Knowledge of the medical-psychological and socio-cultural determinants of physical activity (PA) and
mental health is still unsatisfactory. A dominance of diagnostic over explanatory studies and a focus on
the association of PA and mental health status with unmodified demographic variables characterizes
most research in this area. The aim of the proposed project is to determine PA levels and psychological
adaptation to stress among students from Poland and Belarus in the context of different anti-pandemic
strategies during the COVID-19 pandemic. John Paul II University of Applied Sciences in Biala Podlaska
(Poland) and Yanka Kupala State University of Grodno (Belarus) were chosen for the study, as despite
the universities being located a relatively small distance from each other, they are in different countries
and subject to different anti-pandemic strategies. The proposed survey will include approximately 800
medical and health sciences students (approximately 400 from each university). Nine standardized
survey instruments will be used: IPAQ-SF, MBI, SWLS, CECS, GSES, Mini-COPE, STAI, TSK, and GHQ-28.
The outcome of the research will be the identification of the medical-psychological and socio-cultural
determinants that influence psychological adaptation and PA levels of students experiencing different
anti-pandemic strategies during the COVID-19 pandemic.