Student & Staff Health Promotion Unit, Karolinska Universitet
biophilia at karolinska university
In this episode of our podcast, I talk to Patrick Emanuelsson and Ana Christensen of the Health Promotion Unit at the Karolinska Institute medical research university in Stockholm, Sweden.
There are over 7000 students on campus alongside some of the world's leading academic minds, making it one of Europe's most prestigious medical universities.
Mental and physical wellbeing
The stakes are high in other words, stress levels can rise, burnout can be a serious problem for both staff in their offices and research students in their study spaces but in a brilliant piece of Swedish foresight, a dedicated 'health promotion unit' within the HR department is on hand to ensure students have every opportunity to live a healthy, balanced life whilst on campus. And, what's more, they're going to do it in sustainably.
Patrick, Anna and the team commissioned one of my early Biofit micro gyms in a unused office space converting 30 square meters into an eco friendly movement space that provokes questions around what an office gym or university gym looks like.
Perhaps even something this small can inspire increased movement levels amongst office workers and students?
With such micro gyms scattered around the campus, making them more and more accessible, what impact would that have on healthy habits?
In this conversation, we cover physical activity prescriptions, offsetting seasonal depression with light rooms and light therapy, mindful movement practices and the role of biophilia around the university, circadian lighting, ergonomic rooms for checking desk height, squat challenges, and 'use the stair' campaigns.
karolinska university, stockholm, sweden
Matt Morley
I think it would be really useful to start with a brief description of your role at the Karolinska Institute and what 'health promotion' means in a university office context?
Karolinska University Health Promotion Unit
Okay, I can start and you can fill in Anna whenever you want. Yeah, we are at the Medical University here in Stockholm, Sweden and we are organized under the central HR office actually, which is quite unique here in Sweden to have an in-house group so specialized.
We were given the opportunity to work with a promoting health perspective towards staff and students here.
We are organized on two main campuses campus south and campus north. And there we have two training facilities, one we we call a 'box gym' and one we call 'base gym'. But that's one part of our our work here. We also have courses, educational moments and stuff like that.
How to promote health in office environments and universities
Matt Morley
In the wider context then of Sweden in general, would you say that what you're doing is is quite unique or is it quite common to have an HR related department within a university that promotes employee health?
Karolinska University Health Promotion Unit
I think we're the only one actually here in Sweden. In Scandinavia, I don't know but I think we're quite unique!
Matt Morley
Is it connected to the medical research orientation then of Karolinska Institute, specifically you think that they have taken the decision to create a unit and dedicate a team to promoting public health here?
Parallels between employee health and student health
Karolinska University Health Promotion Unit
Well, we need to go back to the history of how it started. But to answer your question most universities, here in Sweden, they have this not in house but some sort of consultant or they have partnerships with training clubs or facilities outside the university.
The history is that I can't really answer why it started - maybe just a good initiative from the staff in the beginning and the need for having this kind of special group that can organize things in a good way, creating a healthy workplace to enhance productivity and encourage creativity.
Matt Morley
And what are the objectives around promoting health in the university work environment? 'Health' is a broad topic. It could be mental health, physical health, ergonomic furniture, improving air quality... what would be your main goals?
Karolinska University Health Promotion Unit
So we have decided to work under a rather big umbrella, we have two main topics - physical activity and recovery.
Underneath those two headlines, when it comes to physical activity, we try to promote physical activity and decrease physical inactivity. So we are following the national recommendations here.
And when it comes to recovery, we think it goes hand in hand training and recovery goes so well together. But of course, we are targeting some problem areas and to reduce stress that we see around us both here and in the corporate world today.
Recovery and stress levels in working life
Matt Morley
And when you say recovery, is that more to with mental wellness, or sort of rather than the physical, not recovering from physical activity, but more recovery fracture from the stress or the pressure of the the educational environment.
Karolinska University Health Promotion Unit
Well, it's more of the physical and mental health aspects of it. Stress reduction techniques, sleep habits, stuff like that.
Biofit office gym at karolinska university, stockholm
Mindfulness movement in open spaces
Karolinska University Health Promotion Unit
Yes, and we integrate both. I mean, even if we practice some physical training, we add mindfulness into movements.
Mindfulness Based Stress Reduction courses are very big for us. But in, for example, our movement classes, we integrate mindfulness to the movement. So we practice mindfulness.
Matt Morley
It's a very interesting combination those two words movement + mindfulness, I think there's a lot of benefit in that.
Eco office gym interior designers
That leads us to a discussion about the mini nature gym that Biofit created for you. How did that come about? What was the logic for creating a small green gym within your office environment for the students?
Karolinska University Health Promotion Unit
There were several reasons actually, which led us there. Health promotion unit is a member of KI's Council of Sustainable Development.
So we were in the middle of procurement process. And we had just started to connect our work to the SDGs, the sustainable development goals, and we were looking for some sustainable alternatives options for gym equipment.
Short workouts in natural surroundings
That's when we found Biofit and you Matt Morley. So really it was the need for communicating the importance of active breaks together with the integration of sustainability.
Communicating health in a wider perspective, that is what we do here in Sweden to affect the health of others, even when it comes to fitness equipment, and so on. And also bringing in nature and natural materials was a natural thing for us to do because we are outdoors people as well.
