divided into different teams.
From February 12 to April 7 approx 2,997 training sessions were registered by 103 participants. 98% of those registered were active during this period. Of these, 73 people contributed with HIT points that help to create valuable changes in physical capacity. Through the campaign, Tine Heimdal exceeded the WHO guidelines for recommended activity by 142% and achieved 64% of Myworkout's recommendations for high intensity activity.
The key findings from the campaign indicate an average increase of 3.9 quality-adjusted life years per participant. In addition, participants will statistically experience an average reduction of 2.5 sick days. For the company, this corresponds to 183 fewer sick days, which equates to an annual reduction in sickness absence costs of NOK 7,450 per person. Over the next four decades, it is estimated that these changes in health status will save society approximately NOK 283 million in health-related costs.
Changes in everyday life noted by participants
These personal accounts emphasize the improved physical capabilities and overall improvement in quality of life, demonstrating the effectiveness of the campaign.
manager Terje Drøyvold:
Many of our employees have a physical job either in production or in the warehouse. The background for the inquiry to Myworkout was a hypothesis that if we as a company could contribute to more people also carrying out physical activity that affected the heart muscle as well, then this would mean that they could have better health 24/7. In particular, we achieved the combination of participants who had their own motivation for a change in their own physical health by participating in the Digital Clinic, and an activity campaign aimed at all employees, we feel that the scheme has been successful. Frequent meetings with Myworkout before, during and after the implementation have meant that we have been able to discuss and implement desirable adaptations that have emerged along the way, says HR
Facility manager Synnøve Vannebo adds:
Both the scheme via the digital clinic and the activity campaign have become a positive 'talking box' at the facility, and thus have probably contributed positively to both physical and mental health.
This pilot project has demonstrated that leading-edge technology and research-based training can have a demonstrable impact on health and business economics.
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