Combining innovations in behavioural science and adaptive AI to develop a user-centred, community-focussed, digital coaching service to support the attainment of personalised healthy ageing goals

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Chronic diseases are crippling our healthcare services and impacting quality of life. It's possible to prevent and minimise chronic conditions through behaviour change, such as increasing regular physical activity. However, Older Adults find it difficult to know exactly where to start and to maintain consistency and motivation for small consistent changes, particularly when they do not have access to personalised ongoing support. Additionally, often when we really need and seek coaching or support, it's not readily available, due to lack of healthcare resource or appropriate services within patient care pathways.Holly Health is a personalised yet scalable coaching app for health behaviour changes. It helps to bridge the gap between intentions and actions, for sustainable long term results. Outcomes include more regular exercise, higher levels of confidence in looking after health, better mental health, improved abilities to self-manage care at home, reduction of MSK issues due to better mobility, improvements to cardiovascular health, which influence conditions like heart disease and diabetes.The fully digital Holly Health service improves people's physical and mental wellbeing by providing supportive, personalised, and evidence-based health coaching to end users, to achieve the most relevant changes for them. The results of a pilot study, with 350 people using a Beta version of the Holly Health service, showed an average weight loss of 1.7 kg over 8 weeks (mean initial BMI of 30 kg/m2). In addition, 70% of users reported the implementation of additional healthy behaviours in their life, and 80% of users reported a mindset change as the main reason for forward progress.Holly Health, working with Age UK Lewisham and Southwark (AUKSL), will address this with development of a new, best-in-class digital coaching service to support older adults to establish and maintain healthy, active, daily habits, at home and in their community. The service will help users to prioritise, achieve, and maintain small but influential daily behaviours in: exercise, sleep, mental health, and relationship with food. Outcomes include more regular exercise, higher levels of confidence in looking after health, better mental health, improved abilities to self-manage care at home, reduction of MSK issues due to better mobility, and improvements to cardiovascular health, which influence conditions like heart disease and diabetes.The project focuses on integrating the platform with AUKSL's on-the-ground network of groups, classes, events, and care services, to provide a relevant, accessible and motivational daily support for thousands of people.