Improving health and wellbeing outcomes: An evaluation of impact after 6 months of Holly Health use

At Holly Health, we’re passionate about using data and science to measure the long-term impact we can have on Holly Health users’ health and wellbeing, through our unique behavioural health approach, the Holly Health 3Cs:

1. Compassion: Encouraging self-kindness that creates space for navigating the ups and downs of everyday life without guilt
2. Confidence: Focusing on small everyday steps rather than big and rigid goals, reinforces peoples’ ability to make a change, which is a great self-confidence boost!
3. Change: One step at a time, away from an all-or-nothing mentality, the combination of self-compassion and confidence leads to a growth mindset that creates long-term change.

Here we present an overview of the main physical and mental health outcomes after 6 months of Holly Health use.

Methodology

Users from up to 150 NHS Primary Care Practices went through a ‘behavioural health check’ when joining the service. After 6 months of engagement, users were invited to answer the same questions again to update their recommendations and coaching and their ‘health snapshot’. We considered answers from active service users who had low-to-medium scores at baseline, and who passed 6 months recently (an average of 123 people in this evaluation).

Results

Physical Health Improvements

From energy levels to exercise habits, we can see a general improvement across the board, including:

• Sleep and Energy Levels: Users are sleeping better and feeling more energised as evidenced by an average increase of 7% and 8% in sleep habits and energy levels, respectively
• Flexibility and Strength-Based Exercise: The frequency of these types of exercises Improved by averages of 8% and 7% respectively
• Moderate Exercise: Activities such as brisk walking, running and cycling went up by an impressive 14%
• Changes in Medical Conditions: 29% of users reported experiencing an improvement in symptoms of their medical conditions since using Holly Health
• Body Weight: Users tracking weight experienced a median weight reduction of 6%, going from an average of 92.5 kg at baseline to 87 kg at 6 months post-Holly Health use. Given that we use a weight-neutral approach within our service (i.e. we focus away from body weight to instead prioritise day to day behaviours and how we feel), this outcome demonstrates that consistent healthy habits paired with greater psychological awareness are the key to gradual and sustained weight management.

Nutrition and Eating Habits

• Relationship with Food: Improved significantly by and average of 21% - once again, emphasising the power of focusing on the psychological drivers of eating behaviour vs restrictive diets that often lead to more problematic eating behaviours like emotional and binge eating.
• Fruit and Veg Portions: Increased by 7% on average, an average of 1-2 extra portions per week.
• Eating Schedule: Self-reported data shows an average 14% improvement in the users’ dinner time habits in relation to leaving enough time between having dinner and going to bed. Evidence shows that this behaviour can greatly impact sleep quality and overall metabolism

Mental Wellbeing

• Mindfulness: General mindfulness saw an 8% improvement, highlighting the impact of one of the main mechanisms of action of the Holly Health approach
• Long-Term Mindset: Increased by 10%, showcasing the effects of the small habits approach for steady, long-term results. Paired with this, 66.5% of users reported doing at least one new habit automatically, without needing reminders
• Personal Wellbeing: On average, the ONS-4 personal wellbeing scale showed an average 11% improvement across four items:
  • ONS-Anxiety Levels: Anxiety levels dropped by 16% on average
  • ONS-Happiness: Happiness levels rose by 14% on average
  • ONS-Life Satisfaction: There was a 9% average improvement in overall life satisfaction.
  • ONS-Sense of Worth: Users felt a 5% average increase in feeling that their lives were worthwhile.

Alleviating pressure in the NHS

Self-reported data from high NHS service users (i.e., those who reported 3+ GP visits in the previous 8 weeks at baseline) shows an average of 1.7 fewer visits per user per 8 weeks, translating to a potential reduction of 11 visits per repeat visitor per year!

Conclusion

The positive changes achieved after six months of Holly Health use highlight the power of our 3 Cs approach to developing physical and mental health outcomes: a compassionate, confidence-building, and gradual approach to health behaviour change. By focusing on small, manageable steps and fostering self-kindness, Holly Health empowers users to achieve sustainable, long-term improvements in their wellbeing. The outcomes not only validate our methods but also inspire us to further refine and expand our services, bringing the benefits of Holly Health to even more people across the UK and beyond.

We remain committed to leveraging data and science to drive our mission forward. Today's habits truly do predict tomorrow’s health, and with Holly Health, we are paving the way for healthier, happier futures.

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