Strength, Function, and Independence: Public Health Innovative Approaches to Muscle Health in Aging
A special issue of International Journal of Environmental Research and Public Health (ISSN 1660-4601). This special issue belongs to the section "Exercise and Health-Related Quality of Life".
Deadline for manuscript submissions: 31 July 2026 | Viewed by 1
Special Issue Editor
Interests: physical activity and health; epidemiology of aging; effects of physical training to older people
Special Issues, Collections and Topics in MDPI journals
Special Issue Information
Dear Colleagues,
Age-related decline in muscle strength represents a fundamental concern for healthy aging and quality of life among older adults. The deterioration extends beyond simple quantitative loss and involves complex alterations in neuromuscular function that contribute to functional limitations, reduced independence, and increased vulnerability to adverse health outcomes in aging populations. From a public health perspective, these changes present significant challenges for healthcare systems, contribute to increased utilization of services, and represent a growing societal burden as global populations continue to age.
This Special Issue aims to advance our understanding of muscle strength parameters in older adults, with particular emphasis on asymmetry, functional implications, and innovative assessment methodologies. We seek contributions examining the relationships between muscle strength characteristics (including asymmetry, rate of force development, and power) and important health outcomes such as physical function, activities of daily living performance, fall risk, frailty progression, and mortality. Studies addressing population-level interventions, health economic analyses, and public health policy implications related to muscle health in aging are also encouraged. Of special interest are studies utilizing novel technological approaches for assessments (e.g., wearable sensors, smartphone applications, artificial intelligence-based analysis) and intervention (e.g., personalized exercise prescriptions, telerehabilitation).
We welcome original research, including interventional, case–control, cross-sectional, and longitudinal studies, as well as systematic reviews and meta-analyses that address these themes. Interdisciplinary approaches that integrate biomechanical, neurophysiological, and clinical perspectives are particularly encouraged to foster comprehensive understanding of muscle function in aging populations.
Dr. Ricardo Aurélio Carvalho Sampaio
Guest Editor
Manuscript Submission Information
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Keywords
- activities of daily living
- aging
- body composition
- exercise intervention
- frailty
- innovative assessment
- muscle power
- muscle strength
- physical function
- sarcopenia
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