Conference Agenda

Background

Health care settings are pivotal to promote physical activity and wellbeing in people with young‑onset dementia (YOD). Evidence describing 24‑hour movement behaviours together with lived experiences in YOD remains limited.

Methods

This was a convergent mixed‑methods study in four care centres. Fifty‑six adults with YOD wore wrist accelerometers to assess sedentary time, activity intensities, steps and sleep (efficiency, total sleep time, awakenings). Ten focus groups explored sleep, emotions, coping, daytime functioning and support needs within care environments.

Results

Participants (ages 53–73 years) showed high sedentary time and low moderate-to-vigorous physical activity (MVPA), with many accumulating far below 10,000 steps/day, reflecting markedly inactive 24‑hour movement patterns. Sleep efficiency was generally high, yet several individuals experienced fragmented or short sleep, with long wake time after sleep onset (WASO) episodes influencing daytime energy. Qualitative findings revealed that these disrupted 24‑hour rhythms often interacted with emotional states, where early awakenings, rumination, or noise sensitivity reinforced feelings of uncertainty, frustration or sadness. Conversely, moments of good sleep or movement were linked to more stable mood and engagement. Participants used music, light activity, routines, and social interaction to regulate emotions and compensate for fatigue.

Conclusions

Health‑care settings should address YOD‑related inactivity and variable sleep–emotional patterns through personalised, low‑threshold HEPA approaches that embed social–emotional support, music‑ and movement‑based coping, and practical guidance on sleep and emotional self‑management, fostering consistent engagement and wellbeing.

Background and Purpose
Maintaining physical activity (PA) after stroke remains challenging, particularly during the transition from structured rehabilitation to the home environment. While previous studies have identified barriers and facilitators, less is known about how PA is maintained or disrupted over time in everyday life. This study explored how people with stroke and healthcare professionals experience maintaining PA after discharge from rehabilitation.

Methods
A qualitative interview study was conducted in the Netherlands. Semi-structured interviews were held with 15 people with stroke living at home and 14 healthcare professionals involved in post-stroke care. Interviews explored experiences of maintaining PA during the transition from rehabilitation to home. Data were analysed using reflexive thematic analysis in collaboration with individuals with lived experience of stroke.

Results
Four interrelated themes described how PA maintenance unfolded after stroke. Participants identified the transition from rehabilitation to home as a critical period marked by the loss of externally provided structure and the need to reorganise activity within everyday life. Maintenance was shaped by daily structure, energy management, social and environmental contexts and negotiation of physical limits and capabilities. Across themes, maintaining PA emerged as a dynamic process characterised by periods of disruption, adaptation and re-engagement.

Conclusions
Supporting PA after stroke requires attention to daily structure, social embedding and continuity of care beyond discharge. These findings highlight the importance of system-oriented and person-centred strategies to support long-term health-enhancing PA after stroke.

Funding Source:
Part of a PhD project funded by the Dutch Research Council (NWO).

Background

In 2020, physical activity-related health competence (PAHCO) was integrated into the Bavarian nursing education curriculum, requiring practical implementation of this specific content. Within the TakeCare! project, a cluster-randomized controlled effectiveness-implementation study with three intervention groups and one control group was conducted at 16 nursing schools in Bavaria, Germany. This contribution examines implementation status and factors influencing implementation.

Methods

The evaluation followed a mixed-methods design. Implementation status was assessed via questionnaires completed by school project coordinators and analysed descriptively (n=16). To explore influencing factors, semi-structed interviews were conducted with coordinators and were analysed using qualitative content analysis (n=16).

Results

All interventions were initiated at nursing schools of the three intervention groups. However, sustained implementation of specific components occurred mainly in two groups. Various influencing factors were identified at multiple levels: schools (e.g., resources, curricular integration), individuals (e.g., teachers’ competencies, headmaster’s attitude and actions), interventions (e.g., content and methods, organization), processes (e.g., communication, planning), and beyond schools (e.g., nursing education curriculum, networks and collaborations).

Conclusions

In particular, implementation by teachers proved promising, regardless of whether the intervention was developed in a participatory manner or by researchers. Furthermore, sustainable implementation requires addressing multiple influencing factors. Based on these findings and effectiveness results, recommendations for statewide implementation will be developed, supporting school practitioners and policymakers to establish the promotion of competencies for physically active lifestyles among nursing students.

