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Sports
Special Issues
Benefits of Physical Activity and Exercise to Human Health
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Benefits of Physical Activity and Exercise to Human Health

A special issue of Sports (ISSN 2075-4663).

Deadline for manuscript submissions: 31 March 2025 | Viewed by 1664

Special Issue Editors

Dr. Ricardo Manuel Pires Ferraz

E-Mail Website
Guest Editor
Department of Sport Science, University of Beira-Interior (UBI/CIDESD), 6201-001 Covilhã, Portugal
Interests: exercise science; sports science; exercise performance; strength and conditioning; exercise testing, exercise intervention; physical education; football; motor skills; volleyball; psycophysiology
Special Issues, Collections and Topics in MDPI journals
Prof. Dr. Henrique P. Neiva

E-Mail Website
Guest Editor
Research Center in Sports Sciences, Health Sciences and Human Development, University of Beira Interior, 6201-001 Covilhã, Portugal
Interests: strength and conditioning; sports medicine; exercise evaluation; performance; physiology; biomechanics
Special Issues, Collections and Topics in MDPI journals
Dr. Fernanda M. Silva

E-Mail Website
Guest Editor
Research Unit for Sport and Physical Activity (CIDAF), Faculty of Sport Sciences and Physical Education, University of Coimbra, Coimbra, Portugal
Interests: sedentary behavior; exercise; metabolic health; disease prevention; respiratory health
Dr. Pedro Alexandre Duarte-Mendes

E-Mail Website
Guest Editor
1. Polytechnic Institute of Castelo Branco, Castelo Branco, Portugal
2. Sport Physical Activity and Health Research & Innovation Center, SPRINT, Santarém, Portugal
Interests: sports science; exercise physiology; sports injuries; motor imagery; sedentary behaviour
Special Issues, Collections and Topics in MDPI journals

Special Issue Information

Dear Colleagues,

Recent estimates point to a high prevalence of physical inactivity and sedentary behavior in modern societies. Physical inactivity is one of the leading risk factors for chronic non-communicable diseases (i.e., diabetes mellitus, cardiovascular disease, and some cancers) and all-cause mortality worldwide. From a public health perspective, it becomes urgent to develop new strategies and therapeutic approaches for preventing or managing these deleterious health outcomes.

Alternately, physical activity and exercise provide multiple health benefits, reducing the risk of all-cause mortality. The updated WHO 2020 guidelines on physical activity and sedentary behavior encourage the different population groups to undertake aerobic and muscle-strengthening activities and limit the time spent sedentary for optimal health outcomes. Nonetheless, more research is needed to better understand the factors underlying regular physical activity/exercise, as well as effective strategies to increase adherence and maintenance.

This Special Issue is dedicated to studies that investigate how physical activity and exercise interventions contribute to human health and well-being across all age groups. The topic of interest includes, but is not limited to the following:

- Determinants of physical activity and exercise adherence: barriers and facilitators

- Strategies to improve physical activity levels and exercise adherence

- Physical activity and exercise in disease prevention and management

- Physical activity and exercise on physical and mental health

We are particularly interested in experimental and observational studies, systematic reviews, meta-analyses, and study protocols.

Dr. Ricardo Manuel Pires Ferraz
Prof. Dr. Henrique P. Neiva
Dr. Fernanda M. Silva
Dr. Pedro Alexandre Duarte-Mendes
Guest Editors

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. Sports is an international peer-reviewed open access monthly 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 1800 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

  • movement behaviors
  • physical activity
  • public health
  • health promotion
  • disease

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

Published Papers (2 papers)

