Lithuanian Sports University e-Journals
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S16: Advancing the Implementation of Physical Activity Into Specialist Mental Health Services
Get PDFRobust evidence now exists supporting the use of physical activity as an effective powerful therapeutic option for people accessing specialist mental health services (Maurus et al., 2024). In the context of physical, cognitive, and mental health benefits, there appears an urgent need to implement and expand physical activity opportunities within mental health services across various contexts (Deenik et al., 2019; Stubbs et al., 2024). However, while some contexts have advanced service provision in this regard, many other European contexts provide physical activity in an ad hoc and insufficient manner (Machaczek et al., 2023). Thus, there is scope for research to better understand current physical activity provision and to advance the knowledge on successful implementation and scale-up.
This symposium will highlight contemporary research on the implementation and value of integrated physical activity for specialist mental health services across the European context. Chermaine Noortman (The Netherlands) will discuss the personal benefits, potential economic value, and implementation learning from a multicomponent lifestyle intervention in the outpatient mental healthcare setting. Megan Cooney (Ireland) will present an overview of the current state of physical activity provision in an international context, and also detail a case study of a model of novel integrated physical activity in Irish mental health services. Florence Kinnafick (UK) will share findings from international consensus research utilising the Nominal Groups Technique, focusing on implementation strategies specific to inpatient settings. Katarzyna Karolina Machaczek (UK) will offer insights into supporting the long-term maintenance of physical activity for people who live with severe mental ill health, including the voice of lived experience.
Taken together, this symposium aims to provide novel insights and build a picture of how we can all work together to implement integrated physical activity interventions to improve physical and mental health outcomes for people who access specialist mental health services
S19-2: Travel Distances in Recreational League Play – An Analysis of 317 Football Teams Playing More Than 4,000 Games
Get PDFPurpose: Globally, about 30% of CO2 emissions are caused by travel. In order to comply with calls of the United Nations and the European Commission, the sport sector needs to reduce its emissions caused by travel to tournaments and league games in professional and amateur sport. To this date, no clear mechanisms exist on how to do this. The presentation shows how an algorithm based solution from optimisation science can help sport federations reduce travel distances in any type of league or tournament play.
Methods: Using algorithms from optimisation science, travel distances for recreational league play in football (adults, lowest recreational leagues) were mapped and analysed for one full season of game play. Carbon emissions were calculated using established standards. For three regions of Germany, a total of 317 teams playing 4,048 matches were included in the analysis. Two different scenarios were tested to keep the number of games teams play constant, but potentially reduce travel distances.
Results: The teams travelled a combined 157,103 km to travel to away games, causing 46 k/T of carbon emissions for each car travelling the distance. Estimating that each team uses an average of 3.5 cars to transport players and coaches, the total emissions are 161 k/T of CO2. Travel distances per game were in average longer in the more rural compared to the more urban areas. In most instances, travel distances could be shortened by re-arranging teams into groups based on geographical location. A further reduction of travel distances is achieved if all teams are placed in one league and play only against opponents close by.
Conclusions: Travel distances in recreational sport are a significant source of CO2 emissions. Algorithm based optimisation of league play to reduce travel distances has high potential to reduce the carbon footprint of the sport sector. However, barriers remain on how to implement changes in game formats and league play.
Support/Funding Source: No external funds
S22-2: The Validation of Real-World Digital Mobility Outcomes
Get PDFPurpose: Despite the increasing relevance of mobility impairment, there are no tools available to measure it in the real-world. The European Mobilise-D project developed 24 digital mobility outcomes (DMOs) to assess real-world mobility that target walking activity (amount, pattern) and gait (pace, rhythm, variability). The aim of this study was to validate these DMOs in patient populations.
Methods: The DMOs were measured in 2,143 participants of the Mobilise-D prospective cohort study, including persons with Parkinson’s disease, chronic obstructive pulmonary disease, multiple sclerosis, and after proximal femoral fracture, recruited from 17 sites in 10 countries and assessed every six months for two years. Construct validity was explored using Spearman/Pearson correlations and a-priory expectations. Ability to detect change was assessed by standardised response mean in strata defined by self-reported global impression of change and changes in constructs meaningful to patients. MIDs were triangulated using distribution- and anchor-based methods.
Results: Three groups of DMOs were identified: 1) DMOs showing good construct validity and ability to detect change across all diseases and overall cohort (walking duration, number of steps, number of bouts of any duration or >10 s, average and maximum walking speed in longer bouts, stride length in longer bouts), 2) DMOs showing good construct validity and ability to detect change only in some diseases (number of walking bouts >30 and 60 s, bout to bout duration variability, walking speed in shorter bouts, stride length in shorter bouts, cadence in all and longer bouts, maximum cadence, walking speed bout to bout variability, stride length bout to bout variability), and 3) DMOs that exhibited generally poor results in construct validity (average and maximum bout duration, stride duration in shorter and longer bouts, cadence bout to bout variability, stride duration bout to bout variability).
