Promoting mental resilience and mental health through the prevention of sedentary behavior and the healthy use of digital media in preschool children

About this project

<p>Excessive screen time is linked to a lack of exercise and can cause mental health problems. Preventing sedentary behaviour and promoting physical activity in children is one of the WHO's objectives. In the Czech Republic (CR) in 2016, almost 78% of children did not get enough physical activity. Digital devices overuse and sedentary behaviour are associated with lower wellbeing, reduced self-esteem and school performance, and occurrence of anxiety, depression, or addiction. The main aim of the project is to promote children's mental health through sedentary behaviour prevention and active lifestyle promotion. We also aim to raise awareness of the impact of excessive screen time on mental health. We want children to build a positive attitude towards exercise, strengthen mental resilience and develop effective coping strategies to deal with stress and emotional strain. The project will be held in kindergartens in the CR. The main target group will be children aged 2 to 6 years. Parents and teachers will also be supported. Key activity (KA) 1 will be the implementation of workshops for children supporting psychomotor development and psychological resilience. Workshops will take place daily, they will be playful with elements of imagination and mindfulness. KA 2 will be training and professional supervision for teachers in the kindergarten. The output will be a methodology that the teachers can use after the end of the project. KA3 involves seminars for parents improving knowledge and skills in the prevention of mental illnesses related to sedentary behaviour and digital technologies overuse. The project partner will be the Department of Psychology at the University of Science and Technology in Trondheim, Norway. The partner will act as an expert consultant throughout the project. We foresee cooperation in the development of methodology for teachers and educational materials for parents. It will also help to create content for workshops and to implement evaluation tools.</p>

Bilateral cooperation results

The Norwegian partner, in particular, contributed expertise to the conference "Psychological Resilience and Movement in Children in the Digital Age". His presentation focused on experiences with mental health, the use of digital technologies and physical activities in children in Norway. Valuable results of longitudinal research on screen time in children and the occurrence of depressive and anxiety disorders in later life were presented or the influence of media on understanding emotions. The Norwegian partner significantly contributed to the construction of a questionnaire measuring the acquired competencies of parents who attended our seminars. Thanks to the participation of the Norwegian partner, the project gained inspiration from Norwegian studies and best practices, which were integrated into the methodology and educational materials aimed at supporting psychomotor development and psychological resilience in children. The participation of Norwegian experts at the conference increased the prestige of the event and contributed to better dissemination of the project outputs among the wider professional public, which supported the implementation of the project's communication strategy. The collaboration enabled the sharing of different approaches and perspectives on mental health and prevention issues in the field of digital media, which led to richer content in educational workshops and methodological materials. Overall, the collaboration with the Norwegian partner helped the project achieve its goals more effectively.

Project partners

• Norwegian University of Science and Technology Donor project partner· Norway