Journal of Physical Activity and Health

Official Journal of the International Society for Physical Activity and Health

Indexed in: Web of Science, Scopus, PubMed/MEDLINE, ProQuest, APA PsycINFO, EBSCOhost, Google Scholar

Print ISSN: 1543-3080            Online ISSN: 1543-5474

Volume 20 (2023): Issue 10 (Oct 2023)

Mission

It is the mission of the Journal of Physical Activity and Health (JPAH) to be the primary global outlet for research relevant to the science and practice of physical activity as it relates to health and health outcomes. Our vision is to inspire meaningful change in how the world views the relationship between physical activity and health.

Aims & Scope

JPAH Insights: 3.1 Impact Factor, 4.5 CiteScore, 41 Google h5-index, 0.5 Desk reject time (weeks), 11.5 Review time (weeks), 5.6 Publication time (weeks). Note: h5-index is the Google h-index for articles published in the last 5 complete years. Desk reject time is the time from article submission to desk reject decision. Review time is the time from article submission to first decision for peer-reviewed manuscripts that are not desk rejected. Publication time is the time from article acceptance to first appearance of the article online (with DOI).“The study of physical activity is one of the most important and least funded public health challenges worldwide. The health issues our global population faces today are significant and need urgent prioritization. In response to these pressing challenges, the Journal of Physical Activity and Health was founded in 2004.”
—Dr. Pedro C. Hallal, co-Editor

The Journal of Physical Activity and Health (JPAH) is an interdisciplinary, peer-reviewed journal published for public health researchers and clinical practitioners whose work contributes to a healthier lifestyle and improved wellbeing with a focus on chronic disease, injury prevention, and physical activity promotion. JPAH is a monthly journal that publishes commentaries, original research, and review papers examining the relationship between physical activity and health, studying physical activity as an exposure as well as an outcome. The journal also invites papers that examine the behavioral, community, and environmental interventions that may affect physical activity on an individual and/or population level. JPAH also publishes articles related to physical activity surveillance, policy, and practice. JPAH is the official journal of the International Society for Physical Activity and Health.

Our Commitment to Majority World Research

JPAH welcomes physical activity research from all cultures, countries, and climates and encourages our editorial leadership, reviewers, authors, and readers to help reduce publication bias based on where we live, work, and play. Read our position statement on publication bias related to research from Majority World (i.e., Global South, low-to-middle income) countries.

More about the Journal

ISPAH

Editors

 

Melody Ding
University of Sydney, Australia

Portrait of Melody Ding, a smiling Asian woman with long dark hair and a black dressMelody became co-Editor of JPAH in 2023 after previously serving as one of the Journal’s Senior Associate Editors. She is an Associate Professor with the Sydney School of Public Health, Faculty of Medicine and Health and the Charles Perkins Centre, at the University of Sydney. She is co-lead of the Sport and Physical Activity Research and Teaching Network. As an epidemiologist and population behavioral scientist, she works at the intersection of physical activity, epidemiology, and chronic disease prevention, with a focus on the environmental and social contexts. She led the Lancet Physical Activity Series in 2016 and served as a steering committee member in 2021. Born and raised in China, she studied marine biology at the Ocean University of China prior to receiving an MPH from San Diego State University and a PhD from the Joint Doctoral Program in Public Health at the University of California San Diego and San Diego State University in the USA.

 

Pedro C. Hallal
University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign, USA

Portrait of Pedro C. Hallal: a hispanic man with short-cropped hair wearing a black suit and stylish glassesPedro became Editor of JPAH in 2021 after previously serving on the Journal’s Editorial Board and as a Senior Associate Editor. In 2022, he became a Professor in the Department of Kinesiology and Community Health at the University of Illinois. Prior to that, he served as the President of the Federal University of Pelotas, Brazil from 2017 to 2020, where he was also Professor and Director of the MPH and PhD graduate programs in Epidemiology. He has published more than 500 scientific articles in the fields of physical activity and public health and his research has been funded by Brazilian and international agencies, including Wellcome Trust. He was the leader of the 2012 Lancet Physical Activity Series and served as a steering committee member of the 2016 and 2021 series. He is one of the founders and former president of the Brazilian Society of Physical Activity and Health. More recently, he served as the Principal Investigator for the EPICOVID19 project, the largest epidemiological study on COVID-19 in Brazil, and in 2021 was named Fulbright Chair in Public Health at University of California, San Diego. He is a member of the International Society for Physical Activity and Health. Pedro earned his PhD in Epidemiology from the Federal University of Pelotas, Brazil in 2005.

