• RESEARCH GROUP IN HEALTH

The Health RG is a multidisciplinary team comprising professionals from various fields, including nursing, clinical and health psychology, and oriental medicine. Researchers are engaged in studies in psycho-oncology through projects approved by national and international entities, and on health literacy initiatives. Furthermore, the team is involved in several extension projects, such as promoting mental health among university students.​

Consequently, our collective expertise and collaboration with the other INSIGHT research groups permit us to approach health from multiple perspectives, ensuring comprehensive understanding and innovative solutions.​

We are dedicated to improving health outcomes and well-being, focusing on key aspects such as health promotion, disease prevention, and health maintenance. Our research efforts prioritize topics encompassing quality of life, well-being, health literacy, and health communication.​

Through collaborative efforts, we endeavor to address knowledge gaps, develop effective interventions, and empower individuals and communities to make informed decisions about their health and improve their wellbeing and quality of life.

Objectives

  • Investigate which factors may impact disease prevention and health promotion, quality of life, and well-being in different populations;​

  • Develop intervention programs for health promotion and psychosocial adaptation to disease;​

  • Promote health literacy (in the general population but also in vulnerable groups).​

Research Lines

  • Health, Quality of Life and Well-being

  • Health Literacy and Communication

Our people

Projects

PI: Sandra Roberto; Funding: €145k, DGES – PRR 

The ConCentrArte Programme aims to promote mental health and well-being literacy (MHWL), prevention, promotion and provision of MHWL care for Instituto Piaget students, following the Stepped Care Model, which integrates a multidisciplinary, integrative and inclusive approach to prevention, promotion and intervention in mental health, integrating positive psychology, physical well-being and artistic expression. 

PI: Sandra Roberto; Funding: €30k, Luso-American Foundation for Development 

The project aims to reduce student isolation and increase a sense of belonging by building meaningful relationships among peers, both with their academic community and with their respective educational institutions. 

PI: Rita Barros; Funding: €82k, Municipality of Vila Nova de Gaia 

The project aims to promote health literacy through the promotion of digital and media skills in the senior population, in the context of intergenerational learning in the digital age. At the same time, the project aims to train young people to deal with this population (supported by digital technologies), with a view to their self-transformation, in line with the principles of inclusion and social justice. 

IR: Luís Moreira; Funding: €12k, EU Cancer Prevention Award 2021 

The project uses the sociodrama technique as a methodology for social change and increase cancer literacy and critical thinking among young people. It is focused on cancer prevention in the school community, targeting teachers and students as vehicles for behavior change disruption, complemented by a comprehensive impact evaluation plan, based on cancer literacy data collection and management. This groundbreaking cancer prevention education model has been successfully adapted to different educational contexts in Portugal and the United States and is now being extended to several European countries as part of the activities of EACE (European Association for Cancer Education). It is a project that aims to characterize cancer literacy needs through the creation of databases that will allow the development of innovative educational models targeting health disparities in underserved populations. 

PI: Fernanda Belizário; Funding: €160k, ICAD 

The project aims to intervene with drug users in the municipality of Vila Nova de Gaia. Guided by the principles of risk reduction and harm minimization, it promotes the use of aseptic consumption material and the adoption of lower risk consumption practices, as well services provision that promote citizenship, health and social inclusion. 

PI: Fernanda Belizário; Funding: €39k, DGS 

The project aims to contribute to the prevention and control of HIV and other sexually transmitted infections (STIs) in sex workers (SW) and their clients through an integrated outreach intervention that promotes access to information, preventive and informative materials, screening (HIV, Syphilis, HBV and HCV), hospital referral and combating the stigma and discrimination associated with infection and sex work. 

PI: Fernanda Belizário; Funding: €94k; Gilead 

The project aims to expand the supply of self-testing devices for the Portuguese population to reinforce the national strategy to combat HIV/AIDS. APP to Test is a project and a mobile application. 

