Benefits of Physical Activity and Exercise to Human Health

Dear Colleagues,

Recent estimates point to a high prevalence of physical inactivity and sedentary behavior in modern societies. Physical inactivity is one of the leading risk factors for chronic non-communicable diseases (i.e., diabetes mellitus, cardiovascular disease, and some cancers) and all-cause mortality worldwide. From a public health perspective, it becomes urgent to develop new strategies and therapeutic approaches for preventing or managing these deleterious health outcomes.

Alternately, physical activity and exercise provide multiple health benefits, reducing the risk of all-cause mortality. The updated WHO 2020 guidelines on physical activity and sedentary behavior encourage the different population groups to undertake aerobic and muscle-strengthening activities and limit the time spent sedentary for optimal health outcomes. Nonetheless, more research is needed to better understand the factors underlying regular physical activity/exercise, as well as effective strategies to increase adherence and maintenance.

This Special Issue is dedicated to studies that investigate how physical activity and exercise interventions contribute to human health and well-being across all age groups. The topic of interest includes, but is not limited to the following:

- Determinants of physical activity and exercise adherence: barriers and facilitators

- Strategies to improve physical activity levels and exercise adherence

- Physical activity and exercise in disease prevention and management

- Physical activity and exercise on physical and mental health

We are particularly interested in experimental and observational studies, systematic reviews, meta-analyses, and study protocols.

Dr. Ricardo Manuel Pires Ferraz
Prof. Dr. Henrique P. Neiva
Dr. Fernanda M. Silva
Dr. Pedro Alexandre Duarte-Mendes
Guest Editors

Manuscript Submission Information

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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. Sports 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 1800 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.

• movement behaviors
• physical activity
• public health
• health promotion
• disease