Sofia, March 2021
The Bulgarian Family Planning and Sexual Health Association (BFPA) is a partner in the first European project that encourages People Living with HIV (PLHIV) to implement regularly a system of aerobic exercises. The project was supposed to start in the beginning of 2020 but the Covid-19 pandemic postponed the start with one year. So ARIE will be implemented in 2021 and 2022, coordinated by ANLAIDS Lombardia - an organization that was a partner of the Association under other projects - for HIV prevention, for creating an online informational system for Hepatitis B and C and for cervical cancer prevention. We are partners from 6 countries (Italy, Bulgaria, Greece, Lithuania, Romania and Slovenia), 7 organizations and over 30 experts. ARIE is an ambitious project to encourage participation in sports and physical activity of people living with the HIV infection and are on therapy, in line with EU recommendations and guidelines on physical activity.The project intends to promote physical activity in the form of personalized paths, among people aged between 18 and 50 who live with HIV infection and who are under treatment, offering an innovative fitness protocol, and in order to involve them in moderate physical activity. Therefore, the project through the development of the protocol aims to promote voluntary activities in sport, together with awareness of the importance of physical activity for the benefit of health through greater participation in sport for all.
The first kick-off meeting of the project partners was conducted online. The main project activities will be:
- Development of an innovative fitness protocol for people living with HIV / AIDS under treatment to involve them in moderate / vigorous physical activity;
- Training of fitness trainers / instructors and physical education and health experts to standardize the protocol and make it transferable and replicable also in other contexts and countries. If the development of the pandemic allows the training of trainers will be live in Timisoara, Romania in the summer of 2021.
- Organization of multiplier events open to the public to inform them about the project and other topics such as the importance of physical activity for maintaining health; Physical activity in the prevention and treatment of diseases; Fitness and its psychological and physiological effects. BFPA team hopes these field activities at country level also to be live.
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