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A special issue of International Journal of Environmental Research and Public Health (ISSN 1660-4601). This special issue belongs to the section "Exercise and Health".

Deadline for manuscript submissions: closed (10 April 2023) | Viewed by 9426

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Special Issue Editors

Dr. Mirja Hirvensalo

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Guest Editor

Faculty of Sport & Health Sciences, University of Jyväskylä, 40014 Jyväskylä, Finland
Interests: physical activity across the lifespan; promotion of physical activity; inactivity and sedentary behaviour
Special Issues, Collections and Topics in MDPI journals

Dr. Kasper Salin

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Guest Editor

Faculty of Sport and Health Sciences, University of Jyväskylä, 40014 Jyväskylä, Finland
Interests: physical activity; inactivity; promoting physical activity; physical education; technology in physical education and promoting physical activity; physical fitness; tracking of physical activity; sport club participation

Special Issue Information

Dear Colleagues,

In recent decades, our understanding of influence of physical activity for public health has increased, and at the same time, we are facing a global epidemic of physical inactivity. As inactivity is increasing, it is widely understood that physical activity is a lifelong habit that will fluctuate over the life course. Physical activity can be divided to different parts, including leisure-time physical activity, occupational physical activity, and commuting physical activity.

This Special Issue seeks papers on physical activity across the lifespan, concentrating on papers with longitudinal data or cross-sectional data from different time points and life transitions and life events that have a positive or negative influence on activity, such as the birth of a child or retirement. We are especially interested in papers that track physical activity from childhood/adolescence to adulthood or intergenerational transmission of physical activity. Additionally, associations of physical activity in lifespan and health problems (e.g., overweight, obesity), symptoms (e.g., hypertension), morbidity or mortality are warmly welcomed. Papers that concentrate on special population groups are well accepted.

Prof. Dr. Mirja Hirvensalo
Dr. Kasper Salin
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 100 words) can be sent to the Editorial Office for announcement on this website.

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. International Journal of Environmental Research and Public Health is an international peer-reviewed open access monthly 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 2500 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

physical activity
tracking
lifespan
longitudinal study
cohort study
life transitions
life events
promotion
prevention
intervention
sedentary behavior

Published Papers (4 papers)

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Research

18 pages, 421 KiB

Open AccessArticle

Meanings Attributed to Physical Activity and Changes in Self-Reported and Accelerometer-Measured Physical Activity among Recent Retirees

by Miika Tuominen, Sari Stenholm, Pasi Koski and Tuija Leskinen

Int. J. Environ. Res. Public Health 2022, 19(23), 15567; https://doi.org/10.3390/ijerph192315567 - 23 Nov 2022

Cited by 1 | Viewed by 1385

Abstract

Retirement poses opportunities and challenges for maintaining and adopting physically active habits, which may have major implications for health and functional ability in later life. Qualitative studies suggest that a broad range of meanings of physical activity should be considered when promoting physical activity among retirees. The current study utilized the Physical Activity Relationship (PAR) approach to examine the importance of meanings attributed to physical activity and their associations with physical activity over time. A total of 230 recently retired participants (65.2 years old, 83% women) responded to a 54-item inventory assessing the importance of meanings attributed to physical activity at baseline. Eight meaning dimensions were identified through exploratory factor analysis. Differences in their importance across gender and occupational background were examined using t-tests and ANOVA. Associations between meaning dimensions and self-reported and accelerometer-measured physical activity over 12 months were examined with general linear models. Dimensions defined as Physical Fitness, Positive Mood, and Belonging were positively associated with changes in self-reported and accelerometer-measured physical activity. Additionally, the importance of several meaning dimensions varied across occupational background. In conclusion, physical activity promotion among retirees should focus on physical fitness, positive mood, and social belonging. Furthermore, meanings attributed to physical activity may vary across occupational backgrounds. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Physical Activity across the Lifespan)

9 pages, 970 KiB

Open AccessArticle

Effects of Acute High-Intensity Interval Exercise and High-Intensity Continuous Exercise on Inhibitory Function of Overweight and Obese Children

by Ligong Zhang, Dongshi Wang, Siwen Liu, Fei-Fei Ren, Lin Chi and Chun Xie

Int. J. Environ. Res. Public Health 2022, 19(16), 10401; https://doi.org/10.3390/ijerph191610401 - 21 Aug 2022

