The role of a mindful movement-based program (Movimento Biologico) in health promotion: results of a pre-post intervention study.

Introduction: Mindful movement is a comprehensive approach that integrates various bodily, emotional and cognitive aspects into physical activity, promoting overall well-being. This study assessed the impact of a mindful movement program, known as Movimento Biologico (MB), on participants psychological well-being (PWB), positive mental health (PMH), sense of coherence (SOC), and interoceptive awareness. Methods: MB program was conducted for students attending the bachelor's degree in Kinesiology and Sport Sciences of University of Perugia over 8 weeks (from October 16 to November 27, 2022). Participants were requested to fill in four questionnaires before and after the MB program: (1) 18-item PWB scale; (2) 9-item PMH scale; (3) 13-item SOC scale; (4) 32-item scale for Multidimensional Assessment of Interoceptive Awareness (MAIA). Wilcoxon signed-rank tests were used to assess changes, with significance set at p < 0.05. Results: Thirty-eight students (mean age 21.2, 60.5% male) participated. Several MAIA subscales, including noticing (p = 0.003), attention management (p = 0.002), emotional awareness (p = 0.007), self-regulation (p < 0.001), body listening (p = 0.001), and trusting (p = 0.001), showed significant improvements. PMH increased significantly (p = 0.015), and there was a significant enhancement in the autonomy subscale of PWB (p = 0.036). SOC and overall PWB also improved, though not significantly. Conclusion: The MB program significantly improved participants' positive mental health and interoceptive awareness. This likely resulted from better recognition and management of positive physiological sensations, a stronger link between physical sensations and emotions, enhanced confidence in one's body, and increased autonomy.

Picturing academic learning: salutogenic and health promoting perspectives on drawings.

More than 20 years ago an article about the use of drawings in higher education appeared in a medical journal. After that, other papers explored the possible contribution of drawings in adult education, while only very few in the field of health promotion and education. This article aims to introduce the use of drawing in this field using the salutogenic lens to think, plan and reflect on academic learning. Reflections on what salutogenesis is and what we can consider a clear application of salutogenic principles to the learning process answer a hypothetical question for the reader concerning the relationship between drawings and health promotion theories. They appear as communication tools capable of exploring meaning-making processes, capturing data that is flexible to dynamic systems, power relations, as well as emotional and latent aspects of human experience. This article proposes a connection between salutogenesis and drawings through: a theoretical framework on salutogenic learning and drawings; a teacher practice and its tools focusing the critical point on visual data analysis in a learning environment; a learner case example for knowledge and capacity building through the drawing process; and a health promotion competency-based analysis. Our case example illustrates how drawings were introduced in a post-graduate course in Health Promotion and Education and argues their strengths and weaknesses.

Professional competencies in health promotion and public health: what is common and what is specific? Review of the European debate and perspectives for professional development.

According to the Nairobi Call to Action, the growth of practitioners' skills can be favoured by setting accreditation standards and by reorienting professional competencies of current and future health workers. This will make it possible to develop a critical mass of competent practitioners, foster training, and increase visibility of the professional field. Through a review of the literature, the authors offer an overview of competency-based strategies for professional development in health promotion. The main research questions discussed were as follows: Is there a shared definition of public health?; Is there a shared definition of health promotion?; Who are the main stakeholders for public health and health promotion in Europe?; What is the meaning of professional competencies in education and practice for public health and health promotion?; Is there a shared system of professional core competencies in public health and health promotion?;What is common and what is specific between the two systems of professional competencies?; Is it useful and feasible to create specific strategies of professional development for public health and health promotion? A transformative use of competencies makes it possible to inform students, professionals, employers, and political decision-makers about what is expected from a specific profession and its values.

Recording Non Communicable Chronic Diseases at Risk Behaviours in General Practice. A qualitative study using the PRECEDE-PROCEED Model.

OBJECTIVE: Full, accurate registration of behavioral risk factors in patients is essential for good quality preventive action in General Practice. In addition, the GP's records are useful for epidemiological surveillance of risk behavior and assessment of preventive actions in the community and also for the accurate Case Management in the Continuity of Care perspective. Up to date, very little research has been carried out in Italy in this area. METHODS: The PRECEDE-PROCEED model was used to analyze data of a semi-structured interview of purposively selected Italian GPs. PRECEDE, the diagnostic component of the model, was used to highlight factors that affected their recording of behavioral risk lifestyles. The PRECEDE framework distinguishes three categories of factors influencing behavior: Predisposing (wanting to do), Reinforcing Factors (rewards for doing) and Enabling Factors (being able to do) 2. RESULTS: The Predisposing Factors were identified as the GPs' positive attitude to writing up structured, systematic records of patient data and the low attitude towards registration of the behavioural risk factors with respect to clinical data. Enabling Factors were: the high load of paperwork; the requirement for quantitative registration of certain factors; the software information structure which limited recording of some risk behaviors. Reinforcing Factors were the GPs perception that patients were reluctant to providing data on their behavior and that they as GPs did not have enough incentives for this work; current local epidemiology selectively focused physicians' attention on recording behaviours related to prevalent diseases. CONCLUSIONS: It has been possible to identify ways to improve the quality of GPs records of behavioral risk factors in patients: 1)equipping computer systems with detection procedures to guide GP recordings : 2) training to improve the GP's awareness and attitude and 3) incentives that are not only financial but also linked to professional development.