Torres-Cruz Mateus, Moura-Alves Mariana, Lima Renata Pereira, King Rachel, Dos Santos Cleber Aparecido, Almeida Thiago da Silva, Callamari Frederico Barão, Kolchraiber Flavia Cristiane, Marega Márcio, Atalla Márcio Henrique, Amaro Edson, Sato João Ricardo, Kozasa Elisa Harumi
Hospital Israelita Albert Einstein, São Paulo, Brazil.
University of Chichester, Chichester, United Kingdom.
Front Public Health. 2025 Mar 14;13:1463401. doi: 10.3389/fpubh.2025.1463401. eCollection 2025.
The COVID-19 pandemic exacerbated mental health issues, particularly in vulnerable communities. Non-psychiatric interventions, including psychological emotional regulation, contemplative practices, and physical activity, can be powerful tools for improving mental health, especially in vulnerable populations. The present study evaluates the effect of a novel low-cost Socioemotional and Physical Activity Intervention in a Brazilian large vulnerable community during the pandemic's final period.
Participants were adults (18 to 60 years of age) that resided in the Paraisópolis, the third largest in Brazil. Recruitment was done through advertising via mobile messaging. Participants were divided into two groups, Intervention (Group I) or Waiting List Control (Group C). Group I participants underwent an in-person Multidimensional Intervention of 1 h per week, for 12 weeks, which was composed of socioemotional skills learning and moderate physical activities, while Group C maintained their usual daily routines. All participants were evaluated before (T0) and after (T1) the Intervention. The evaluation included four validated questionnaires to assess mental health (DASS-21, PANAS, WHO-5 and BRS), IPAQ for evaluating physical activity levels and a physical fitness assessment, which provided quantitative data. A semi-structured interview was also done, which provided qualitative data and was analyzed using a reflexive thematic analysis.
Quantitative data was collected from 88 participants, 43 from Group I and 45 from Group C. We observed a reduction in the scores for depression (DASS-21; Mean difference between evaluations [MD] = -3.2 [± 1.13, SEM], = 0.006) and negative affects (PANAS, MD = -2.7 [± 0.97], = 0.012) observed only in the participants of the I group in T1 compared to T0, but not for the C group. We also found a reduction in systolic arterial blood pressure in hypertensive or pre-hypertensive participants after exercise (Group I = 28; -7.0 [± 2.8] mmHg, = 0.014), an increase in physical endurance (walk test, MD = +56.0 [±8.7] m, < 0.001) and flexibility (sit and reach test, MD = +5.12 [±0.85] cm, < 0.001) only in the I group on T1, compared to T0. The reflexive thematic analysis results suggest that the Intervention not only alleviated negative emotional states, such as anxiety and sadness, but also provided a notable enhancement in participant's physical vitality, corroborating and complementing the quantitative analysis results.
The results presented here indicate that the Intervention presented here has the potential to reduce symptoms correlated with mental disorders and improve physical fitness in residents of a large vulnerable community.
新冠疫情加剧了心理健康问题，尤其是在弱势群体中。非精神科干预措施，包括心理情绪调节、冥想练习和体育活动，可能是改善心理健康的有力工具，特别是在弱势群体中。本研究评估了一种新型低成本社会情感与体育活动干预措施在疫情末期对巴西一个大型弱势群体社区的影响。
参与者为居住在巴西第三大城市帕拉伊索波利斯的成年人（18至60岁）。通过移动消息广告进行招募。参与者被分为两组，干预组（第一组）或等待名单对照组（C组）。第一组参与者每周进行一次为期12周、每次1小时的面对面多维干预，该干预由社会情感技能学习和适度体育活动组成，而C组维持其日常惯例。所有参与者在干预前（T0）和干预后（T1）接受评估。评估包括四份经过验证的问卷，以评估心理健康（DASS - 21、PANAS、WHO - 5和BRS）、用于评估体育活动水平的IPAQ以及一项体能评估，这些提供了定量数据。还进行了一次半结构化访谈，提供了定性数据，并使用反思性主题分析进行分析。
从88名参与者中收集了定量数据，其中43名来自第一组，45名来自C组。我们观察到，与T0相比，仅在第一组参与者的T1中，抑郁评分（DASS - 21；评估之间的平均差异[MD] = -3.2 [±1.13，标准误]，P = 0.006）和消极情绪（PANAS，MD = -2.7 [±0.97]，P = 0.012）有所降低，而C组没有。我们还发现，运动后高血压或高血压前期参与者的收缩压有所降低（第一组n = 28；-7.0 [±2.8] mmHg，P = 0.014），仅在第一组的T1中，与T0相比，身体耐力增加（步行测试，MD = +56.0 [±8.7] m，P < 0.001）和柔韧性增加（坐立前屈测试，MD = +5.12 [±0.85] cm，P < 0.001）。反思性主题分析结果表明，该干预措施不仅减轻了焦虑和悲伤等负面情绪状态，还显著增强了参与者的身体活力，证实并补充了定量分析结果。
此处呈现的结果表明，此处介绍的干预措施有可能减轻与精神障碍相关的症状，并改善大型弱势群体社区居民的身体健康状况。