PI: André Silva; Funding: €45k, Fundação BIAL 

The project aims to determine whether emotional priming administered through VR has a differential effect compared to more standard emotional priming procedures.  

PI: Joaquim Reis & António Rosinha; Funding: €496k, European Commision H2030 

It aims to build, demonstrate, and validate a novel Person-Centric and AI-based XR paradigm tailored to the requirements and nature of Industry 5.0 applications, considering worker-based characteristics and context in the integration of human-centered digital twins that comprise the “digital image” of the worker – https://xr50.eu/. 

PI: Margarida Ferreira 

Based on the idea that the school context is a privileged environment for students’ intellectual, emotional and emotional development, the project is based on an educational intervention focused on adolescent sexuality, with a view to raising awareness of the benefits and risks of sexual practices. The continuous assessment of adolescents’ knowledge of sexuality and contraceptive methods is intended to facilitate the development of solutions to the gaps in knowledge identified, as well as boosting the implementation of interventions to promote healthy sexuality. 

PI: Isabel Silva 

These are two related projects that empower inmates through artistic activities. The projects aim to promote emotional regulation and psychosocial adjustment among incarcerated individuals. Over three years, the initiatives have yielded significant outcomes, including national and international presentations at scientific events, a book chapter, and an external evaluation report. The projects have also established important partnerships with the Portuguese Ministry of Justice and local organizations, demonstrating their far-reaching impact. 

PI: Paulo Alves 

The project aims to identify the principles and norms present in the Codes of Ethics of Lusophone Psychologists (Angola, Brazil, Mozambique and Portugal), to hierarchize the structure of values and the level of adherence to deontological principles and norms. Based on the results obtained, the aim is to promote intervention in the deontological health of Lusophone psychologists. 

PI: Mafalda Silva 

The aim of the project is to understand nurses‘ knowledge of the Nurses’ Code of Ethics, which guides their professional practice. 

PI: José Luís Sousa 

The FisioEthos project is based on the principle that health professionals rely mainly on bioethical principles to justify their professional practice. It therefore sets out to answer the following questions: 1) Do Portuguese physiotherapists identify ethical dilemmas/problems in their day-to-day work? 2) When faced with ethical dilemmas, what strategy do Portuguese physiotherapists use to resolve them?; and 3) What are the most important values/virtues for portuguese physiotherapists? 

PI: Margarida Ferreira 

Training, guidance and skills for recognising and intervening in early BLS in emergency situations can substantially reduce the mortality rates associated with cardiopulmonary arrest and significantly increase the victim’s chance of survival. The Learn & Save project aims to help increase the number of citizens trained in basic life support (BLS). Focusing on secondary school students in Porto, the project’s specific objectives are to analyse the relationship between the level of knowledge and sociodemographic and academic variables, to define training intervention strategies to enable students to perform the BLS algorithm and to assess the BLS knowledge of secondary school students before and after the intervention. 

PI: Neide Feijó 

The project aims to reflect on communication research in its epistemological, theoretical, methodological, organizational and applied aspects to nursing practices in a very comprehensive way. 

PI: Paulo Alves 

The project aims to describe the target population from a sociodemographic point of view; assess the level of psychological health literacy; to characterize the psychological health of students; to assess the level of satisfaction with academic life; to analyze the relationship between sociodemographic characteristics and the level of psychological health literacy, psychological health and satisfaction with academic life. 

PI: Sandra Roberto 

The ‘Alma Matter? African students in higher education’ is a research project based on the assumption that the state of the art shows us that the reality in Portugal regarding racism, both in an educational and political context, is to institutionally depoliticise this type of situation, silencing it. This silencing affects the educational process in schools and perpetuates beliefs that inferiorise black students. The aim is to understand the individual paths and trajectories of African and Afro-descendant students in higher education. What place does the higher education institution occupy in the experiences that are established in the country? What experiences of discrimination and racism do these students have inside and outside the institution? How are these experiences linked to their academic, social and relational journeys? 