Support/Funding Source

The study is funded by the Bavarian State Ministry of Health, Care and Prevention and the German health insurance company KKH Kaufmännische Krankenkasse.

Purpose. SmartCHANGE project develops AI‑based digital tools to support healthier habits among children and adolescents. The project develops a web application for health care professionals and the HappyPlant mobile application for children and adolescents. This presentation focuses on the web application and describes its feasibility and school nurses’ experiences of using it. Web application uses AI-health risk prediction models, trained on large longitudinal datasets, to estimate children’s future health risk, visualise counterfactural scenarios, and support practitioners’ clinical decision-making.

Methods. A feasibility study is underway in 2026. In Finland, a non-randomised controlled design includes eight school nurses and 100 pupils in grades 5 and 8. Pupils use the HappyPlant mobile app with activity trackers for three months, while school nurses use the web tool to assess risk, monitor progress, and provide tailored support. Feasibility data will be collected through surveys and semi‑structured focus groups.

Results. Preliminary findings on the feasibility of the web application from the perspective of school nurses will be presented. Emerging findings describe usability, perceived benefit, integration into school health practice, and factors that enable or hinder the adoption of the SmartCHANGE web tool.

Conclusions. SmartCHANGE offers novel tools to support preventive counselling in school healthcare by providing actionable, AI‑based insights to guide behaviour change. Feasibility findings will inform further refinement of the tools and support their broader scalability to promote physical activity and healthy habits among children and adolescents.

Support: SmartCHANGE brings together 14 organisations from nine countries and is funded by the Horizon Europe programme (2023-2027).

Background

Prolonged psychosocial stress is associated with mental ill health and functional impairment and is accompanied by lower levels of physical activity. Individuals with stress-related exhaustion often experience difficulties engaging in everyday activities during recovery, although physical activity is commonly recommended in rehabilitation. Empirical knowledge is limited regarding factors influencing engagement and how activity is managed in the context of symptoms and recovery. Understanding these experiences is therefore important for informing rehabilitation and clinical recommendations. This study aimed to explore experiences and perceptions of physical activity among individuals with stress-related exhaustion, including factors influencing engagement and how these are managed during recovery.

Methods
In this qualitative study, 12 adults with stress-related exhaustion (9 women, 3 men) participated in individual semi-structured online interviews. Participants were recruited through social media and a university webpage. Interviews explored experiences of engaging in physical activity, perceived barriers and facilitators, and strategies used during recovery. Interviews were audio-recorded and transcribed. Data is analyzed using thematic analysis.

Results and discussion
Interviews have been completed, and analysis is ongoing. Results will be presented at the conference, highlighting implications for rehabilitation practice, particularly regarding how individuals manage physical activity in the context of symptoms and recovery, and how these insights informed the development of a cognitive-behavioral therapy (CBT)-based physical activity intervention integrated into treatment as usual. The findings are expected to contribute to knowledge about factors influencing engagement in physical activity during recovery from stress-related exhaustion, thereby supporting the development of tailored interventions and clinical decision-making.

Objective

Pre-operative waiting for cardiac surgery can generate anxiety, uncertainty and psychological distress. Hospital environments that incorporate green spaces may support wellbeing and provide opportunities for restorative experiences during hospital stays. This review explores how environmental design and digital navigation strategies can be combined to address vulnerabilities experienced during pre-operative waiting in public healthcare settings.

Methods

A narrative review examined four domains: (1) the effects of hospital green spaces on patient wellbeing; (2) psychosocial vulnerabilities associated with pre-operative waiting; (3) digital health strategies for patient guidance and anxiety management; and (4) integrated environmental–digital care models. Literature published between 2015 and 2025 with a focus on public healthcare contexts was analysed.

Results

Evidence indicates that access to hospital green spaces, such as those implemented at Hospital de Messejana (Brazil), is associated with reduced stress and improved mood. However, pre-operative waiting periods often involve uncertainty, information gaps and emotional distress. Digital navigation strategies—including scheduling support, patient education and communication tools—can help address these challenges. Integrating environmental and digital approaches may create synergistic benefits by combining stress reduction through nature contact with improved patient guidance. Accessible green areas may also encourage light physical activity, such as walking and outdoor mobility.

Conclusions

Integrating green infrastructure with digital patient-support strategies may contribute to more supportive, patient-centred and health-promoting healthcare environments.