 

Around the World: Our editors and editorial board members are located in 30 countries spanning 6 continents. Our goal is to publish physical activity research that will make a worldwide impact.Editors Emeriti

Steven N. Blair, University of South Carolina, USA (Founding Editor)
James R. Morrow, Jr., University of North Texas, USA (Founding Editor)
Jennifer M. Hootman, Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, USA
Harold W. Kohl III, University of Texas–Austin, USA
Loretta DiPietro, George Washington University, USA

Senior Associate Editors

Shiho Amagasa
Teikyo University, Japan

Salomé Aubert
Active Healthy Kids Global Alliance, France

Valerie Carson
University of Alberta, Canada

Alex Florindo
University of Sao Paulo, Brazil

Ruth Hunter
Queens University Belfast, Northern Ireland

Alejandra Jauregui
Mexican National Institute of Public Health, Mexico

Piyawat Katewongsa
Mahidol University, Thailand

Tracy Kolbe-Alexander
University of Southern Queensland, Ipswich, Australia

Eun-Young Lee
Queen’s University, Canada

Jacqueline L. Mair
Singapore-ETH Centre, Singapore

Gregore Mielke
The University of Queensland, Australia

Josef Mitáš
Palacký University Olomouc, Czech Republic

Rowena Naidoo
University of KwaZulu-Natal, South Africa

Adewale L. Oyeyemi
Arizona State University, USA

Andrea Ramirez Varela
Universidad de los Andes, Colombia

Deborah Salvo
The University of Texas at Austin, USA

Katja Siefken
MSH Medical School Hamburg, Germany

Jakob Tarp
Aarhus University, Denmark

Rafael Tassitano
Federal Rural University of Pernambuco, Brazil

Anne Tiedemann
University of Sydney, Australia

Esther van Sluijs
University of Cambridge, UK

Editorial Board

Nicolas Aguilar-Farias, Universidad de La Frontera, Chile

Matthew Ahmadi, University of Sydney, Australia

Hazzaa M. Al-Hazzaa, Lifestyle and Health Research Center, Saudi Arabia, and Princess Nourah Bint Abdulrahman University, Saudi Arabia

Noara Alhusseini, Alfaisal University, Saudi Arabia

David R. Bassett, Jr., University of Tennessee, USA

Seb Chastin, Glasgow Caledonian University, UK, and Ghent University, Belgium

Pieter Coenen, Amsterdam UMC, The Netherlands

Emily Cox, University of Newcastle, Australia

Mitch J. Duncan, University of Newcastle, Australia

Ulf Ekelund, Norwegian School of Sports Sciences, Norway, and Norwegian Public Health Institute, Norway

Kelly R. Evenson, University of North Carolina–Chapel Hill, USA

Stuart J. Fairclough, Edge Hill University, UK

Vahid Farrahi, University of Oulu, Finland

Guy Faulkner, University of British Columbia, Canada

Klaus Gebel, University of Technology Sydney, Australia

Shifalika Goenka, Public Health Foundation of India, India

Lucy D. Gunn, RMIT University, Australia

Adriano Akira Hino, Pontifícia Universidade Católica do Paraná, Brazil

Justin Jeon, Yonsei University, South Korea

Masamitsu Kamada, University of Tokyo, Japan

Pazit Levinger, National Ageing Research Institute, Australia

Fiona Chun Man Ling, Northumbria University, UK

David Lubans, University of Newcastle, Australia, and University of Jyväskylä, Finland

Jay Maddock, Texas A&M University, USA, and Houston Methodist Research Institute, USA

Scherezade K. Mama, The University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center, USA

Lisa Micklesfield, University of the Witwatersrand, South Africa

Falk Müller-Riemenschneider, National University of Singapore, Singapore

Johan Ng, The Chinese University of Hong Kong, Hong Kong

Kwok Ng, University of Turku, Finland; University of Limerick, Ireland; and University of Eastern Finland, Finland