Cited by 2 | Viewed by 2320

Abstract

This study aimed to examine whether a single bout each of high-intensity interval exercise (HIIE) and high-intensity continuous exercise (HICE) could improve inhibitory functions of overweight and obese children, and which mode of exercise was more beneficial. Seventy-two overweight and obese children, with (26.02 ± 1.05 kg/m²), aged 10–14 years (11.56 ± 1.03 years), were randomly assigned to three groups. The HIIE group completed a 30-min treadmill exercise session (5-min warm up, 20-min HIIE, and 5-min cool-down). The HICE group performed 30 min of rope skipping, while the control (CON) group watched a designated cartoon on a tablet computer for the same duration. Reaction time and number of errors in the Stroop test were determined before and after the intervention. The difference between pre- and post-test reaction time scores was higher in the HIIE and HICE groups than in the CON group, while the pre- and post-test difference in the number of errors was similar between groups. Overall, it is likely that both acute HIIE and HICE were similarly efficient in facilitating cognitive and inhibitory functions of children with overweight and obesity conditions, supporting the benefits of acute high-intensity exercise probability for cognitive functions of children in general, as well as of the population with overweight and obesity conditions. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Physical Activity across the Lifespan)

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19 pages, 1060 KiB

Open AccessArticle

Examining Adolescent Tennis Participation in Contemporary China Using an Ecological Framework

by Longxi Li, Oliver J. C. Rick, Elizabeth M. Mullin and Michelle E. Moosbrugger

Int. J. Environ. Res. Public Health 2022, 19(10), 5989; https://doi.org/10.3390/ijerph19105989 - 14 May 2022

Cited by 2 | Viewed by 2371

Abstract

Physical activity and sport participation behaviors in children and adolescents are consistently shaped by surrounding ecological systems. Accumulating evidence highlights individual, family, peer, school and teacher, and macroenvironment elements such as policies that affect unstructured physical activity choices in youth populations. However, the reason for participation has not been fully interpreted from the perspective of the youth themselves, especially those from an Asian cultural background. In our study, we aimed to better understand the self-identified reasons for adolescents’ participation in non-organized or spontaneous tennis practice in contemporary China. Twenty-six adolescents and informants were recruited in mainland China and participated in semi-structured interviews to provide thick descriptions of their continued tennis participation behaviors. Data were coded and analyzed via NVivo 12. Four themes emerged: (a) Individual characteristics and self-interpretations of tennis culture; (b) microsystems mediating adolescents’ tennis participation; (c) barriers and obstacles impacting tennis participation; and (d) policies and macroenvironments. Adolescent tennis participation is a result of the integration effect of the sociocultural and ecological factors dominated by multifaceted ecological systems. As a particular vision of their physical activity experiences, adolescents’ interpretation of tennis and their broader worldview has been continuously reshaped by concurrent sport and educational policies. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Physical Activity across the Lifespan)

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13 pages, 366 KiB

Open AccessArticle

Young People in the Social World of Physical Activities: Meanings and Barriers

by Pasi Koski, Mirja Hirvensalo, Jari Villberg and Sami Kokko

Int. J. Environ. Res. Public Health 2022, 19(9), 5466; https://doi.org/10.3390/ijerph19095466 - 30 Apr 2022

Cited by 3 | Viewed by 2522

Abstract

Physical inactivity has become one of the leading risk factors for non-communicable diseases (NCDs) and death worldwide. From the future perspective it is alarming that in the group of young people few meet the recommendations. In this respect, physical activity promotion in general and physical education have challenges and new approaches are needed. In this study, the theoretical framework is based on the physical activity relationship (PAR) approach and the barriers were grouped according to the ecological model. The aim of the study was firstly to present both the meanings and barriers of physical activity in a comprehensive Finnish population of 11–15 year old (n = 2728) and secondly to examine how the number of important meanings and mentioned barriers associate with each other with physical activity levels. Data were collected using a questionnaire. To examine how the meanings and barriers associate with each other and with the PA level, chi-squared test (χ²), Pearson correlation and General linear model (ANCOVA) were used. Logistic regression was applied to estimate effect sizes by odds ratios and 95% confidence intervals. According to the results, the associations between physical activity with the meanings and barriers were reverse and linear. The more important the meanings were found to be, the more likely the study participants were physically active, whereas the more barriers participants reported, the less active they were. The approach which utilizes meanings and barriers has a lot of untapped potential for the promotion of physical activity and physical education. With the right actions, some barriers could be removed or dampened, and by opening up and deepening meanings, PAR could be strengthened. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Physical Activity across the Lifespan)

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