Physical activity is a key element in people’s health as it provides important physical benefits, as well as improves mental health and quality of life. However, recent years have seen an increase in the percentage of young adults showing high levels of inactivity. Although, it has been observed that the motivation to perform physical activity seems to be an important factor when starting and then keeping it up. Thus, the general aim of this work was to explore the association between physical activity, motivation, and psychological well-being in young adults. To do this, a descriptive cross-sectional correlational study was carried out together with a multiple linear regression analysis. An online survey was applied between December 2017 and the first quarter of 2018, in which the level of activity, motivation, and psychological well-being of the participants were measured. Starting from a final sample of 489 subjects aged between 18 and 35 years, a higher level of physical activity was found to be related to higher psychological well-being. In addition, motivation, and more specifically intrinsic motivation, was an important determinant of psychological well-being, gaining greater influence among male participants who had a higher level of physical activity. This study therefore emphasizes the clear influence of physical activity on the psychological well-being of young adults and highlights the need to work on intrinsic motivation to improve levels of physical activity.

Pain, anxiety, or depression are very prevalent in children and adolescents with cancer, which is a great challenge for health professionals. Several studies pointing out the positive effect of technology on the management of symptoms have been published in recent years. Considering these studies is important in order to reduce the negative impact on the quality of life of this population. This study aimed to analyze the available evidence and to describe the benefits of the new technologies in the treatment of pain, anxiety, and depression in children and adolescents with cancer. A systematic search using six electronic databases was conducted to identify studies using technological interventions with a focus on pain, anxiety, and depression that were published from 2008 to 2018 including oncology patients from 0–18 years old. Out of the 1261 studies that were identified, five studies met the inclusion criteria for this systematic review. Robots were used in two studies, providing amusement and social interventions that showed significant improvements. Virtual reality, a mobile application, and a videogame were used in three studies and obtained beneficial results in pain and anxiety. The studies included in this review suggest that new technologies can be used as an innovative form of non-pharmacological intervention with therapeutic benefits.

In order to control the spread of COVID-19, people must adopt preventive behaviours that can affect their day-to-day life. People’s self-efficacy to adopt preventive behaviours to avoid COVID-19 contagion and spread should be studied. The aim of this study was to develop and psychometrically test the COVID-19 prevention, detection, and home-management self-efficacy scale (COVID-19-SES). We conducted an observational cross-sectional study. Six-hundred and seventy-eight people participated in the study. Data were collected between March and May 2020. The COVID-19-SES’ validity (content, criterion, and construct), reliability (internal consistency and test-retest reliability), and legibility were studied. The COVID-19-SES’ reliability was high (Cronbach’s alpha = 0.906; intraclass correlation coefficient = 0.754). The COVID-19-SES showed good content validity (scale’s content validity index = 0.92) and good criterion validity when the participants’ results on the COVID-19-SES were compared to their general self-efficacy (r = 0.38; p < 0.001). Construct validity analysis revealed that the COVID-19-SES’ three-factor structure explained 52.12% of the variance found and it was congruent with the World Health Organisation’s recommendations to prevent COVID-19 contagion and spread. Legibility analysis showed that the COVID-19-SES is easy to read and understand by laypeople. The COVID-19-SES is a psychometrically robust instrument that allows for a valid and reliable assessment of people’s self-efficacy in preventing, detecting symptoms, and home-managing COVID-19.

African irregular migrants risk their lives crossing the Mediterranean Sea in small boats hoping to reach Europe. Women irregular migrants (WIMs) are an especially vulnerable group that suffer from violence and sexual aggression, but little is known about their actual experiences. The objective of our study is to describe and understand the violence against WIMs who arrive in Spain in small boats. A qualitative study based on Gadamer’s phenomenology was used. The data collection included twenty-six in-depth interviews with WIMs. Three main themes arose: “Poverty and discrimination push WIMs into migrating”; “WIMs as a paradigm of extreme vulnerability”, and “WIMs in small boats should raise the alarm”. WIMs who arrive to Europe in small boats have a history of violence, rape, prostitution, forced pregnancy, and human trafficking. Emergency care must include gynecological examinations and must make detecting sexual violence and human trafficking of WIMs part of their care protocols.

Aim: To understand the experience of low‐income older adults living in poverty in a high‐income country.Design: A qualitative study based on Gadamer's hermeneutic phenomenology.Methods: A convenience sample of twenty‐seven low‐income older adults were interviewed in‐depth between September 2021 and January 2022. Fleming's method for conducting phenomenological qualitative studies was followed and ATLAS.ti software was used for data analysis.Results: Three main themes were extracted from the analysis: (i) ‘living in the shadow of poverty’, (ii) ‘unprotected by the ‘social shield’ of the welfare state’ (iii) ‘the struggle to attain good health’.Conclusion: Living in poverty affects all spheres of life. Older adults living in poverty feel excluded from social support policies and laws. This has a negative impact on the older adults' mental health and can lead to social isolation.Implications for the Profession and/or Patient Care: Nursing interventions to promote health amongst older adults living in poverty should include an assessment of the patient's social determinants and a focus on increasing social participation. Older people living in poverty experience difficulties accessing formal social support so nurses should implement patient navigation interventions that aim to help them overcome the complexities of the system. Nursing interventions to improve mental health amongst older adults living in poverty are much needed.Impact: Living in poverty increases older adults' vulnerability. Older adults living in poverty suffer from mental health issues as they live under constant pressure to meet their basic needs and lack formal social support. These findings are important for nurses, who play a pivotal role in the design, implementation and evaluation of policies and interventions that promote health equity.Reporting Method: The study has been conducted following the COREQ guidelines.Patient or Public Contribution: There has been no public or patient involvement in the design or development of the study.

Background—Morbid obesity (MO) is a chronic metabolic disease affecting physical, psychological and social wellbeing. Bariatric surgery is a reliable method for losing weight in the long term, improving the quality of life, body image and social life of people with MO. Current literature recognises the importance of social support in controlling weight and coping with MO. The objective of this study was to describe and understand experiences related to social support for patients with MO included in a bariatric surgery programme. Methods—A qualitative descriptive study, where data collection included thirty-one interviews with people diagnosed with MO involved in a bariatric surgery programme. Results—Three main themes emerged from the analysis: (1) accepting the problem in order to ask for help, (2) the need for close support and (3) professional support: opposing feelings. Conclusions—A partner, family and friends are the key pillars of social support for those with MO included in a bariatric surgery programme. Healthcare professionals gave formal support; the bariatric surgery team provided information, trust and assurance. Nurses provided healthcare 24 h a day, making them the main formal support for people in the bariatric surgery programme.