COVID-19

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ISAMB is a research unit of the Faculty of Medicine of the University of Lisbon funded by the Foundation of Science and Technology, the public agency that supports science in Portugal. In the context of the current pandemic, ISAMB and all its research team felt a moral obligation to contribute with scientific evidence through studies and expertise in the fields of public health, infectious disease, mental health, promotion of health behaviors, etc. Bellow is a summary of the main contributions of ISAMB and its research team for the most challenging time of our lives. We are there for the people.

STUDIES

  • SM-COVID19 - Mental health in times of COVID-19 pandemic. This national study was developed by the National Institute of Health in partnership with the ISAMB/EnviHeB Lab and the Portuguese Society of Psychiatry and Mental Health. The study was funded by the Portuguese Foundation of Science and Technology through the special program RESEARCH4COVID19. +info
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  • REACT-COVID: Survey on food and physical activity in the context of social containment. This national study was developed by the General-Directorate of Health in partnership with the ISAMB/EnviHeB Lab. +info
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  • REACT-COVID 2.0: Survey on food and physical activity in the context of COVID-19 pandemic. This national study was developed by the General-Directorate of Health in partnership with the ISAMB/EnviHeB Lab. +info
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  • PHIRI - Population health information research infrastructure for COVID-19. The main goal of PHIRI is to facilitate and generate the best available evidence for research on health and well-being of populations as impacted by COVID-19. PHIRI will allow for better coordinated European efforts across national and European stakeholders to generate the best COVID-19 population health knowledge. The Portuguese team is coordinated by Paulo Nogueira (ISAMB/Supportive Environments for Public Health and Health Promotion research group). +info
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  • HABITUSx - Day-to-day life in the context of COVID-19 pandemic. This study is developed in partnership with the Portuguese Association against Child Obesity and intends to know the opinions and the daily experience of people in this context of social restraint, namely with regard to changes in health-related habits. +info
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  • COVID-19, sleep, health and habits. This study is promoted by the Centro de Medicina do Sono, the iSleep, the Comprehensive Health Research Centre (NOVA Medical School) and ISAMB/Supportive Environments for Individuals’ Lifespan Development research group, in partnership with the CLISSIS (Universidade Lusíada).
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  • ApartTogether - impact of COVID-19 on refugees and migrants. ApartTogether is a global study to assess the public health social impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on refugees and migrants. It is a collaboration between World Health Organization, across its regional offices, the UN System, and a collaboration of research centres led by Ghent University (Belgium) and the University of Copenhagen (Denmark). The Portuguese team was coordinated by Margarida Gaspar de Matos (ISAMB/Supportive Environments for Individuals’ Lifespan Development research group). +info
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  • EUCLID - Behaviours and risk perceptions in the current context of the Coronavirus outbreak. This collaborative study was promoted by the University of Konstanz in Germany in partnership with several European countries, including Portugal, through the Aventura Social team. This project aimed to investigate: (1) health and subjective symptoms; (2) perceived risk and perceptions associated with the outbreak; (3) motivation and protective behaviours; alongside (4) expectations related to the future. The Portuguese team was coordinated by Margarida Gaspar de Matos (ISAMB/Supportive Environments for Individuals’ Lifespan Development research group).
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  • COVID-19 and the Voice of Portuguese Youth. This study aimed to present the Voice of the Portuguese AJA, related to the impacts of the three waves of the COVID-19 pandemic on their lives, and their opinion related to the inoculation of the virus. The Portuguese team was coordinated by Margarida Gaspar de Matos (ISAMB/Supportive Environments for Individuals’ Lifespan Development research group).
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  • EQUALS4COVID-19. This study aimed to assess the COVID-19 pandemics' impact on mental health and psychological, social and physical wellbeing of the immigrant population in Portugal, particularly people with Brazilian and Cape Verdean nationality living in the districts of Lisbon, Faro, Porto and Setúbal. +info

TASK FORCE

  • Margarida Gaspar de Matos (ISAMB/Supportive Environments for Individuals’ Lifespan Development research group) and Osvaldo Santos (ISAMB/EnviHeB Lab) take part of the Task Force on Behavioral Science, appointed by the Portuguese Minister of Health. The main objective of this Task Force is to advice the Portuguese Government on the best way to communicate with citizens in order to activate healthy behaviors. The outcomes of this Task Force are now available here.

