The Promenta Centre conducts research on the source of the good life. They are joined by 46 municipalities that work to promote good quality of life and mental health in the population.
Mental health problems among young girls are increasing, boys are dropping out of the school system and Norway has fallen from first place to seventh place on the international happiness list. Today's young people have reduced optimism for the future and a greater degree of worry. What is the reason? And what is being done to solve the health challenges we face in today's society?
"We are trying to solve the mystery of depression and find the source of the good life. We don't have all the answers yet, but we aim high and are interested in the big questions," says Espen Røysamb, professor of personality psychology and head of the Promenta research centre.
Is it due to social media, isolation and loneliness, school pressure or worries about the climate, war and the future? All these questions are investigated in Promenta's research project, which has received NOK 50 million in funding from the Research Council of Norway.
Adventurous research for public health
Promenta is an interdisciplinary research centre with an emphasis on mental health, substance abuse and quality of life in the population. The centre was established in 2019 and is based at the University of Oslo. They have grown from six to 60 employees in four years, and Espen Røysamb describes the development as an adventure.
"If you put good people together in a room, and don't let them out until they've thought of something new, then something magical happens", says Røysamb.
In the project, Promenta collaborates with healthy municipalities, a network of 46 municipalities and county authorities that place public health and social sustainability high in their community planning. Healthy municipalities are part of the WHO's Healthy Cities network where they collaborate with over 1300 European municipalities.
"We work to create local communities that are good to live in for everyone. Experiencing a good quality of life has value for the individual, but it is also of great importance from a purely socio-economic point of view", says Vigdis Holm, who is the general manager of Sunne municipalities.
"Exclusion is costly, both for individuals and society. Therefore, we must work systematically and in a structured way to promote a good quality of life and health for all.
Building bridges to the municipal sector
Through its partnership with Sunne municipalities, the centre works closely with the municipal sector to contribute to knowledge transfer, develop tools for evaluation and implement effective measures.
"The municipalities are initiating many exciting initiatives for children, young people, the elderly, and new parents. But the measures are not evaluated, and we therefore do not know what the effect is. We need methodological tools and guidance to find out what works, what does not work and what are the most cost-effective measures. We want to help the municipalities with this", Røysamb explains.
Mental health on the political agenda
The Promenta Centre collaborates with government agencies and actively participates in the media to share research findings and influence policy. They emphasize the need to understand and tackle widespread public health issues such as anxiety, depression, loneliness, and early school leaving, and work to reduce social inequality and marginalization in society.
"The causes of mental illness are complex. At Promenta, we therefore conduct research on mental health and quality of life in a holistic perspective — from genetics and biology to local communities and politics. By combining basic and applied research, we use the best available data and methods to approach the answers we need", Røysamb explains.
The government will launch a strategy for quality of life next year, and the Norwegian Directorate of Health has developed a national questionnaire that both Statistics Norway and the Norwegian Institute of Public Health have used in the annual surveys on quality of life and health. The goal is to be able to monitor developments in the population's quality of life.
"The idea is to measure what the condition is like out there. Both the proportion with mental health problems and the proportion with a high quality of life. We want to explore how the condition changes over time", says Røysamb.
Preventive measures have reduced symptoms of anxiety and increased everyday enjoyment
Promenta has its own research group at the Norwegian Institute of Public Health, led by Ragnhild Bang Nes. This group works in particular with activities that enable the research to be used in practice. The centre emphasises the prevention and early detection and treatment of mental disorders. This could contribute to lasting, positive changes in mental health and quality of life. Preventive measures and activities that are known from happiness research in the UK and Norway provide stronger mental health and increased joy in life.
The Council for Mental Health calls the activities "five a day for stronger mental health" according to the "five a day" model for fruit and vegetables, which are well known in the population as health-promoting.
"Prevention is more profitable than treatment and will provide great socio-economic benefits. It is better to prevent a fire than to have to put it out. Five a day works preventively against future health problems and gives you an inner resilience that protects you when you face difficulties. Something everyone does during their lifetime", says Røysamb.
Over a ten-week program, a selection of about a thousand people have been able to follow a systematic program for increased everyday happiness. The program has had clear effects among those who participated, in the form of increased quality of life and reduced symptoms of anxiety and depression.
"This is an example of concrete interventions that are being developed and tested in the municipalities, and with very positive results so far", says Røysamb.
The gain for the inhabitants
Vigdis Holm, general manager of Sunne kommuner, believes that the key to success is to work across municipalities, county authorities and research institutions. Through the collaboration with Promenta, the municipalities gain access to unique and much-needed expertise in public health research, Via competence-building arenas such as seminars, the knowledge spreads to the municipalities and citizens.
Among other things, they have arranged seminars on everyday joy, and now the municipal employees can use the tools in the school and Nav. Holm praises Promenta for having a strong commitment to collaboration with the municipalities, and for the fact that the municipalities make use of the results of the research.
"Knowledge sharing is in demand in the municipality, and there is a great need for evaluation of the measures taken in the municipalities. The collaboration with Promenta works incredibly well", says Holm.
There have been many participants in the courses in everyday joy, and Holm is pleased that they have reached out to many people, including the young residents.
"Healthy municipalities assist in translating the research, so that it can reach out to the field of practice. Through the partnership with Promenta, we will have the opportunity to link research and practice", she says.