Institute of Health and Wellbeing: Case Studies

Applying and Embedding Whole Systems Approaches to Improve Public Health: Working Together to Reduce Inactivity in Suffolk

Low levels of physical activity continue to present a major challenge for health and wellbeing in Suffolk. Addressing this issue requires more than isolated programmes or short-term interventions, which have often failed to lead to sustained change. At the Institute of Health and Wellbeing, our research focuses on applying whole system approaches to understand how physical activity is shaped by places, policies, services and relationships, and how these can be improved collectively.

Working closely with Active Suffolk and the University of Essex, we have brought together a wide range of partners across public health, local government, sport and leisure and the VCFSE sector. Together, we mapped the physical activity system in Suffolk to develop a shared understanding of how different parts of the system interact to enable activity to take place, where progress is being made, and where change could have the greatest impact.

This collaborative work helped identify key leverage points for action and directly informed the county’s Move More to Feel Better physical activity strategy. The strategy is now being used to bring partners together, support more joined-up working and embed physical activity across aligned agendas across Suffolk.

We have since built on this foundation by strengthening our understanding of how organisations and influences connect within the system. This work helps highlight what is working well, where barriers persist and who else needs to be involved to support meaningful and sustained change.

Importantly, this evidence will now feed directly into the development of a clear Theory of Change for implementing the strategy. We will take this work into communities, working with residents and local organisations to co-create the Theory of Change, ensuring it reflects lived experience, addresses real barriers to being active and supports inclusive and sustainable change across Suffolk.

Evaluation of Chronicle's Snapshot Memory Box

Our evaluation of Chronicle’s Snapshot Memory Box explored its use in settings of social isolation.

The Memory Box is an innovative digital device designed by Chronicle Digital Storytelling to support wellbeing through memory, connection and communication.

Our project examined the impact of the Memory Box for two key groups: a) older adults living with dementia and/or Alzheimer’s disease, or identified as being at risk of isolation and loneliness, and b) their loved ones, including carers, family members, and those who created and gifted the device.

Data was collected through surveys, focus groups and one-to-one interviews with memory box users, gifters and supporters.

Our evaluation underscored significant positive social and emotional impacts of the memory box. For most, the experience of both making a box for a loved one, and receiving a gifted box, was an emotionally meaningful experience.

We measured user accessibility according to technology acceptance models and showed that engagement with familiar voices and images promoted positive mood, reduced feelings of loneliness, reinforced shared memories and stimulated conversation.

Loved ones overwhelmingly described the memory box as a meaningful and intuitive gift that strengthened emotional bonds, offered reassurance, and facilitated communication, particularly where traditional interaction was challenging.

The study highlighted that such a device is most impactful for individuals in the early stages of dementia or Alzheimer’s disease, with cognitive capacity influencing the extent of benefit.

Drawing on these findings, we were able to form four key recommendations for further developing the device:

1. Enhancing functional accessibility (e.g., larger buttons, clearer controls, improved volume)
2. Increasing adaptability through expanded photo and audio options
3. Implementing evidence-based dementia-friendly design features (such as colour contrast, size and texture)
4. Conducting further evaluation across different contexts and user populations