PI: Neide Feijó 

The project aims to assess the knowledge and positive mental health index of the academic community of the Jean Piaget Polytechnic Institute of the North; to identify intervention needs in the field of mental health promotion and prevention and implement the Positive Mental Health programme (Mentis Plus+). 

PI: Sandra Roberto; Funding: €72k, FAMI 

The project aims to promote the integration of third-country nationals (TCN) through actions with an intersectional approach to various dimensions. It also aims to produce materials and technical-pedagogical resources to support TCN people and professionals who intervene or intend to intervene in the field of integration of TCN people. 

PI: Isabel Silva 

The project aims to characterize the academic experiences of portuguese college students in the context of the pandemic; to explore the relationship between fear of COVID-19 and students’ academic experiences; to explore the impact of social and relational factors on levels of fear and the academic experiences experienced. 

PI: Sandra Roberto 

The project aims to characterize the psychological aspects and psychological intervention needs of students at the Jean Piaget Vocational School and answer the following questions: 1) What are the main psychosocial and family characteristics of the students?; 2) What is the relationship between students and academic satisfaction and performance?; 3) What are the students’ characteristics in relation to dimensions such as self-esteem, depression, anxiety and stress?; and 4) What is the relationship between students and the need for psychological help? 

PI: Fernanda Belizário; Funding: €90k, Directorate-General of Justice and Consumers, European Commission 

The project aimed to contribute to the full exercise, acknowledgement, and protection of trans sex workers’ (TSWs’) fundamental rights through concerted actions focused on this target group, but also on the key-actors that affect the physical and mental health of TSWs. 

SCIENTIFIC OUTPUT

Alarcão, V., Roberto, S., França, T., & Moleiro, C. (2022). Standing up for culturally competent care in Portugal: The experience of a “Health in Equality” online training program on individual and cultural diversity. Societies, 12(3), 80. http://dx.doi.org/10.3390/soc12030080

Almeida, V., Pires, D., Silva, M., Teixeira, M., Teixeira, R. J., Louro, A., Dinis, M. A. P., Ferreira, M., & Teixeira, A. (2023). Dermatological side effects of cancer treatment: Psychosocial implications—A systematic review of the literature. Healthcare, 11(19), 2621. http://dx.doi.org/10.3390/healthcare11192621

Barros, A., Santos, H., Moreira, L., & Santos-Silva, F. (2022). Translation and cross-cultural adaptation of the Cancer Health Literacy Test for Portuguese cancer patients: A pre-test. International Journal of Environmental Research and Public Health, 19(10), 6237. https://doi.org/10.3390/ijerph19106237

Belizario, F. (2022). Managing outreach services for sex workers during COVID-19 outbreak. World Health Organization EURO Virtual Library on Good Practices. https://virtuallibrary.euro.who.int/index.php/vl/article/view/90/71

Belizario, F. (2023). Managing outreach services for sex workers during the COVID-19 pandemic: The PortoG TB case study. World Health Organization Virtual Library of Good Practices. https://virtuallibrary.euro.who.int/index.php/vl/article/view/90

Cotrim, C. A., Café, H., João, I., Cotrim, N., Guardado, J., Cordeiro, P., Cotrim, H., & Baquero, L. (2022). Exercise stress echocardiography: Where are we now? World Journal of Cardiology, 14(2), 64-82. http://www.scopus.com/inward/record.url?eid=2-s2.0-85125842109&partnerID=MN8TOARS

