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Research on Physical Activity Interventions and Environmental Correlates of Physical...
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Research on Physical Activity Interventions and Environmental Correlates of Physical Activity and Health during Youth

A special issue of Healthcare (ISSN 2227-9032). This special issue belongs to the section "Environmental Factors and Global Health".

Deadline for manuscript submissions: 31 July 2025 | Viewed by 1002

Special Issue Editor

Dr. Alessandro H. Nicolai Ré

E-Mail Website
Guest Editor
Physical Activity Sciences, School of Arts, Sciences and Humanities, University of São Paulo, São Paulo 03828-000, SP, Brazil
Interests: health promotion; physical activity; motor development; fitness; motor skills; physical education; sociocultural contexts

Special Issue Information

Dear Colleagues,

The cornerstone of the research on physical activity (PA) interventions has focused on the development, implementation and effectiveness of physical activity (PA) programs on the physical and mental health of school-aged children. However, before physical activity (PA) interventions can be fully integrated into health promotion policies, a comprehensive and socially relevant research approach needs to be established. Moreover, this approach needs to be more appropriately aligned with the social, economic, cultural and other environmental correlates. Papers addressing these topics are invited to this Special Issue. Several research designs may be accepted, including randomized controlled trials, quasi-experimental designs, longitudinal and cross-sectional designs, mixed methods designs, systematic reviews and meta-analyses.

Dr. Alessandro H. Nicolai Ré
Guest Editor

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. Healthcare is an international peer-reviewed open access semimonthly 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 2700 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

  • health promotion
  • physical activity
  • fitness
  • physical education
  • sociocultural context

Published Papers (1 paper)

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Research

15 pages, 296 KiB  
Article
Association between Young People’s Neighbourhoods’ Characteristics and Health Risk Factors in Saudi Arabia
by Anwar Al-Nuaim, Abdulmalek K. Bursais, Marwa M. Hassan, Abdulrahman I. Alaqil, Peter Collins and Ayazullah Safi
Healthcare 2024, 12(11), 1120; https://doi.org/10.3390/healthcare12111120 - 30 May 2024
Viewed by 502
Abstract
Introduction: A neighbourhood’s environmental characteristics can positively or negatively influence health and well-being. To date, no studies have examined this concept in the context of Saudi Arabian youth. Therefore, this study aimed to evaluate the association between a neighbourhood’s environmental characteristics and health [...] Read more.
Introduction: A neighbourhood’s environmental characteristics can positively or negatively influence health and well-being. To date, no studies have examined this concept in the context of Saudi Arabian youth. Therefore, this study aimed to evaluate the association between a neighbourhood’s environmental characteristics and health risk factors among Saudi Arabian youth. Methods: A total of 335 secondary-school students (175 males, 160 females), aged 15–19 years old, participated. Body mass index (BMI) and waist circumference measurements were taken, and physical activity (steps) was measured via pedometer. The perceived neighbourhood environment was assessed using the International Physical Activity Questionnaire Environment Module (IPAQ-E). Results: Significant differences were found between the youths from urban, rural farm, and rural desert locations in terms of BMI, waist circumference, daily steps, accessibility, infrastructure, social environment, household vehicles, safety, and access to facilities (p < 0.001). Rural desert youths were less active, and males (26.43 + 8.13) and females (24.68 + 5.03) had higher BMIs compared to the youths from other areas. Chi-square analysis revealed a significant difference (χ21 = 12.664, p < 0.001) between the genders as to social-environment perceptions. Males perceived their neighbourhood as a social environment more than was reported by females (68.39% and 50.28%, respectively). Pearson’s correlation revealed negative significant relationships between steps and both safety of neighbourhood (r = −0.235, p < 0.001) and crime rate (r = −0.281, p < 0.001). Discussion: Geographical location, cultural attitudes, lack of facilities, and accessibility impact youth physical-activity engagement and weight status; this includes environmental variables such as residential density, neighbourhood safety, household motor vehicles, and social environment. Conclusions: This is the first study examining associations with neighbourhood environments in the youths of the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia. Significant associations and geographical differences were found. More research and policy interventions to address neighbourhoods’ environmental characteristics and health risk factors relative to Saudi Arabian youth are warranted. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Research on Physical Activity Interventions and Environmental Correlates of Physical Activity and Health during Youth)
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