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13 pages, 1482 KiB  
Article
The Role of Sports in Building Resilience: A Machine Learning Approach to the Psychological Effects of the COVID-19 Pandemic on Children and Adolescents
by Giulia Di Martino, Carlo della Valle, Alessandra di Cagno, Giovanni Fiorilli, Giuseppe Calcagno and Daniele Conte
Sports 2025, 13(2), 37; https://doi.org/10.3390/sports13020037 - 3 Feb 2025
Abstract
(1) Background: This study evaluated whether physical activity and sports serve as a protective factor in mitigating COVID-19 pandemic long-term consequences. (2) Methods: A survey of 1702 participants (8–18 years) used the Impact of Event Scale (IES), Generalized Anxiety Disorder Scale (GAD-7), and [...] Read more.
(1) Background: This study evaluated whether physical activity and sports serve as a protective factor in mitigating COVID-19 pandemic long-term consequences. (2) Methods: A survey of 1702 participants (8–18 years) used the Impact of Event Scale (IES), Generalized Anxiety Disorder Scale (GAD-7), and Center for Epidemiological Studies Depression Scale for Children (CES-DC). Participants were categorized based on their engagement in sports, cultural activities, or sedentary behaviors. Statistical analysis included non-parametric tests, CHAID models, and clustering. (3) Results: In total, 65.5% of participants experienced minimal to mild anxiety, and 34.5% reported moderate to severe anxiety. The main predictor of depression is the sample age, followed by the training experience. Depressive symptoms were identified in 71.3% of participants (75.7% adolescents; 64% children). Adolescents with longer training experience (67.6%) showed lower depression compared to those with shorter experience (77.2%). For post-traumatic stress, 38% of children and 46% of adolescents exceeded cut-off scores for significant symptoms, with age and training level identified as key predictors. Among children, sport experience with low weekly frequency was associated with the lowest depression rates (59.5%). (4) Conclusions: Four years after the pandemic, a high percentage of anxiety and depression disorders is observed in the youth population, particularly among adolescents. Sports appear to slightly alleviate this serious condition. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Benefits of Physical Activity and Exercise to Human Health)
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18 pages, 724 KiB  
Review
Return to Physical Activity in Individuals with Surgical Stomas: A Scoping Review
by Andrea-Victoria Mena-Jiménez, Claudio-Alberto Rodríguez-Suárez and Héctor González-de la Torre
Sports 2024, 12(10), 273; https://doi.org/10.3390/sports12100273 - 10 Oct 2024
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Abstract
In surgically treated individuals with surgical stomas, the return to physical activity is an indicator of quality of life that reflects their well-being. With the aim of synthesizing the available evidence regarding the return to physical activity in individuals with surgical stomas, a [...] Read more.
In surgically treated individuals with surgical stomas, the return to physical activity is an indicator of quality of life that reflects their well-being. With the aim of synthesizing the available evidence regarding the return to physical activity in individuals with surgical stomas, a scoping review was developed following the methodological approach of the Joanna Briggs Institute and the Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic reviews and Meta-Analyses for Scoping Reviews criteria. Searches were conducted in Medline (PubMed), Scopus, Web of Science, Cinahl, and Lilacs, as well as the meta-search engines TripDatabase and Epistemonikos, using MeSH terms. Included studies were written in Spanish, English, Portuguese, and German, without any limitation on the year of publication. A total of n = 15 studies was included (n = 2 qualitative; n = 2 case reports; n = 1 case series; n = 1 cohort; n = 8 cross-sectional; and n = 1 randomized clinical trial), which showed variability in the quality of the designs. The qualitative studies explored themes such as motivation, beliefs about physical activity, and other lifestyle factors. The case reports described physiological, psychological, and functional implications of returning to physical activity for specific individuals after ostomy surgery. Quantitative studies evaluated the effects of different types of physical activity on quality of life and tolerance to physical activity in these individuals, employing various measurement instruments. In conclusion, the evidence on returning to sports and physical activity after stoma surgery is limited and varied. While studies highlight the importance of social support and self-confidence, they generally lack rigor and primarily focus on adults and oncology patients. There is a need for more research to establish clear guidelines on physical activity type, frequency, and intensity to ensure safe and beneficial outcomes for individuals with stomas. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Benefits of Physical Activity and Exercise to Human Health)
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