SCIENCE & SOCIETY 

  • During the first lockdown, ISAMB/EnviHeB Lab developed the #inhousehealth, which take place in the social media. This initiative aimed to provide all citizens with a set of resources, in different areas, in order to increase their resilience and promoting their physical and mental health in an environment of social distance imposed by the current global crisis of COVID-19. This initiative has reached more than 42 thousand people.
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  • Together with the Associação de Estudantes da Faculdade de Medicina de Lisboa, ISAMB/EnviHeB Lab developed the podcast #inhouse4healthstudents, an initiative aimed to provide resources to students in order to better cope with psychological challenges posed by the lockdown due to COVID-19.
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  • Following the COVID-19 pandemic and its psychological impacts on the community, a psychological support service was made available on March 23, 2020 by the Social Adventure Project Team, coordinated by Margarida Gaspar de Matos (ISAMB/Supportive Environments for Individuals’ Lifespan Development research group). A guide to mental health welfare and protection in times of crisis was developed and it can be downloaded here.

EVENTS

  • Epidemiology of infectious diseases - the case of COVID-19 | November 24, 2021. Conducted by the epidemiologist Manuel Carmo Gomes, this webinar was organized by the ISAMB/Environment and Infectious Diseases research group.
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  • Flu and COVID-19 | January 13, 2021. This webinar was organized by the ISAMB/Environment and Infectious Diseases research group in partnership with the Associação de Estudantes da Faculdade de Medicina de Lisboa. +info
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  • There is neither far nor distance | May-June 2020. This webinar series was organized by the ISAMB/EnviHeB Lab in partnership with the Elementary School of Feijó. Videos available: Food in times of pandemic, by Telma Nogueira (Food Lab, FMUL); Looking for new habits, by Osvaldo Santos (ISAMB/FMUL); The pandemic explained in four acts, by Miguel Castanho (IMM/FMUL).

PUBLICATIONS

eBook

  • Gripe & COVID-19: Uma tempestade perfeita? by Francisco Antunes (ISAMB/Environment and Infectious Diseases research group) edited by the Associação de Estudantes da Faculdade de Medicina de Lisboa, 2021. This eBook (in Portuguese) is available here.

Articles

Reports

Policy briefs

Other publications

MEDIA

ISAMB researchers have been extensively involved with national and regional media (see here the clipping section). Here we highlight some of the contributions.

  • Cátia Caneiras (ISAMB/EnviHealthMicro Lab), SPP tv, November 14, 2021 [read here].
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  • Margarida Gaspar de Matos (ISAMB/Supportive Environments for Individuals’ Lifespan Development research group), Público, January 23, 2021 [read here].
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  • Margarida Gaspar de Matos (ISAMB/Supportive Environments for Individuals’ Lifespan Development research group),  É ou Não É? – O  Grande Debate, RTP, February 16, 2021 [see here].
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  • Osvaldo Santos (ISAMB/EnviHeB Lab), Expresso, January 15, 2021 [read here].
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  • Cátia Caneiras (ISAMB/EnviHealthMicro Lab), MAGG, December 15, 2020 [read here].
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  • Cátia Caneiras (ISAMB/EnviHealthMicro Lab), TVI, October 23, 2020 [read here].
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  • Cátia Caneiras (ISAMB/EnviHealthMicro Lab), Expresso, March 16, 2020 [read here].
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  • Cátia Caneiras (ISAMB/EnviHealthMicro Lab), Expresso, March 4, 2020 [read here].
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  • Margarida Gaspar de Matos (ISAMB/Supportive Environments for Individuals’ Lifespan Development research group), Público, January 23, 2021 [read here].
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  • Margarida Gaspar de Matos (ISAMB/Supportive Environments for Individuals’ Lifespan Development research group),  É ou Não É? – O  Grande Debate, RTP, February 16, 2021 [see here].
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  • Francisco Antunes (ISAMB/Environment and Infectious Diseases research group), Fala Portugal, January 8, 2020 [see here].
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  • Francisco Antunes (ISAMB/Environment and Infectious Diseases research group), “A verdade dos factos – COVID-19“, March 18, 2020 [see here].
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  • Cristina Bárbara (ISAMB/Environment and Non-communicable Diseases research group), Antena 1, April 7, 2020 [hear here].
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  • Francisco Antunes (ISAMB/Environment and Infectious Diseases research group), “Conversas fora da caixa”, FDC Consulting, May 26, 2020 [see here].
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  • Osvaldo Santos (ISAMB/EnviHeB Lab), webinar “Conversas em rede em tempos de COVID-19”, organized by the Associação Portuguesa para o Desenvolvimento Hospitalar with the support of Novartis Portugal, July 13, 2020 [see here].
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  • Cristina Bárbara (ISAMB/Environment and Non-communicable Diseases research group), Linha da Frente, RTP, December 3, 2020 [see here]..