A mobile application called Oiva has been developed by VTT Technical Research Centre of Finland and the University of Jyväskylä to promote mental wellness and alleviate stress using Acceptance and Commitment Therapy techniques. A pilot study found the application improved quality of life and reduced stress for users. Oiva teaches skills through brief daily exercises on a smartphone to improve flexibility, motivation, and ability to make lifestyle changes. Follow up studies will test the application with workers experiencing stress and expectant parents.

1. Mobile application for www.salwe.fi
mental wellness training
As part of SalWe’s Mind and Body Programme, a smartphone application has been developed to
enhance quality of life and alleviate stress. The development work has been done in collaboration
between VTT Technical Research Centre of Finland and the University of Jyväskylä.
The application, developed to run on a smartphone, cent of working days that are lost are stress-related.
teaches skills to promote well-being and relieve stress The annual cost of stress in the European Union is
using Acceptance and Commitment Therapy (ACT). ACT estimated around 20 billion euros, mainly due to lost
consists of an innovative mix of experiential tech- working time and health care expenditure.
niques and behavioural interventions. It has proved
effective in the treatment of a wide range of problems Targeting lifestyle changes
including work-related stress and depression. The application, called Oiva, is designed to help indi-
viduals develop skills that will improve their mental
Work-related stress is one of Europe’s greatest prob- wellness. The aim is to improve the user’s psychologi-
lems in occupational health and safety. Almost one cal flexibility, motivation and ability to make lifestyle
in four employees suffers from stress and 50–60 per- changes. Oiva runs on Android mobile phones and
SalWe - Strategic Centre for Science, Technology and Innovation in Health and Well-being

2. tablets. It has been developed in SalWe’s Mind and The application was well-accepted by the users, who
Body Programme, as a joint project of VTT Technical also felt it was useful. A few examples of the benefits
Research Centre of Finland and the Department of reported by the users:
Psychology of the University of Jyväskylä. • Oiva helped to relax and take breaks during the day.
• Oiva made it easier to fall asleep at night.
“Skills are learned through exercises that are conve- • Oiva promoted re-examination of personal values.
niently brief and can easily be repeated over the day. • Oiva helped let go of disruptive thoughts.
The exercises improve the user’s ability to be mindfully The users stated they would have liked a longer usage
present and to change or persist in behaviour based period, to obtain more profound changes and effects.
on personal values,” explains Professor Raimo Lap-
palainen of the University of Jyväskylä. Follow-up studies on different target groups
In autumn 2012, a broader intervention study was
“Oiva consists of four intervention modules that con- started among working-age people suffering from
tain a total of 45 audio and text exercises, plus videos work-related stress and features of metabolic syn-
on promoting mental and physical health. It features drome. Starting in spring 2013, Oiva will be evaluated
guided navigation through the application, sends re- with couples expecting their first baby, with the aim
minders and provides a diary for notes and reflec- of improving their diet and preventing post-partum
tions. The application’s content, display and structure depression.
can be adapted and personalized to suit the needs of
different target groups,” says Senior Scientist Elina
Mattila of VTT.
Successful pilot project
Development work on Oiva began in spring 2011. By
spring 2012 it was ready for a one-month pilot study
to be carried out.
Fifteen people took part in the study. Each user used More information
the application for several sessions totalling, on aver-
Elina Mattila
age, 192 minutes per user. All the users reported sig- senior scientist
nificant improvements in quality of life and the more VTT Technical Research Centre of Finland
active half of them also experienced stress reduction. elina.m.mattila@vtt.fi
+358 20 722 3384
Raimo Lappalainen
professor
University of Jyväskylä
raimo.lappalainen@psyka.jyu.fi
+358 50 443 2349
SalWe - Strategic Centre for Science, Technology and Innovation in Health and Well-being