Exercise Science and Health Promotion

Dear Colleagues,

We are pleased to invite you to this Special Issue focusing on exercises and physical activities to promote health and wellbeing across various populations. This includes both the general population and individuals with chronic health conditions, as well as those from culturally, racially, and socioeconomically disadvantaged backgrounds, spanning all ages.

Regular exercise and habitual physical activity (PA) behaviors are well documented for enhancing physical health by reducing the risk of developing heart disease, stroke, cancers, diabetes, and dementia-related diseases. They also help alleviate chronic pain and manage body weight. Beyond physical health, regular exercise and habitual PA contribute to improved mental health and wellbeing. These benefits include reducing the risk of anxiety and depression; enhancing self-efficacy, vitality, and resilience; fostering social connection and support; and boosting positive emotions and moods for both the general population and special populations across their lifespans.

Despite these benefits, many individuals do not engage in regular exercise and fail to meet the recommended amount of daily PA. Numerous factors influence the effective implementation of various exercise and PA interventions in populations with different backgrounds and special health needs. Furthermore, there is a need for further exploration and investigation into the impacts of exercise and PA interventions on physical, cognitive, and mental health in diverse populations, incorporating behavioral and social science perspectives.

This Special Issue aims to (1) examine factors influencing the feasibility, acceptability, and sustainability of exercise and PA interventions in specific populations; (2) investigate the impacts of these interventions on lifestyle behaviors, physical and cardiometabolic health, cognitive and physical functions, and mental health and wellbeing in both the general population and special populations; and (3) explore the physiological aspects that contribute to participants’ responses and intervention outcomes in these populations.

In this Special Issue, we welcome original research articles and reviews. Research areas may include, but are not limited to, the following:

• Factors facilitating and inhibiting the feasibility, acceptability, and sustainability of exercise and PA interventions within specific populations.

• Implementation strategies and the characteristics of interventions aimed at enhancing the effectiveness of implementing population-based and large-scale interventions with diverse populations.
• The effects of exercise and PA interventions on lifestyle behavior changes, physical and cardiometabolic health, cognitive and physical functions, and mental health and wellbeing in both the general population and special populations.
• The physiological, psychological, and social determinants of health contributing to participants’ responses to interventions and their intervention outcomes.
• Factors facilitating and inhibiting physical activity behaviors in the general population and special populations across their lifespans.
• Differences in exercise/PA participation between Europe and the United States.
• Future development with regard to AI to promote exercise and health.

I look forward to receiving your contributions.

Dr. Weiyun Chen
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.

• exercise intervention
• physical activity
• physical and cardiometabolic health
• cognitive functions
• physical functions
• mental health and wellbeing
• feasibility
• acceptability
• sustainability of an intervention
• physiological