P02-17 Promoting physical activity for mental health in the EU: Development and implementation of practice guidelines from the SPHERE EU project 2019-2020

Abstract Issue/problem Despite physical activity having an established evidence base for mental health problems there is mixed practice across the EU regarding its role in the support of mental health problems. The SPHERE EU project (Sport Healing Rehabilitation; 2019-2020 http://www.ecos-europe.com/sphere/erasmus-project/) was established to draw together academics, practitioners and psychiatrists, to develop practical guidelines and case study examples for their implementation. Description of the problem To support the use of physical activity for mental health promotion, a critical review of evidence was conducted to inform the development of Practice Guidelines with case study examples of practice. Results (effects/changes) Practice Guidelines include 17 recommendations relating to physiological, psychological and social dimensions of mental health rehabilitation. The presentation will outline the practical, evidence-based guidelines designed for practitioners and evaluators which can be used to support the use of physical activity for mental health in the EU. Lessons Practical, evidence-based guidelines for practice must be flexible to allow for individual differences and preferences, settings (clinical or community), and facility and equipment availability. This aim of these Guidelines are to enable professionals involved in health enhancing physical activity for mental health to have that evidence translated into practice, in a form that can be transferred to their setting and country. Main messages Despite physical activity being widely understood to have an important role in the lives of people with mental health problems and other common co-morbidities for this population group, guidelines remain scarce. The SPHERE project has addressed this dearth and provides practical and pragmatic recommendations for physical activity for people with mental health problems in the future.


Issue/problem
Despite physical activity having an established evidence base for mental health problems there is mixed practice across the EU regarding its role in the support of mental health problems.The SPHERE EU project (Sport Healing Rehabilitation; 2019-2020 http://www.ecos-europe.com/sphere/erasmus-project/)was established to draw together academics, practitioners and psychiatrists, to develop practical guidelines and case study examples for their implementation.

Description of the problem
To support the use of physical activity for mental health promotion, a critical review of evidence was conducted to inform the development of Practice Guidelines with case study examples of practice.Results (effects/changes) Practice Guidelines include 17 recommendations relating to physiological, psychological and social dimensions of mental health rehabilitation.The presentation will outline the practical, evidence-based guidelines designed for practitioners and evaluators which can be used to support the use of physical activity for mental health in the EU.Lessons Practical, evidence-based guidelines for practice must be flexible to allow for individual differences and preferences, settings (clinical or community), and facility and equipment availability.This aim of these Guidelines are to enable professionals involved in health enhancing physical activity for mental health to have that evidence translated into practice, in a form that can be transferred to their setting and country.

Background
In Denmark, 74% of the 11-15-years-old children do not reach national recommendations on physical activity and 6% (20.000 children), experience unwanted loneliness.School recess provides a unique opportunity for children to be active with others and form good relations.However, studies have found that many children perceive electronic devices such as mobile phones, tablets and computers as a key barrier for engaging in active play with other children during recess.These findings are based on perceptions from qualitative data.To our knowledge, no studies have investigated the effect of devicefree recess on children's recess behaviour.This knowledge is asked for by school boards, health professionals and politicians to inform future policies and actions.Therefore, the aim of this intervention study is to investigate the effect of device-free recess on schoolchildren's physical activity and social interaction.Methods During April-June 2020 device-free recess environments will be implemented at seven Danish schools.Children will be asked to place their mobile phones, tablets and computers in locked?device-hotels? during recess for a four-weeks intervention period.Among a cohort of 900 children from Grades 4-6 (10-13 yrs.) physical activity and social interaction during recess will be measured before and during the last intervention week using questionnaire and systematic observation (SOPLAY).All data will be analysedusing multilevel modelling for repeated measures to see pre-versus post intervention changes.

Results
Since the data collection will be carried out in spring 2020, results cannot be presented yet.However, the results will be ready for the HEPA conference in September 2020.Our hypothesis is that the children will increase their physical activity level and social interaction.However, we will also look into recess behaviourpre-and post-intervention across different subgroups of children e.g., gender, age, screen and physical activity habits prior intervention.

Conclusions
The study will be a crucial contribution to the limited knowledge in this field, and in line with the strategy of HEPA, the ambition is to provide evidence-based knowledge on which to base future