Conclusions: The developed and validated DMOs offer a new opportunity to evaluate real-world mobility and to target outcomes that go beyond amount of physical activity.
Support/Funding Source: This project has received funding from the Innovative Medicines Initiative 2 Joint Undertaking under grant agreement No 820820. This Joint Undertaking receives support from the European Union’s Horizon 2020 research and innovation programme and EFPIA (www.imi.europa.eu).
Keywords: Digital mobility outcomes, real-world assessment, walking activity, gait, validatio
KEYNOTE 1. Healthy Moves: Exploring the Socio-Ecological Approach to Active Transport – How Far Can We Go Together
Get PDFAssoc. Prof. Dr. Brigita Miežienė has completed her undergraduate and graduate education, and PhD in Social Sciences (Psychology). Her research covers the fields of Health Psychology, Environmental Psychology, and Public Health. National and international research includes health-related and environment-friendly behaviour (physical activity, nutrition), physical and mental wellbeing, and the significance of psychosocial factors for behavioural and health outcomes. She co-authored over 50 scientific articles, including publications published in the Clarivate Analytics database. She was the leader or a principal investigator in 29 scientific, study, and experimental development projects. Brigita Miežienė had training as a scientific fellow at Harvard University (2018, 2019, and 2022), delving into research methodology and the significance of social capital for health-related behaviour. PhD students under her supervision are engaged in sustainable health behaviour research. At the Lithuanian Sports University, she is leading the research group “Social Capital and Pro-Environmental and Health-Enhancing Behaviour”
Association of Childhood Residential Environment and Family Socioeconomic Status With Physical Activity in Early Adulthood – A Population-Based Northern Finland Birth Cohort 1986 Study
Get PDFPurpose: Low childhood family socioeconomic status (SES) predicts less healthy lifestyles in adulthood. Differences in socioeconomic lifestyle factors are already evident in childhood and continue into adulthood. Although much research has been conducted on the relationship between childhood family SES and physical activity (PA), there is little evidence of how the childhood family SES in urban and rural environments affects PA in adulthood. The aim of this study was to determine how family SES of urban and rural children is related to adult PA by answering the research question how family SES of rural and urban children is associated with adult PA.
Methods: We used population-based cohort data from the Northern Finland Birth Cohort 1986. Participants’ (n = 9,432) parents reported residential environment and family SES when the participants were seven years old (n = 8,370). At age 35, participants underwent clinical measurements (n = 1,807) and completed questionnaires (n = 3,322) about health, health behaviours and SES. PA data were collected with the Oura ring (n = 1,578). The final data consisted of 813 participants. We used linear models to study the associations of the childhood residential environment and SES with PA in adulthood.
Results: Difference in total daily PA minutes was 40.99 min greater in the unadjusted model for male participants living in rural environment during childhood and whose family had high SES (p < 0.001). After adjusting with BMI, work strenuousness, and adulthood residential environment the difference was 26.73 min (p = 0.043) greater. Difference in male participants’ daily light PA minutes was 40.38 min greater in the unadjusted model (p < 0.001) and 27.64 min greater in the adjusted model (p = 0.023).
Conclusion: High SES children who have lived in a rural environment during childhood had more PA in adulthood than high SES children who have lived in urban environment. According to our results, efforts to promote an active lifestyle should consider family SES and residential environment during childhood.
Support/Funding Source: The research was funded by Stiftelsen Alma och K. A. Snellman Foundation, Päivikki and Sakari Sohlberg Foundation, Juho Vainio Foundation and Ministry of Education and Culture (Grant Number OKM/28/626/2023).
Keywords: Physical activity, socioeconomic status, residential environment, urban, rural, life-cours
Co-Producing With Adolescents: Practical Lessons on Developing a Digital Walking Intervention for Scottish High Schools
Get PDFPurpose: Physical inactivity rates in Scotland remain persistently high in young people. According to the 2022 Scottish Health Survey, 13-to-15-year-olds were the least likely to meet physical activity recommendations in Scotland, with only 54% achieving the recommendations. Addressing this has been an enduring societal challenge over the last 25 years.
Project Description: Paths for All – Scotland’s walking charity – in partnership with the Universities of Stirling, Edinburgh, and the Highlands and Islands, are extending the demographic reach of their work by using co-production to develop a new walking challenge intervention to support young people’s physical, mental, and social health. This project is using the latest thinking in behaviour change theory and understanding of how digital technology (such as mobile phones, smart watches, and apps) can support the promotion of physical activity in young people, to develop bespoke offers for young people in high school settings. Another outcome of this project is to empower young people to increase their awareness of physical activity and digital health data literacy.
