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The Science of Exercise for Health: Integrative Approaches to Prevention...
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The Science of Exercise for Health: Integrative Approaches to Prevention and Therapy

A special issue of Healthcare (ISSN 2227-9032).

Deadline for manuscript submissions: 30 January 2027 | Viewed by 957

Special Issue Editors

Dr. Pedro Forte

E-Mail Website
Guest Editor
Department of Sports, Higher Institute of Educational Sciences of the Douro, 4560-708 Penafiel, Portugal
Interests: biomechanics; physiology; exercise; wellbeing
Special Issues, Collections and Topics in MDPI journals
Dr. José Eduardo Teixeira

E-Mail Website
Guest Editor
Department of Sports Sciences Polytechnic of Guarda, 6300-559 Guarda, Portugal
Interests: training load; team sports; football; sports medicine; performance; monitoring; metabolic diseases; cardiovascular diseases; epidemology; public health
Special Issues, Collections and Topics in MDPI journals

Special Issue Information

Dear Colleagues,

Physical activity and structured exercise are widely recognized as fundamental determinants of health across the lifespan. A growing body of scientific evidence demonstrates that regular exercise plays a critical role in the prevention and management of non-communicable diseases, including cardiovascular disease, diabetes, obesity, musculoskeletal disorders, mental health conditions and neurodegenerative diseases. Beyond disease prevention, exercise contributes to improvements in physical function, cognitive performance, psychosocial well-being and overall quality of life in both healthy and clinical populations.

In recent years, advances in exercise science, biomechanics, physiology, public health and digital health technologies have expanded our understanding of how different types, intensities and contexts of exercise influence health outcomes. These developments highlight the need for an integrative and evidence-based perspective on exercise as a powerful, low-cost and scalable health intervention.

It is increasingly recognized that health-promoting movement (“Bewegung”), including low-threshold, everyday physical activities, plays a crucial role in the context of prevention, particularly for older adults and individuals who are inactive or living with functional limitations. For these populations, the concept of structured exercise or physical activity may appear demanding and potentially discouraging, whereas movement-oriented approaches emphasize accessibility, feasibility and long-term adherence.

While exercise represents a central pillar of prevention and therapy, it should be considered within a broader, multifactorial prevention framework. Other preventive pillars, such as healthy nutrition, avoidance of tobacco, psychosocial well-being, adequate sleep and cardiovascular risk management, as outlined in established prevention models including the American Heart Association’s preventive framework, serve as important accompanying measures that interact with and reinforce the benefits of physical activity and exercise.

In line with current European perspectives, this Special Issue also acknowledges the recommendations of the European Federation of Sports Medicine Associations, including the “10 Pillars of Prevention” described in the Eur. Prevention Position Statement 2024 (Medicina dello Sport, 2024). These frameworks highlight exercise and movement as key components of an integrated, evidence-based approach to disease prevention, health promotion and sustainable healthcare.

We are pleased to invite you to contribute with evidence-based knowledge in the field of the Impact of Exercise on Health. This Special Issue aims to provide a comprehensive and up-to-date overview of the impact of exercise on health, bridging basic, clinical and applied research perspectives. The focus aligns closely with the scope of Healthcare, which emphasizes translational research, health promotion, disease prevention, rehabilitation and healthcare delivery across diverse populations and settings.

By addressing exercise as both a preventive and therapeutic strategy, this Special Issue seeks to advance knowledge that informs clinical practice, public health policies and personalized healthcare approaches. The scope is intentionally focused on health-related outcomes while remaining sufficiently broad to capture multidisciplinary contributions relevant to healthcare professionals, researchers and policymakers.

In this Special Issue, original research articles and review papers are welcome. Research areas may include, but are not limited to, the following:

  • Effects of exercise on physical, mental and cognitive health
  • Exercise interventions for chronic disease prevention and management
  • Exercise prescription and personalized training in clinical populations
  • Physical activity and health across the lifespan (children, adults, older adults)
  • Exercise, rehabilitation and functional recovery
  • Digital health, wearables and remote monitoring of exercise and health outcomes
  • Exercise in public health, community and healthcare settings
  • Barriers and facilitators to physical activity and exercise adherence

We look forward to receiving your valuable contributions and to advancing scientific knowledge on the role of exercise in promoting health and well-being.

Dr. Pedro Forte
Dr. José Eduardo Teixeira
Guest Editors

Manuscript Submission Information

Manuscripts should be submitted online at www.mdpi.com by registering and logging in to this website. Once you are registered, click here to go to the submission form. Manuscripts can be submitted until the deadline. All submissions that pass pre-check are peer-reviewed. Accepted papers will be published continuously in the journal (as soon as accepted) and will be listed together on the special issue website. Research articles, review articles as well as short communications are invited. For planned papers, a title and short abstract (about 250 words) can be sent to the Editorial Office for assessment.

Submitted manuscripts should not have been published previously, nor be under consideration for publication elsewhere (except conference proceedings papers). All manuscripts are thoroughly refereed through a single-blind peer-review process. A guide for authors and other relevant information for submission of manuscripts is available on the Instructions for Authors page. Healthcare is an international peer-reviewed open access semimonthly journal published by MDPI.

Please visit the Instructions for Authors page before submitting a manuscript. The Article Processing Charge (APC) for publication in this open access journal is 2700 CHF (Swiss Francs). Submitted papers should be well formatted and use good English. Authors may use MDPI's English editing service prior to publication or during author revisions.