Introduction
Physical activity (PA) benefits patients with chronic diseases but remains insufficiently practiced, highlighting the need for structured support. To address this, a one-year pilot PA prescription program was launched in Luxembourg in mid-January 2026, coordinated by stakeholders from the medical and PA sectors and policymakers.

Material and Methods

The pilot targeted adults with stabilized cardiovascular disease, cancer, or type 2 diabetes who had insufficient PA levels or after phase II rehabilitation. Patients received a PA prescription from trained physicians and were referred to an umbrella federation for orientation toward PA classes delivered by affiliated associations. Financial incentives were provided to physicians and patients. Evaluation included the number of prescriptions issued, received, and used, and feedback from patients, physicians, and PA coaches.

Results
By early March 2026, 73 physicians had been trained; 66% registered on the e-platform for prescriptions and 18% issued prescriptions, totalling 25. Among prescribed patients, 72% contacted the umbrella federation and 28% enrolled in PA classes. Participants were mainly aged 50–70 years and predominantly had cardiovascular conditions (57%). Additionally, 11% declined due to schedule constraints or preference for autonomous practice, and 22% reported digital difficulties. Among surveyed physicians (n=55), lack of time outside clinical duties was the main barrier (53%), along with connection issues to the e-platform.

Discussion
These preliminary findings suggest that a structured PA prescription pathway is feasible. Challenges remain, including physician engagement, administrative complexity, digital literacy barriers, and aligning PA offers with patient preferences. Ongoing data will assess adherence and outcomes to inform scaling.

Migraine is a common neurological condition that can affect daily life and well-being. Lifestyle factors such as physical activity, sleep, diet, and stress are increasingly discussed as possible contributors to the frequency and severity of migraine attacks. Understanding these relationships may help identify practical approaches for better migraine management.

The aim of this study was to examine associations between migraine characteristics and selected lifestyle factors, particularly physical activity and dietary habits.

A cross-sectional study was conducted among 300 adults recruited through an online migraine community. Participants completed a questionnaire addressing migraine history, frequency and duration of attacks, pain intensity, physical activity, sleep duration, perceived stress, and dietary habits. Data were analyzed using descriptive statistics and Pearson correlations.

Most participants were female (88%), while 12% were male. Migraine had been diagnosed by a physician in 48% of participants, while 52% reported self-identified migraine. During the previous three months, 81.8% experienced at least one migraine episode. Pain intensity was high (mean 7.44 ± 1.72). Significant positive associations were observed between migraine pain intensity, migraine days and episode duration. Higher pain intensity was associated with higher stress levels and longer sleep duration. Participants with more migraine days also reported more frequent fast-food consumption. Higher physical activity was associated with more migraine days and longer sleep duration.

These findings suggest that lifestyle factors may play an important role in the experience of migraine and highlight the potential role of physical activity and other modifiable behaviors in reducing migraine burden.

Background:
Integrating health-enhancing physical activity into routine primary care remains a major challenge despite strong evidence for its role in preventing and curing chronic diseases. The Physical Activity on Prescription (Mozgás Receptre) Programme was established to support the systematic prescription of leisure-time physical activity through a nationally coordinated, multidisciplinary approach in Hungary.

Methods:
The programme was developed and is scientifically coordinated by the Hungarian Society of Lifestyle Medicine. Its scientific activities are supported by a multidisciplinary expert working group and an extensive expert network, including healthcare professionals from multiple disciplines, physiotherapists and exercise professionals, in close collaboration with Hungary's four medical universities and the Hungarian University of Sports Science. The programme has developed national recommendations on physical activity prescription, referral pathways and disease-specific physical activity guidance. It also focuses on professional education, research, implementation support and stakeholder engagement.

Results:
The programme has established a standardised national framework for prescribing leisure-time health-enhancing physical activity in primary care, providing practical tools for clinicians, space for collaboration between healthcare and exercise professionals, and supporting safe, individualised referral pathways.

Conclusions:
The Physical Activity on Prescription Programme in Hungary demonstrates how a nationally coordinated, interdisciplinary approach can facilitate the integration of health-enhancing physical activity into healthcare. It has the potential to improve the prevention and management of chronic diseases, reduce health inequalities and promote active lifestyles. Beyond health benefits, increasing physical activity and active mobility can also contribute to climate action and environmental sustainability.

Support/Funding Source:
Funded by the State Secretariat for Active Hungary. Scientific coordination by the Hungarian Society of Lifestyle Medicine.