Prior to the COVID-19 pandemic the Centre for Population Health (CPH) was piloting a healthy lifestyle program for older adults called Healthy and Active for Life. It was a free 10-week group-based program for adults aged 60 years and over who met in-person, weekly. The program covered topics including healthy eating and physical activity and participants were supported to complete strength and balance exercises. CPH was responsible for developing and managing the program at the state level. This included providing program resources to local health districts (LHDs) and training local service providers. LHDs were funded to deliver the program and coordinate local program implementation.
In March 2020, delivery of the program ceased due to COVID-19. To enable continued service provision, CPH re-developed the program to an online format. This involved adapting content from the original face-to-face program into online modules and engaging a website developer to create an online platform for user access. CPH also developed program delivery manuals and online training videos for LHD program coordinators and service providers. The online platform allowed participants to be allocated to their respective LHD for local management and for participant outcomes to be recorded. Local program coordinators were responsible for mailing program resources to participants and engaged qualified professionals to provide telephone support to participants. Program coordinators were also responsible for local promotion of the program.
The online program ran for 10 weeks, starting at the beginning of each school term. Participants engaged with the program as individuals rather than in a group and were able to register online. The program included access to weekly online healthy lifestyle modules, online exercise demonstrations and weekly telephone coaching calls to keep participants motivated.
While the LHD program teams were initially unsure about whether the online program would be attractive to the target population, engagement and uptake from participants was higher than expected. One challenge was internet access in rural and remote areas, which limited program uptake and full program participation in some locations.
As CPH developed the online program, it had full ownership of the program’s intellectual property. This enabled better control of the program in a time of swift and large-scale change and allowed CPH to respond to challenges and participant needs in an agile way.
Healthy and Active for Life Online continues to be available across the state. It offers a useful alternative to community-based group exercise programs for older adults. A randomised controlled trial is currently underway to investigate the program’s effectiveness.
Lauren Chuter1, Dee Upton1
