Animals and nature + entrepreneurship – a solution for mental health?

More and more people are suffering from mental illness, which for quite a few leads to long-term sick leave. A research project is now exploring how nature, social innovation and entrepreneurship in rural areas offer possible solutions.

Mental health problems account for more than half of all long-term sick leave – and stress-related cases are the most common. This should prompt health care providers to explore all possibilities to offer different treatment approaches to those affected. One potential rehabilitation option is nature-based interventions (NBIs), such as animal-assisted therapy or spending time in natural environments such as forests and fields. However, despite their potential, NBIs are currently being used to a very limited extent, according to the researchers working on the project ‘Tur i skogen – entreprenörers naturbaserade och sociala innovationer’.

– Today, nature-based interventions are mainly offered in a few regions in southern Sweden. This got us thinking about whether this could be an opportunity to develop social innovation and entrepreneurship in rural areas. There are entrepreneurs here who could develop and offer NBI services, but there are challenges that need to be addressed for this to be developed on a larger scale, says Associate Professor Päivi Juuso, Luleå University of Technology.

Lack of knowledge slows down development

One challenge is that public actors – who are often the potential clients – have a lack of knowledge about NBI as a complement to traditional care. This is despite the fact that there is research, including studies from NBI activities in Region Skåne, which show that people with mental illness often return to work faster after completing an NBI program

– Our own research and international studies show that combining a rehabilitation program with follow-up wellness at the same company that offered the rehabilitation is good for recovery and return to work. Being able to recover in an undemanding natural environment where performance and results are not the focus is health-promoting. There is also high evidence that regularly staying outdoors with nature sounds, light and clean air promotes health, says Professor Åsa Engström, Luleå University of Technology.

Procurement and legitimacy are challenges

Traditional procurement of NBI services that are social innovations is also a challenge. Effective procurement is made difficult as there is no standard for quality and cost. In addition, it is a heterogeneous market with different companies targeting different customers and where the end customer, the person with stress-related mental illness, is not the paying customer.

– There is a need to develop clear criteria for what quality means and how it should be measured. Certification can be a way to create legitimacy for the services, says Ossi Pesämaa, Luleå University of Technology

Another part of creating legitimacy is being able to demonstrate and monitor the values created. The measurement tools developed need to capture both quantitative and qualitative values – for example, return to work, but also well-being. It also needs to cover economic aspects at different levels. The Social Return on Investment (SROI) tool can be used here. It shows the social benefits of an investment in relation to its cost.

Professor Jeaneth Johansson, Luleå University of Technology, says that the short duration of the projects is also a challenge:

– Nevertheless, companies need to create legitimacy for the services they offer and SROI is a good tool for that.

National coordination needed

For NBI services to be developed on a larger scale, the researchers believe that national coordination is needed – with a platform that creates structure, quality and support. Such a platform could, among other things, develop quality criteria, procurement support and help raise the knowledge of buyers in the public sector.

– An important task would be to provide support to small businesses. “We have seen that they need help with applying for permits and understanding how procurement works. They also need support with business development,” says Päivi Juuso.

A national platform would also contribute to long-term structures instead of the current temporary project solutions. This would create sustainable structures, collaboration models and long-term evidence.

– “Imagine if an innovation platform for nature-based interventions could be created – a strategic innovation program such as MedTech4Health. Then more NBI services that are social innovations would be developed and contribute to effective, long-term solutions for mental health and well-being,” concludes Päivi Juuso.

Contact paivi.juuso@ltu.se

The article is published in collaboration with the research project “Tur i skogen – entreprenörers naturbaserade och sociala innovationer” at Luleå University of Technology.

About the research project Tur i skogen
“Tur i skogen – entreprenörers naturbaserade och sociala innovationer” is an interdisciplinary project with researchers from the Department of Health, Education and Technology, and the Department of Business, Technology, Arts and Society at Luleå University of Technology. The project is funded by the Kamprad Family Foundation. The project involves Associate Professor Päivi Juuso (project leader), Professor Åsa Engström, Professor Jeaneth Johansson and Associate Professor Ossi Pesämaa.

More articles about the project:
Social innovations for mental health – an opportunity for rural entrepreneurship

Procurement hinders social innovations for mental health

How small businesses can demonstrate the benefits of nature-based interventions