The co-production work is taking place between March and December 2025: A series of workshops are being run with five to eight adolescents representing six high schools from across Scotland. The outputs and learning from the workshops with young people will shape and inform the final product and this could include the development of digital tools, messaging, and communications, the look/feel of the resource and communications that support the intervention design.
The presentation will detail the practicalities of how to successfully design and deliver co-production activities and lessons learned and will consider how the design of the workshops ensures that young people have a significant and meaningful say in shaping the output of this project.
Conclusion: This project contributes to a growing body of work addressing physical inactivity in young people in high school settings. Using co-production methods, a goal of the project is producing an exemplar of physical activity intervention design by young people, for young people in high school settings
Effects of 4 Weeks of Lifestyle Clinics Seeking to Promote Physical Activity: An Observational Study
Get PDFPurpose: United Kingdom patients may be given brief advice about PA during health-related consultations and possibly referred to attend exercise on referral scheme. Evidence for in-house lifestyle clinics to educate patients about PA is limited. Think Active funded 10 primary care sites around Coventry to deliver lifestyle clinics offering education on health-related topics in a face-to-face, group workshop format over four weeks. Participants could be physically active after each clinic, e.g. allowed to walk close to the venue or chair-based exercise.
Methods: Following ethical approval (P162725), this mixed-methods observational study comprised four work packages (WP).
WP1. Survey: 97 attendees’ (F = 63, M = 34) PA, mental wellbeing, and other lifestyle behaviours were measured before the clinics started (baseline), on completion at four weeks (post), and one month following their completion at eight weeks (follow-up).
WP2. Fidelity: Based on the brief provided, a list of criteria that clinics needed to follow was developed and each site was graded as low, medium, or high fidelity.
WP3 and WP4. Semi-structured interviews: conducted using Teams/telephone to ascertain experiences and views of the leads who facilitated (n = 11; F = 9, M = 2) and patients (n = 11; F = 5; M = 6) who attended the lifestyle clinics.
Results: Following data triangulation, consensus was reached on the plausibility that the lifestyle clinics: 1) increased PA behaviour; 2) increased readiness to change PA behaviour; 3) improved self-reported health; 4) improved mental wellbeing; 5) improved patients’ knowledge and understanding of PA, sedentary behaviour, diet, and nutrition. All sites were graded at least medium or high fidelity and whilst the patients and leads were very positive about their experience, issues and challenges unique to each of the sites were highlighted.
Future Research: Due to a lack of control group, a feasibility RCT should now be conducted before assessing efficacy as part of a multi-site definitive trial.
Conclusion: Attendees of the lifestyle clinics increased their PA and achieved mental health benefits. Despite areas for improvement being identified, the leads and patients had a positive experience. The lifestyle clinics should therefore be described as successful, thus guiding principles and a good practice document has been compiled
Flemish School Boards’ Reasons for (Not) Organising Snow Classes
Get PDFIntroduction: For some decades, snow classes (SC) in the Alps have been an optional activity in Flemish primary and secondary schools. However, winter sports are recognised as both a motor and victim of climate change. Transport, intense reliance on infrastructure and equipment, land use, maintenance of slopes, and providing acceptable (artificial) snow conditions create a considerable ecological impact, and at the same time clarify why winter sports are relatively expensive. The aim of the present study was to gain insight into school boards’ reasons for (not) organising SC in Flemish primary and secondary schools, now and in the coming years.
Methods: An online questionnaire using Qualtrics software was sent out to all Flemish primary and secondary schools in Flanders and the Brussels-Capital Region (n = 3,362). Questions were categorised into: 1) barriers, 2) SC modalities and activities, 3) expectations for future SC.
Results: Response rate was 7.8% (n = 262). The majority (n = 188, 72%) declared not to organise SC but 76 of these schools had considered it and abstained from organising, reporting the following barriers: ‘expensive’ (95%), ‘high ecological footprint’ (22%), ‘safety concerns’ (21%), ‘organisational complexity’ (21%), ‘lack of qualified staff’ (20%), ‘no pedagogical added value’ (11%), ‘little student interest’ (9%). SC-organising schools reported the following barriers: ‘expensiveness’ (90%), ‘lack of qualified staff’ (39%), ‘safety concerns’ (26%), ‘unforeseen conditions (e.g. no snow)’ (13%), ‘organisational complexity’ (12%), and ‘ecological footprint’ (2%). SC are organised annually or biennially and last 6–10 days, costing students between <€500 and €1,100. Students always practice alpine skiing/snowboarding usually in combination with hiking and other team activities, which is complemented by educational workshops on the alpine environment in 24% of the schools. Seventy-seven percent of school boards believe that climate change will negatively impact SC, mainly financially and on snow quality.