Cotrim, H., Granja, C., Carvalho, A. S., Cotrim, C., & Martins, R. (2021). Children’s understanding of informed assents in research studies. Healthcare, 9(7), 871. http://dx.doi.org/10.3390/healthcare9070871

de Oliveira, N. M., Lopes, L., Chéu, M. H., Soares, E., Meireles, D., & Machado, J. (2023). Updated mineral composition and potential therapeutic properties of different varieties of olive leaves from Olea europaea. Plants, 12(4), 916. https://doi.org/10.3390/plants12040916

de Oliveira, N. M., Machado, J., Chéu, M. H., Lopes, L., Barroso, M. F., Silva, A., Sousa, S., Domingues, V. F., & Grosso, C. (2024). Potential therapeutic properties of Olea europaea leaves from selected cultivars based on their mineral and organic profiles. Pharmaceuticals, 17(3), 274. https://doi.org/10.3390/ph17030274

Ferreira, M. M., Vidal, D. G., Teixeira, J. M., Silva, M. S., & Parola, V. S. (2023). Afetividade e ambiente de trabalho dos enfermeiros: Estudo transversal. Journal of Nursing and Health. https://doi.org/10.15210/jonah.v13i1.23418

Malheiro, I. C., do Carmo, T. G., Cavalcanti, A. C. D., & Flores, P. V. P. (2020). Intervenções de enfermagem no pós-operatório de cirurgia cardíaca. Research, Society and Development, 9(7), 277974080. https://doi.org/10.33448/rsd-v9i7.4080

Manjolo, I. de F., & Alves, P. (2022). Psychological support to families of students with Down syndrome at municipal office in Lobito. International Journal of Health Science, 2(41), 2-10. http://dx.doi.org/10.22533/at.ed.1592412225074

Meireles, A., Marques, S., Faria, S., Lopes, J. C., Teixeira, A. R., Alves, B., & Becker, S. (2023). Being a young carer in Portugal: The impact of caring on adolescents’ life satisfaction. International Journal of Environmental Research and Public Health, 20(21), 7017. http://dx.doi.org/10.3390/ijerph20217017

Mendes, J., Alexandre-Sousa, P., & Tavares, M. (2024). Predictive model of the relationship between positive and negative affect, self-consciousness of appearance, and positive body image in physical exercise practice. Healthcare, 12(187), 1-12. https://doi.org/10.3390/healthcare12020187

Moleiro, C., & Roberto, S. (2021). The path to adulthood: A mixed-methods approach to the exploration of the experiences of unaccompanied minors in Portugal. Journal of Refugee Studies, 34(3), 3264-3287. http://dx.doi.org/10.1093/jrs/feab033

Pereira, M. G., Pedras, S., Louro, A., Lopes, A., & Vilaça, M. (2023). Stress reduction interventions for patients with chronic diabetic foot ulcers: A qualitative study into patients and caregivers’ perceptions. Journal of Foot and Ankle Research. https://doi.org/10.1186/s13047-022-00592-x

Reis, J. C., Antoni, M. H., & Travado, L. (2020). Emotional distress, brain functioning, and biobehavioral processes in cancer patients: a neuroimaging review and future directions. CNS Spectrums, 25(1), 79-100. http://dx.doi.org/10.1017/s1092852918001621

Reis, J. C., Travado, L., Antoni, M., Oliveira, F. P. M., Almeida, S. D., Almeida, P., Heller, A. S., Sousa, B., & Costa, D. C. (2020). Negative affect and stress-related brain metabolism in patients with metastatic breast cancer. Cancer, 126(13), 3122-3131. https://doi.org/10.1002/cncr.32902

Reis, J. C., Travado, L., Heller, A. S., Oliveira, F. P. M., Almeida, S. D., Sousa, B., Costa, D. C., & Antoni, M. H. (2023). Greater perceived stress management skills and heightened brain metabolic activity in cortical and subcortical stress processing regions in metastatic breast cancer patients. Brain Imaging and Behavior. http://dx.doi.org/10.1007/s11682-023-00821-2

Reis, J. C., Travado, L., Seixas, E., Sousa, B., & Antoni, M. H. (2022). Perceived efficacy of stress management skills, emotional distress, and diurnal cortisol in women with metastatic breast cancer. International Journal of Stress Management. http://dx.doi.org/10.1037/str0000260

