Physical Activity for Public Health

Periods of reduced movement, most notably those experienced by many during the COVID-19 lockdowns, highlight the psychological, physical, and emotional consequences of physical inactivity. Across populations, fewer opportunities to be active were linked to poorer mental health, reduced physical function, and widening health inequalities. In this context, the Special Issue Physical Activity for Public Health brings together contemporary research examining how physical activity can be promoted, measured, and applied to improve health outcomes across the lifespan.

This Special Issue explores physical activity behaviours in children, adolescents, adults, and special populations, with a strong emphasis on real-world relevance, from community and grassroots initiatives to regional, national, and international contexts. While the benefits of physical activity for preventing and managing metabolic disease are well established, this collection also considers the psychological effects of inactivity and advances in physiological and biomechanical assessment. The contributions span qualitative and quantitative approaches across sport and exercise science, biomechanics, human movement science, coaching, and sport development. Key themes include wearable activity monitoring, socioecological influences on participation, age and gender differences in performance, interventions for under-represented groups, and systematic reviews of sedentary behaviour, biomechanical risk, and digital exercise delivery.