Physical Activity and Psychosocial Health: A Two-Way Path to Improve Youth Wellbeing

Dear Colleagues,

Physical activity (PA) enhances the optimal development and functioning of the musculoskeletal and cardiovascular systems. Furthermore, PA is also known to confer benefits in other psychosocial outcomes, such as quality of life, well-being, motivation, self-concept, or anxiety.

While there is a large amount of the studies which have proved the reciprocal association between physical activity-related variables (intention to be physically active, adherence to physical activity, physical activity levels, etc.) and psychosocial health, the literature is scarcer around research aiming to establish these relationships through an experimental design.

Interestingly, the interventions which have been carried out within this topic have approached the interaction between these two kinds of variables from a dual perspective. On the one hand, a research line has addressed the effect of physical-activity-based interventions on psychosocial health. On the other hand, other studies have implemented certain strategies oriented toward improving psychosocial health to check their effect on physical activity levels or intentions to be physically active.

Youth is an important period for establishing healthy habits for healthy adulthood. For example, approximately 80% of obese youth grow into obese adults. The results of previous studies also suggest that PA during childhood and adolescence is a key contributor to the overall health trajectory.

Considering the above, in this Special Issue, we look forward to receiving high-quality original research studies implementing interventions during childhood, adolescence, and youth to test the relationship between physical activity and psychosocial health in either direction. We mainly welcome studies whose intervention or expected outcomes are theoretically grounded on a social cognitive perspective.

Dr. Javier Coterón
Dr. Evelia Franco Álvarez
Dr. María Jesús Lirola Manzano
Guest Editors

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• children
• adolescence
• youth
• social-cognitive perspective
• motivation
• interventions
• sport
• exercise
• physical education
• psychosocial health