Dear Colleagues,

Engaging in physical activity and exercise activities is considered one of the most beneficial factors of a modern lifestyle and is seen as an indispensable element of good health. Physical activity and exercise in the different life stages, from early childhood to later adulthood, have several proven benefits for health, including the maintenance and possible improvement of physical components such as cardiovascular function, muscle strength, muscle power, muscle mass, physical function, balance, posture, stability, body composition, and flexibility. The mental and psychosocial benefits of physical activity and exercise have also been demonstrated. Furthermore, physical activity is a cornerstone in the primary prevention of at least 35 chronic conditions.  

However, despite the impressive benefits of regular physical activity and exercise, the physical activity levels of most of the world population, without distinction between ages or sex, are lower than the recommendations from the main guidelines of physical activity, for example, the 2020 WHO Guidelines on Physical Activity and Sedentary Behaviour, which provide recommendations on the amount and types of physical activity for various age groups. As a consequence of these low physical activity rates, physical inactivity has become the fourth leading risk factor for non-communicable diseases, and the fourth leading cause of death worldwide, and is therefore considered to be a pandemic.  

In the past, one of the scientific community's main objectives was to discover and modify the processes that increase life expectancy. However, extending the lifespan without taking care to also improve the health span can have negative consequences, resulting in a long period (years) of living with disabilities and comorbidities. If we take into account that the worldwide aging population has increased notably in recent decades, with projections indicating that elderly people will represent from 10% of the global population in 2019 (one in 11 people) to the 21,8% in 2050 (one in six), improving people’s functional capacity and quality of life through physical exercise must be one of the main objectives of the health systems and the health community.

Despite the lower rates of physical activity of the population, there is strong evidence to suggest that engaging in physical activity and exercise training programs, even starting at older ages, is associated with better physical function, a better quality of life, and longer life expectancy compared with those who are sedentary. So, maintaining an adequate level of the various components of physical function (muscle strength, muscle endurance, muscle power, balance, agility, and aerobic capacity) at any life stage is a key factor in preserving and promoting the health and quality of life of the population.

Therefore, this Special Issue of the International Journal of Environmental Research and Public Health (IJERPH) focuses on the current state of knowledge on physical activity and exercise programs providing benefits on the physical function and quality of life of a broad range of populations, from infants to seniors, but with high interest on aging population (healthy, frail or non-frail older adults) and population with non-communicable disease such as chronic pain, cancer, osteoporosis, osteoarthritis, cardiovascular or metabolic pathologies, etc.

Papers addressing these topics are invited for this Special Issue. New research papers, reviews, case reports and conference papers are welcome to this issue. Other manuscript types accepted include methodological papers, position papers, brief reports, and commentaries.

Here, are some examples of topics that could be addressed in this Special Issue:

1. Effects of a specific physical activity or exercise programs applied alone or in combination with other techniques in different clinical settings or at home, on different health biomarkers and parameters such as:

• Oxidative stress
• Bone quantity and quality
• Body composition (skeletal muscle mass, fat mass)
• Muscle strength
• Muscle power
• Aerobic capacity
• Agility
• Balance
• Pain
• Mental health
• Sleep quality and quantity
• General physical function (basic or instrumental activities of daily living)
• General quality of life and its subdimensions (i.e., physical function, role physical, bodily pain, general health, vitality, social function, role emotional, mental health, physical component summary, mental component summary, material life, MS, general state, mental function, physiological domain, mental domain, social domain, environmental domain, independent domain, spiritual pillar,  and social relations).  
• Barriers or facilitators of physical activity
• Others

2. Determine the main factors, related directly (exercise parameters, modalities, equipment, etc.) or not (social relationship, nutrition, sleep quality, etc.) with the exercise that could affect the impact of the exercise on the physical function and quality of life of the population studied.

Dr. Pedro Gargallo
Dr. Juan Vicente Mampel
Guest Editors

Manuscript Submission Information

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• exercise
• chronic pain
• aging
• resistance training
• athletic performance
• quality of life
• central nervous system
• complementary therapies
• chronic disease
• neuromuscular physiology