Advancing Physical Activity and Well-Being in Children and Adolescents

A special issue of Healthcare (ISSN 2227-9032).

Deadline for manuscript submissions: 10 August 2026 | Viewed by 408

Special Issue Editors


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Guest Editor
Research Group in Training, Physical Activity and Sports Performance (ENFYRED), Department of Music, Plastic and Body Expression, University of Zaragoza, 44003 Teruel, Spain
Interests: physical activity promotion; well-being; sedentary behavior reduction; school-based interventions; mental health; active lifestyle
Special Issues, Collections and Topics in MDPI journals

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Guest Editor Assistant
Research Group on Physical Activity, Education, and Health (GIAFES), Catholic University of Ávila, 05005 Ávila, Spain
Interests: exercise interventions; systematic review and meta-analysis; chronic disease; sleep quality; stretching interventions; pilates; yoga

Special Issue Information

Dear Colleagues, 

We are pleased to invite you to contribute to a Special Issue entitled “Advancing Physical Activity and Well-Being in Children and Adolescents.” Regular participation in physical activity during childhood and adolescence is a cornerstone for healthy growth and lifelong well-being, fostering optimal physical development, cognitive performance, emotional resilience, and social connectedness. However, global surveillance continues to reveal high levels of inactivity and prolonged sedentary behaviors in young people, alongside widening disparities linked to sex, socioeconomic status, and geography. These challenges underscore the urgent need for innovative, evidence-based strategies that not only increase activity levels but also address the multifaceted determinants of youth well-being. 

This Special Issue aims to advance knowledge on how physical activity programs can enhance the holistic health of children and adolescents. By assembling cutting-edge research and practical insights, we seek to create a comprehensive resource that informs policy, clinical practice, and program design worldwide. 

Suggested Themes and Article Types for Submissions

Original research articles and systematic, scoping, or umbrella reviews are welcome. Topics of interest include (but are not limited to) the following:·       

  • School-based interventions to improve physical and mental health.·       
  • Family and community initiatives to promote healthy lifestyles.·       
  • Physical literacy as a foundation for lifelong health and well-being.·       
  • Physical activity and its impact on mental health.·       
  • Strategies to reduce sedentary behavior.·       
  • Targeted interventions for youth with disabilities and other vulnerable groups.·       
  • Culturally adapted programs and their effectiveness across diverse settings.·       
  • Use of emerging technologies to monitor physical activity and overall health.·       
  • Non-pharmacological interventions to improve sleep quality. 

We look forward to receiving your contributions.

Dr. Carlos D. Gómez-Carmona
Guest Editor

Dr. Daniel González-Devesa
Guest Editor Assistant

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. 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

  • motor activity
  • exercise therapy
  • sedentary behavior
  • physical fitness
  • health promotion
  • child
  • adolescent
  • mental health

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Published Papers (1 paper)

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22 pages, 791 KB  
Systematic Review
The Impact of Sibling Presence on Motor Competence and Physical Fitness: A Systematic Review
by Nerea Blanco-Martínez, Daniel González-Devesa, Pedro Vicente Vila, Antía Esmerode-Iglesias and Carlos Ayán-Pérez
Healthcare 2025, 13(23), 3142; https://doi.org/10.3390/healthcare13233142 - 2 Dec 2025
Viewed by 137
Abstract
Objective: This systematic review examined whether siblings act as facilitators or barriers to children’s motor competence and physical fitness. Methods: Following PRISMA guidelines, systematic searches were conducted in four databases (Web of Science, Scopus, SPORTDiscus, and MEDLINE/PubMed) up to September 2025. Results: Seventeen [...] Read more.
Objective: This systematic review examined whether siblings act as facilitators or barriers to children’s motor competence and physical fitness. Methods: Following PRISMA guidelines, systematic searches were conducted in four databases (Web of Science, Scopus, SPORTDiscus, and MEDLINE/PubMed) up to September 2025. Results: Seventeen studies (total n = 116,827) met eligibility criteria. Eleven studies were rated fair quality and the remainder poor. Twelve studies assessed motor competence, four assessed physical fitness, and one addressed both. Children with older siblings often showed better coordination and motor skills, whereas some evidence indicated earlier gross motor development in only children and no consistent differences in fine motor skills. The presence of younger siblings was associated with lower motor skill scores in infants, while older siblings were linked to higher scores. Across motor competence outcomes, the available evidence is concentrated in object control and fine/hand motor skills, with comparatively fewer data on locomotor and stability domains. Regarding physical fitness, siblings generally exerted a positive influence across several dimensions, but these findings are based on a small number of studies, and results for cardiorespiratory fitness are conflicting. Conclusions: Given the heterogeneity in ages and measurement tools, along with the predominance of methodological constraints, readers should interpret the findings with caution. In summary, the available evidence suggests that having siblings may be associated with higher motor competence and some aspects of physical fitness, yet the certainty of evidence is limited by heterogeneity (age ranges and measurement tools) and methodological constraints. Full article
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