How COVID-19 pandemic affected physical activity and mental health interventions – A descriptive example of the Mental Health on the MOVE research project

Abstract

Coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID‐19) is a public health emergency of international concern. Strategies to manage the pandemic spread of the virus have changed the daily behaviour of people worldwide, including people with diagnosis of severe mental disorders. In Portugal, mental health services had to adjust, several ambulatory facilities for psychiatry patients, as well as the acute day hospitals closed. Additionally, community-based programs for this population were also affected. Mental Health on the MOVE research project is a specific example of how COVID-19 affected physical activity and mental health interventions. This document pretends to report how COVID-19 changed the project dynamic, mainly during the exercise sessions and research activities, describing the strategies adopted during this difficult time. This information could be helpful for other research teams that also had to adapt and challenge themselves with clinical and scientific methodologies to follow the project purpose, taking into consideration government rules and health standards.

Keywords

• COVID-19
• mental disorders
• exercise