Conclusion: Taking response bias into account, financial issues are most prominent for organising SC and school boards believe climate change will worsen this. Interestingly, a discrepancy in reporting ecological issues was observed between schools that do and do not organise SC. As schools shift away from SC, ecological aspects should be considered for any alternatives
From City Centres to Countryside: A Nationwide Study of Residence‑Based Inequities in Youth Physical Activity
Get PDFPurpose: The aim was to investigate how self‑reported place of residence relates to multiple facets of physical activity behaviour in Finnish children, adolescents, and young adults.
Methods: Analyses drew on the nationally representative Finnish School-Aged Physical Activity (LIITU in Finnish) monitoring study of 9‑ to 20‑year‑olds (n = 18,978). Respondents classified their residence with a four‑level scale (urban city centre, urban periphery, rural population centre, or dispersed rural area) and reported (1) adherence to the 60‑min‑per‑day moderate‑to‑vigorous physical activity (PA) guideline, (2) daily screen time, (3) sports club participation, (4) leisure-time PA, (5) active commuting to school or studies, (6) perceived physical functioning, and (7) perceived barriers to PA. Age‑ and sex‑specific prevalences were compared across residence categories using χ² tests (p < 0.05).
Results: Urban upper secondary and high school students were more likely to meet the PA recommendation than their rural peers. Excessive screen time (>2 h/day) was slightly more common among rural primary school students compared to students in other residence areas. Active sports club participation was more common in urban areas compared to rural locations, with gaps of 20 percentage points in younger age groups. Active commuting was most prevalent in urban cores (80%) and rural centres (84%) and least common in the urban periphery (72%) and dispersed rural areas (71%). Rural youth reported more barriers, notably the absence of nearby facilities, organised instruction, and the high cost of participation. Perceived physical fitness was higher among urban than rural respondents, particularly from upper‑secondary age upwards.
Conclusion: Residence strongly shaped many facets of PA behaviours such as organised sport involvement, active transport, perceived barriers to PA, and perceived physical functioning. The findings highlight geographical inequities – dispersed rural living is linked to fewer opportunities and greater obstacles to being active. Tailored policies are needed to ensure that all Finnish youth can achieve recommended PA levels.
Support/Funding Source: The study was funded by the Finnish Ministry of Education and Culture
From Handbook to Digital Tool – Development and Implementation of FYSS and eFYSS to Support Sustainable Integration of Physical Activity in Healthcare
Get PDFPurpose: Sustainable healthcare systems require long-term strategies for disease prevention and health promotion. Despite the well-documented benefits of physical activity (PA), knowledge gaps persist among healthcare professionals regarding its clinical use. The Swedish handbook FYSS – Physical Activity in the Prevention and Treatment of Disease, addresses this gap by providing evidence-based PA recommendations for over 35 diagnoses, along with guidance on factors important for effective PA counselling. Primarily targeting healthcare providers, FYSS promotes sustainable, non-pharmacological treatment strategies and forms the scientific foundation for the Swedish Physical Activity on Prescription (FaR) method. The recent development of a digital version, eFYSS, represents an innovative step towards enhancing clinical applicability and supporting broader, more sustainable integration of PA in healthcare.
Project Description: FYSS is developed by the Swedish Professional Associations for Physical Activity (YFA), with financial support from the Swedish National Board of Health and Welfare. Over 100 medical experts contributed to the fourth edition, FYSS 2021, which includes updated general and diagnosis-specific PA recommendations aligned with the latest evidence and public health goals. A standardised chapter format enhances usability in clinical practice.
Nationally implemented as a core tool for prescribing FaR, FYSS is also integrated into health professional education programmes. To improve implementation, eFYSS was co-designed with healthcare professionals as a user-friendly digital platform providing rapid access to tailored PA recommendations during consultations. Dissemination efforts include national-level conferences, integration into medical curricula, and alignment with public health strategies. FYSS has also inspired international adaptations, including translations and versions used in the EU-funded EUPAP project. In 2025, a new initiative will launch a full digital version of FYSS in collaboration with the National Board of Health and Welfare, enabling lower environmental impact, continuous updates, and wider access.
Conclusion: FYSS and eFYSS demonstrate how structured, evidence-based tools can integrate PA into routine healthcare. The digital format improves accessibility, scalability, and sustainability. Their use promotes equitable, non-pharmacological approaches to disease prevention and treatment, supporting national and global public health goals and offering a scalable model for other healthcare systems