Behavioral Change Techniques to Increase Adherence to Physical Activity in Severe Mental Disorders

Abstract

People with severe mental disorders (SMD) coexist with other diseases derived from a lack of physical activity and sedentary lifestyles. Although physical exercise programs can be interesting when it comes to solving this problem, adherence to them is low and the dropout rate is notable, so that these people do not manage to benefit from the positive effects of physical activity. In this sense, encouraging autonomous motivation seems to be the key to achieving greater attendance at training sessions and achieving a stage of change of action or maintenance. To this end, directing attention toward the support and satisfaction of three basic psychological needs (autonomy, competence, and relationships) seems essential. In this endeavor, different behavior change techniques (BCTs) have been successfully used to promote more self-determined motivations and increase physical activity.