Physical Education and Mental Health Promotion
A special issue of International Journal of Environmental Research and Public Health (ISSN 1660-4601). This special issue belongs to the section "Global Health".
Deadline for manuscript submissions: closed (30 November 2022) | Viewed by 10401
Special Issue Editors
Interests: stigma; ICT; mental health; psychosis; physical activity; education
Interests: mental health; rehabilitation; severe mental disorders
Interests: communication; physical therapy; mental health
Special Issues, Collections and Topics in MDPI journals
Special Issue Information
Dear Colleagues,
There is important evidence about the benefits that physical activity can have on various mental disorders, such as in cases of depression, anxiety or stress. Perhaps less known are studies that also highlight the importance of physical activity in more severe disorders, such as schizophrenia, where not only can these people’s physical condition improve, but exercise also helps to reduce symptoms, such as negative symptoms in this disease.
However, despite this evidence, it is also true that people with mental health problems generally perform less physical activity than the general population. For this reason, it is important to analyze the barriers and facilitators of physical practice in that population, as well as evaluate how physical activity can be combined with improvement in other important personal and social areas, such as healthy eating habits, reduction of substance use, etc.
The mechanisms that influence the relationship between physical activity and mental health are not known in an exact way. It is also essential to analyze how physical activity can affect different characteristics of people with psychological problems that have to do, for example, with the improvement of variables such as self-esteem, quality of sleep or the reduction of stigma, very common in this population.
Finally, the practice of physical activity can lead in some cases to various problems, such as the incidence of mental disorders in elite athletes or addiction to exercise in some people.
In summary, this Special Issue aims to review all these aspects, highlighting the most innovative research related to barriers and possible facilitators of the practice of physical exercise; the combination of physical activity with other psychological, medical or social interventions in the field of mental health; the economic benefits in the sanitary cost that the promotion of the physical activity supposes; the possible explanatory mechanisms of these changes and the effective measures that can be implemented at the institutional level to favor the practice of physical activity in people with mental health problems or at risk of suffering it.
Likewise, the benefits that physical activity can provide in various mental disorders or people who may suffer from mental health problems (such as older people, people at risk of social exclusion, people with disabilities, etc.) will be detailed. All this is from a multidisciplinary perspective, covering the field of psychology, physiotherapy, physical activity and sports sciences, medicine, social work and in general the different disciplines involved in physical activity and mental health.
Prof. Adolfo J. Cangas
Dr. Roberto Zarate
Prof. Daniel Catalán
Guest Editors
Manuscript Submission Information
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Keywords
- exercise
- mental health
- health promotion
- lifestyle education
- adapted physical activity
- wellbeing
- leisure
- population health
- quality of life