We wanted to walk the walk, actually. So it's both a practical space and also a kind of showroom to communicate the possibilities of transforming a passive, dull office waiting area via biophilic design combined with natural, active movement and mindfulness.
Sustainable Development Goals and wellness facilities in a working environment
Matt Morley
It's very interesting that you mentioned that sustainable development goals, I think, in many ways, you know, rather like going through a green building certification process with LEED, for example.
You know, often those requirements push institutions and businesses to invest or create facilities that connect with those goals.
So if you've got an SDG around connecting with nature and protecting nature, the impact of that trickles down, you interpret that and out came the idea of a sustainable gym!
It's literally part of your own office space, right? It only has one wall in the office gym, it's very much something you just walk right into, with its eco colour scheme and opportunity to do a mini workout to increase productivity.
karolinska university solna campus gym
Active breaks in a working space
Karolinska University Health Promotion Unit
Exactly. We promote active brakes, movement snacks, and stuff like that, when we didn't have the gym for students in Solna, we saw a lot of students doing the brakes in our Biofit gym space, however small it is!
Healthy Office design
Matt Morley
And so beyond the office gyms what other examples of health and wellness facilities have you been involved in, there's also an office yoga room and a white room for people who are working during the night?
From yoga rooms to light therapy rooms in a healthy office or university
Karolinska University Health Promotion Unit
Yeah, we have tested different things and one was the White Room, the light room that we call it unfortunately we have To close it because people didn't behave in there!
But I can describe it as a completely white room, which should be used during the months from November till March here in Stockholm as the winter is quite dark, it causes SAD syndrome!
The research shows that we need probably a little bit more light during the winter here up in Scandinavia, it's always better to go outside, of course but with a cloudy winter day here in Stockholm, the lux measurements are very low.
The importance of natural light vs artificial light
Matt Morley
But the principle behind that is very interested in the idea of there being a space that at least in lighting terms follows the body's natural rhythm. So when I think about that, in terms of designing a gym, it's about energizing, but also not disrupting sleep patterns.
The importance of natural light for workplace wellbeing
So I want someone to be energized while they're exercising. But equally, if they're exercising after dark, I don't want them to be blasted with blue white light that keeps them awake unnecessarily, by tricking their brain into thinking that suddenly it's daytime again.
Physical and mental health
Karolinska University Health Promotion Unit
It's a tough, it's a competitive environment here in K.I. We we are aiming to be the best medical university in Europe. And, of course, people need to have those facility I think to take those short breaks to energize themselves to keep the mental and physical wellbeing and activity going, people are here working long hours. So we also have very generous opening hours at our facility facilities.
We have a yoga dance studio and an ergonomic room close to us to encourage students and employees to come and test chairs and their desk setup.
Matt Morley
So you're you're both providing physical spaces in which people can practice and put these ideas into practice. So if it's exercising, moving, but you're also having to educate and inform and share knowledge in some way. So how do you how do you approach that?
Karolinska University Health Promotion Unit
We do both. I think our role is a very communicating role. We're not only operational because we can't reach out to 5000 students, or is it 6000.
So therefore, we have a lot of communication channels. And we also in our team, we recruit student instructors. And in that way, try to spread our philosophy about movement in a long term perspective, not just focus on our classes and weekly classes, and so we tried to educate them, how to be stay active without us.
Matt Morley
In a typical week of programming then whether it's online or offline. You do your classes or mini workshops or encouraging movements but how do you structure the week as a to create some kind of routine or productivity?
Karolinska University Health Promotion Unit
How do we structure the week we'll take an example. If we go before Corona, we had lunch classes that we call movement classes, both indoor outdoor. In the evening, we had more workshops like learning basic weightlifting techniques, it was students held those classes.
In the evening, we had ball sports, basketball, volleyball, stuff like that also organized by the students.
Biophilic design benefits
Matt Morley
I know you've got a beautiful new vertical garden wall. That certainly looks to be one of the biggest I've ever seen, how else are you using Biophilia an biophilic design to enhance creativity and reduce stress via natural elements?
Karolinska University Health Promotion Unit
When we started to looking at the design and the connection between movement and SDGs and nature, we were quite disappointed about the fitness industry.
So I think it feels so good to take this road to a more green setting in everything we do in interior design.
As I told you before, the best thing is to go outside but it's slowly progressing here, we can see it in the interior design choices when the university build new buildings or when they renovate.
Karolinska University Health Promotion Unit
When they have visited our small Biofit gym space, they see the connection between these huge and walls and they start to add for example, in biomedical department, more green walls and biophilia.
Matt Morley
Are you able to take inspiration or guidance from the academics, the professors who are part of the university? How much exchange is there between departments?
Karolinska University Health Promotion Unit
So it's a fantastic place to be looking into ideas around the healthy office. That is why I've been here so long, because there are so many fantastic people there.
When we start pulling in one thread here, like the green area and people pop in to say they are researchin how green spaces affect your health, how we can benefit from it in interior design, it's incredible.
All eyes are on us. There are a lot of experts out there in our campus. When it comes especially comes to training, you know, everybody's an expert.
And so it's so important that that we stick to our guns, discuss how office design can promote health too, but do so in an informed way. It's about collaborative ideas really.