Interwoven Nuance: An Exploration of Youth Physical Activity Promotion and the Connection to Family Wellbeing

Dear Colleagues,

As many of you may well acknowledge, movement of the human body is intimately connected to a broader individual sense of autonomy and a pursuit of happiness. The promotion of physical activity for the “benefit” and “wellbeing” of individuals across their lifespan has been a preeminent feature of a broader public health initiative in the United States. However, many public health initiatives—enacted for the benefit of all citizens—and the broader praxis of practitioners—e.g., emboldened individual acts as saviorism for the greater good—have nearly universally maintained the historical inequalities experienced by those from marginalized communities.

Indeed, one’s physical health is rooted to one’s larger sense of being well. Yet, overly simplistic messages such as “eat less, exercise more” or “try walking more” neglect the documented systemic barriers such as cost, proximity, safety, etc., that limit historically and perpetually marginalized individuals from receiving such benefits. Presenting individualistic strategies to improve one’s health has served only to exacerbate entrenched issues and has often caused persons to engage in fewer and less enjoyable modes of physical activity; this has left only those with the affordances, such as those with more affluence, of the racial (i.e., white) or sexual (i.e., heterosexual) majority, or whose accommodation needs fit within those readily available.

To combat historical inequity and prepare for the ever-diversifying populace of the US, we are soliciting contributions for a Special Issue of Societies, titled “Interwoven Nuance: An Exploration of Youth Physical Activity Promotion and the Connection to Family Wellbeing”. This collection will consist of critical inquiries into wellbeing, physical activity, and family dynamics and their relationship to persistent, pervasive health disparities among perpetually marginalized communities. Such manuscripts may consider one or multiple forms of marginalization as related to racism, sexism, homo/transphobia, ableism, anti-immigrant, antisemitic, etc., and their influence on individual or collective wellbeing—defined as an individual’s perception of doing or being “well”—as part of, connected to, (un)related to, or otherwise linked with physical activity—defined as the intentional act of moving one’s entire body in a coordinated manner.    

We, for this Special Issue, request submission of original empirical research studies or reviews. Manuscripts may be descriptive, exploratory, experimental, or theoretical; data of all forms (e.g., qualitative, or quantitative) will be considered. We will not consider manuscripts that are purely methodological; theoretical manuscripts may be considered but empirical articles will be prioritized.

We are hopefully awaiting submissions that are highly critical of the status quo or established traditions; this may include—but is not limited to—the following:

• The gendered design of sport in American culture;
• The imperialistic origins of physical education in schools;
• Sport within the “School-to-Prison” pipeline;
• Impact of trans sport bans on the wellbeing of children and families;
• (Re)constructing assumptions of physical activity, family dynamics, and equity;
• Transformative community-driven solutions to community issues possibly pertaining to community safety, educational affordances, or accessibility;
• Offering a more holistically aligned description for wellbeing or physical activity itself;
• Offering insight, deeply and authentically, on any topics connected to the intention of this request.

We will accept submissions from individuals of any affiliation and with all forms of credentials and expertise. All manuscripts will be expected to be transparent with their methodology and uphold the ethical standards for research as prescribed in the Belmont Report, the Declaration of Helsinki, and the Nuremberg Code.

We look forward to receiving your contributions.

Dr. Andrew Colombo-Dougovito
Dr. Yolanda Mitchell
Guest Editors

Manuscript Submission Information

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