Reis, J. C., Travado, L., Seixas, E., Sousa, B., & Antoni, M. H. (2022). Low social and family well-being is associated with greater RAGE ligand s100A8/A9 and interleukin-1 beta levels in metastatic breast cancer patients. Brain, Behavior, & Immunity – Health, 21, 100433. http://dx.doi.org/10.1016/j.bbih.2022.100433

Reis, J., Travado, L., Scherrer, A., Kosmidis, T., Venios, S., Laras, P. E., Oestreicher, G., et al. (2023). Digital Guardian Angel Supported by an Artificial Intelligence System to Improve Quality of Life, Well-being, and Health Outcomes of Patients With Cancer (ONCORELIEF): Protocol for a Single Arm Prospective Multicenter Pilot Study. JMIR Research Protocols, 12*, e45475. http://dx.doi.org/10.2196/45475

Ribeiro, A. S., & Silva, I. (2021). Fierce flames: Evoking wildfire disaster emotions through children’s drawings. Global Studies of Childhood, 11(1), 91-104. http://www.scopus.com/inward/record.url?eid=2-s2.0-85101710791&partnerID=MN8TOARS

Roberto, S., Moleiro, C., & Lemos, L. (2020). Stakeholders perspectives on unaccompanied minors. Journal of Constructivist Psychology. https://www.tandfonline.com/toc/upcy20/0/0. https://doi.org/10.

Santos, I. M., Bem-Haja, P., Silva, A., Rosa, C., Queiroz, D. F., Alves, M. F., Barroso, T., Cerri, L., & Silva, C. F. (2022). The interplay between chronotype and emotion regulation in the recognition of facial expressions of emotion. Behavioral Sciences. https://doi.org/10.3390/bs13010038

Santos, I. M., Silva, A., Bem-Haja, P., Rosa, C., Cerri, L., Queiroz, D. F., Barroso, T., Alves, M. F., & Silva, C. F. (2022). The impact of sleep on face recognition memory: A scoping review. Brain Sciences. https://doi.org/10.3390/brainsci12101385

Santos, I., Bem-Haja, P., Silva, A., Rosa, C., Queiroz, D. F., Barroso, T., Cerri, L., Alves, M. F., & Silva, C. F. (2023). Chronotype and Time of Day Effects on a Famous Face Recognition Task with Dynamic Stimuli. International Journal of Psychological Research. http://dx.doi.org/10.21500/20112084.6583

Santos, J. V., Flores, P. V. P., Ferreira, M. V. C., Pinto, V. V. G., De Sá, L. V., Silva, J. S., & Flores, P. (2024). Infecção de sítio cirúrgico e o telemonitoramento pelo enfermeiro no pós-operatório: Uma revisão de escopo. Online Brazilian Journal of Nursing, 23(FluxoContí), 1-14. http://dx.doi.org/10.17665/1676-4285.20246673

Silva, I. S., Cunha-Saraiva, F., & Silvestre, S. (2023). Acceptability and effectiveness of the “Education in Action-ABALL1” intervention program in primary school-aged children. Frontiers in Psychology, 14. https://doi.org/10.3389/fpsyg.2023.1163489

Silva, I. S., Cunha-Saraiva, F., Ribeiro, A. S., & Bártolo, A. (2023). Exploring the acceptability of an environmental education program for youth in rural areas: ECOCIDADANIA project. Education Sciences, 13(10), 1-14. http://dx.doi.org/10.3390/educsci13100982

Velasco, N. S., Figueiredo, L. S., Cavalcanti, A. C. D., & Flores, P. V. P. (2020). Revisão sistemática sobre aplicativos móveis na adesão ao tratamento de pacientes com insuficiência cardíaca. Research, Society and Development, 9(7), 446974306. https://doi.org/10.33448/rsd-v9i7.4306