Monitoring and Promoting Physical Activity, Physical Fitness and Motor Competence in Children (Volume II)

Dear Colleagues,

It is our pleasure to host this Special Issue on ‘’Monitoring and Promoting Physical Activity, Physical Fitness and Motor Competence in Children’’ in the Children journal.

As we know, a large amount of the research confirms that physical activity (PA), physical fitness (PF) and motor competence (MC) are associated with health benefits in individuals of all ages. Achieving a sufficient level of PA and PF will consequently further contribute to better health-related biomarkers. Moreover, holding a good MC allows for better participation in PA and exercise in life, promoting greater physical literacy.

It is true that the measurement of PA in children and young people is subject to several conditioning factors that threaten its validity and reliability. Additionally, it is good to remember that the World Health Organization guidelines on PA and sedentary behavior for children recommend: (1) 180 min of PA (at any intensity) for two-year old children; (2) 180 min of PA, of which 60 min is moderate-to-vigorous physical activity (MVPA), for 3- to 4-year-old children; (3) at least 60 min of MVPA for children and adolescents from 5 to 17 years old.

Therefore, understanding and developing strategies to promote PA behavior is more important now than ever, because it is essential to improve fitness levels and MC at early ages. These strategies should cover all generations equally, children and youth, adults and the elderly, because negative outcomes are visible in individuals of all ages.

In this Special Issue, we welcome contributions that describe the link between, monitoring and promotion of PA, PF and MC. Contributions in the form of an original article, case report, commentary, or systematic review with meta-analysis are all welcome.

Considering the success and popularity of the Special Issue “Monitoring and Promoting Physical Activity, Physical Fitness and Motor Competence in Children” previously published in the journal Children (https://www.mdpi.com/journal/children/special_issues/Physical_Motor_Competence_Children), we are now releasing a Second Issue, aiming to gather original research papers and review articles. In this Special Issue of Children, senior investigators are welcome to invite mentees and colleagues to co-author submissions under their supervision. We look forward to receiving your contributions.

Dr. Georgian Badicu
Dr. Hugo Miguel Borges Sarmento
Dr. Ana Filipa Silva
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. Children 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 2400 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.