Keywords

  • exercise
  • physical activity
  • health
  • rehabilitation
  • quality of life
  • clinical exercise
  • sports

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Further information on MDPI's Special Issue policies can be found here.

Published Papers (2 papers)

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Research

17 pages, 1059 KB  
Article
Health-Related Effects of Individual and Paired Functional High-Intensity Interval Training on Body Composition, Strength and VO2max in Primary School Children
by Diego Alonso-Fernández, Rosana Fernández-Rodríguez, Pedro Docampo-Blanco and Yaiza Taboada-Iglesias
Healthcare 2026, 14(10), 1391; https://doi.org/10.3390/healthcare14101391 - 19 May 2026
Viewed by 108
Abstract
Background/Objectives: In the school setting, high-intensity interval training (HIIT) has emerged as a time-efficient strategy to improve children’s physical fitness; however, different implementation modalities have not been compared. The aim of this study was to compare the effects of an individual versus paired [...] Read more.
Background/Objectives: In the school setting, high-intensity interval training (HIIT) has emerged as a time-efficient strategy to improve children’s physical fitness; however, different implementation modalities have not been compared. The aim of this study was to compare the effects of an individual versus paired HIIT protocol based on functional bodyweight exercises on physical fitness-related and anthropometric outcomes in primary school children. Methods: Sixty-one children (11.6 ± 0.3 years) participated in a 10-week experimental study with three parallel groups: individual HIIT (EG1, n = 21), paired HIIT (EG2, n = 20), and a control group (CG, n = 20). Although both HIIT groups performed the same bodyweight functional exercises, in EG2 the exercises required coordinated movement between the partners. The HIIT protocol was integrated into the warm-up of Physical Education (PE) classes twice per week (Tabata-type protocol; 8 × 20 s/10 s/≤8 min per session). Body composition, muscular strength, and cardiorespiratory fitness (estimated VO2max) were assessed at pre- and post-test, along with a rating of perceived exertion (1–10 scale) and enjoyment/motivation (1–5 scale) across several sessions (1, 7 and 14). Data were analyzed using pre-post comparisons, ANOVA, and ANCOVA models adjusted for baseline values. Results: Body fat percentage decreased in all groups. The individual HIIT group showed within-group improvements in VO2max (+5.3%, p < 0.001), handgrip strength (+10.1%, p = 0.003), and standing long jump (+4.1%, p = 0.033), with moderate-to-large effect sizes, whereas the paired HIIT group showed smaller and statistically non-significant changes. Between-group comparisons suggested a tendency toward greater improvements in VO2max and handgrip strength in the individual HIIT group compared with the paired group, although the overall ANOVA for VO2max was not statistically significant. Perceived exertion declined over time in the paired group but remained relatively stable in the individual group. Conclusions: A low-volume HIIT program performed individually was associated with improvements in several physical fitness outcomes in schoolchildren. In contrast, paired execution showed smaller and mostly non-significant changes, together with a progressive reduction in perceived intensity. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue The Science of Exercise for Health: Integrative Approaches to Prevention and Therapy)
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16 pages, 782 KB  
Article
Effects of Dual-Task Versus Multicomponent Exercise Programs on Fear of Falling and Fall Risk in Institutionalized Older Adults: A Randomized Controlled Trial
by Daniela Pereira and Filipe Rodrigues
Healthcare 2026, 14(8), 981; https://doi.org/10.3390/healthcare14080981 - 9 Apr 2026
Viewed by 535
Abstract
Background/Objectives: Institutionalized aging is associated with severe physical deconditioning, a high risk of falls, and a pervasive fear of falling. Physical exercise mitigates these factors, but the comparative efficacy of different training methodologies in this specific population remains unclear. The objective of [...] Read more.
Background/Objectives: Institutionalized aging is associated with severe physical deconditioning, a high risk of falls, and a pervasive fear of falling. Physical exercise mitigates these factors, but the comparative efficacy of different training methodologies in this specific population remains unclear. The objective of this study was to compare the impact of a multicomponent exercise program versus a dual-task (cognitive-motor) training program on reducing fall risk, decreasing the fear of falling, and improving physical performance in institutionalized older adults. Methods: A randomized, parallel group controlled trial involving 21 older adults residing in a nursing home (Mean age = 83.67 ± 6.17 years). Participants were allocated to either a Multicomponent Group (n = 11) or a Dual-Task Group (n = 10) for a 12-week intervention (2 sessions/week). Fall risk, fear of falling, and global physical performance were assessed at baseline and post-intervention. Results: No significant improvements were observed in fall risk assessment execution time for either group. The Multicomponent Group showed a significant reduction in the fear of falling (−29.1%; 95% CI [−17.27, −1.27], p = 0.025) and a clinically significant improvement in physical performance (+40.9%; 95% CI [1.11, 3.43], p < 0.001), supported by large time effects (FES-I: F(1, 19) = 4.52, η2p = 0.192; SPPB: F(1, 19) = 13.68, η2p = 0.419). The Dual-Task Group achieved no significant changes in these dimensions. Furthermore, a marginally significant time-by-group interaction was observed for physical performance, favoring the multicomponent approach (F(1, 19) = 3.83, p = 0.065, η2p = 0.168 [large effect]). Conclusions: Multicomponent training proved superior in improving physical performance and reducing the fear of falling. In a frail, institutionalized population, the attentional cost demanded by dual-task training appears to limit the physical and psychological benefits of exercise. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue The Science of Exercise for Health: Integrative Approaches to Prevention and Therapy)
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