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Healthcare
Special Issues
Exercise Science and Health Promotion
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Exercise Science and Health Promotion

A special issue of Healthcare (ISSN 2227-9032). This special issue belongs to the section "Preventive Medicine".

Deadline for manuscript submissions: 20 May 2026 | Viewed by 1039

Special Issue Editor

Dr. Weiyun Chen

E-Mail Website
Guest Editor
School of Kinesiology, University of Michigan, Ann Arbor, MI 48109, USA
Interests: physical activity interventions; cognitive functions; functional fitness; lifestyle behaviors; cardiometabolic health; mental health and wellbeing
Special Issues, Collections and Topics in MDPI journals

Special Issue Information

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.

Keywords

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

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Further information on MDPI's Special Issue policies can be found here.

Published Papers (1 paper)

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Research

9 pages, 199 KiB  
Article
Barriers to Physical Activity in Low-Income Older Adults Living in Senior Housing
by Carolyn Kalata, Ramon Reyes, Kamal Kuhail, Janet L. Larson and Weiyun Chen
Healthcare 2025, 13(10), 1159; https://doi.org/10.3390/healthcare13101159 - 16 May 2025
Viewed by 866
Abstract
While a majority of older adults fail to engage in recommended levels of physical activity (PA), lower-income older adults face unique challenges. They are at greater risk for low levels of PA, but little is known about the barriers they face. Objectives: This [...] Read more.
While a majority of older adults fail to engage in recommended levels of physical activity (PA), lower-income older adults face unique challenges. They are at greater risk for low levels of PA, but little is known about the barriers they face. Objectives: This study aimed to investigate self-reported PA and barriers to PA for older adult residents of subsidized low-income senior housing, comparing barriers for those with lower and higher levels of PA. Methods: Ninety-two older adults (mean age 76.57 (SD = 7.50)) were recruited from low-income senior housing facilities. They completed a demographic questionnaire, the International Physical Activity Questionnaire (IPAQ), which measures MET-minutes/week of engaging in vigorous, moderate, and light PA levels, and the 27-item Inventory of Physical Activity Barriers (IPAB), which measures multifaceted barriers to PA. Results: The most common barrier for all residents was the PA priority. Independent t-tests revealed that the low-active group faced greater barriers than the high-active group in physical health barriers (t = 2.329, p = 0.022), PA priority of (t = 2.836, p = 0.006), environmental barriers (t = 2.072, p = 0.042), and total PA barriers (t = 2.281, p = 0.025). No significant differences were found between the low-active and high-active groups for emotional health barriers, skill barriers, external factor barriers, and social barriers. Conclusions: The low-active older adults were less likely to overcome barriers, such as physical health issues, PA priority, and environmental factors. Further research is necessary to gain a deeper understanding of the characteristics and underlying mechanisms of these barriers and to develop effective strategies for addressing them. However, findings should be interpreted cautiously due to the small and convenient sample and potential bias from self-reported PA measures. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Exercise Science and Health Promotion)
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