Faatihah Niyi-Odumosu, University of the West of England, UK

Angélica Ochoa Avilés, Universidad de Cuenca, Ecuador

Anthony Okely, University of Wollongong, Australia

Lilian G. Perez, RAND Corporation, USA

Ronald Plotnikoff, University of Newcastle, Australia

Michael Pratt, University of California San Diego, USA

António Prista, Universidade Pedagógica de Maputo, Mozambique

Anne Kerstin Reimers, Friedrich-Alexander Universität Erlangen-Nürnberg, Germany

Rodrigo Reis, Washington University in St. Louis, USA

Jennifer D. Roberts, University of Maryland, USA

Dori Rosenberg, Kaiser Permanente Washington Health Research Institute, USA

Jasper Schipperijn, University of Southern Denmark, Denmark

Brendon Stubbs, Kings College London, UK

Sylvia Titze, University of Graz, Austria

Simone Tomaz, University of Stirling, UK

Alexandra Valencia-Peris, University of Valencia, Spain

Anne Vuillemin, Université Côte d’Azur, France

Lucy-Joy M. Wachira, Kenyatta University, Kenya

Statistics & Methodologies Advisory Board

Avinash Chandran, Datalys Center for Sports Injury Research and Prevention, USA

Kar Hau Chong, University of Wollongong, Australia

Philip J. Clare, University of Sydney, Australia

Borja del Pozo Cruz, University of Cádiz, Spain

Anne Grunseit, University of Technology Sydney, Australia

Asaduzzaman Khan, University of Queensland, Australia

Yuta Nemoto, Tokyo Medical University, Japan, and University of Queensland, Australia

Kat Owen, University of Sydney, Australia

Masataka Taguri, Tokyo Medical University, Japan

Social Media Manager
Karen Heath, PhD

Social Media Coordinators
Jaime Barratt, University of Queensland, Australia
Juliana Souza de Oliveira, University of Sydney, Australia

Human Kinetics Staff
Doug Hoepker, Senior Journals Managing Editor

Prior to submission, please carefully read and follow the submission guidelines detailed below. Authors must submit their manuscripts through the journal’s ScholarOne online submission system. To submit, click the button below:

Submit a Manuscript

Page Content

Additional Resources

 

Authorship Guidelines

The Journals Division at Human Kinetics adheres to the criteria for authorship as outlined by the International Committee of Medical Journal Editors*:

Each author should have participated sufficiently in the work to take public responsibility for the content. Authorship credit should be based only on substantial contributions to:

a. Substantial contributions to the conception or design of the work; or the acquisition, analysis, or interpretation of data for the work; AND
b. Drafting the work or revising it critically for important intellectual content; AND
c. Final approval of the version to be published; AND
d. Agreement to be accountable for all aspects of the work in ensuring that questions related to the accuracy or integrity of any part of the work are appropriately investigated and resolved.

Conditions a, b, c, and d must all be met. Individuals who do not meet the above criteria may be listed in the acknowledgments section of the manuscript. *http://www.icmje.org/recommendations/browse/roles-and-responsibilities/defining-the-role-of-authors-and-contributors.html

Authors who use artificial intelligence (AI)-assisted technologies (such as Large Language Models [LLMs], chatbots, or image creators) in their work must indicate how they were used in the cover letter and the work itself. These technologies cannot be listed as authors as they are unable to meet all the conditions above, particularly agreeing to be accountable for all aspects of the work.

Open Access

Human Kinetics is pleased to allow our authors the option of having their articles published Open Access. In order for an article to be published Open Access, authors must complete and return the Request for Open Access form and provide payment for this option. To learn more and request Open Access, click here.

Manuscript Guidelines

All Human Kinetics journals require that authors follow our manuscript guidelines in regards to use of copyrighted material, human and animal rights, and conflicts of interest as specified in the following link: https://journals.humankinetics.com/page/author/authors

JPAH is a peer-reviewed journal. Manuscripts reporting Original Research, Public Health Practice, Technical Notes, Brief Reports, or Reviews will be reviewed by at least two reviewers with expertise in the topical field, and the review process usually takes 6 to 8 weeks. A double-blind method is used for the review process, meaning authors and reviewers remain unknown to each other.

All types of manuscripts submitted to JPAH are judged on the following primary criteria: adherence to accepted scientific principles and methods, the significant or novel contribution to research or practice in the field of physical activity, clarity and conciseness of writing, and interest to the readership. There are no page charges to contributors.

Manuscripts generally should not exceed 25 pages (~5,000 words including everything except title and abstract pages, tables, figure legends, and online-only supplementary materials; the word limit includes the reference section). Reviews should not exceed a total of 30 pages and Brief Reports should not exceed 15 pages. Major exceptions to these criteria must be approved through the Editorial Office before submission. Submissions should not include more than 10 tables/graphics, and should follow the Uniform Requirements for Manuscripts Submitted to Biomedical Journals (visit ICMJE for more detail). JPAH welcomes and encourages the submission of supplementary materials to be included with the article. These files are placed online and can be accessed from the JPAH website. Supplemental material can include relevant appendices, tables, details of the methods (e.g., survey instruments), or images. Contact the Editorial Office for approval of any supplemental materials.

Is My Manuscript a Good Fit for JPAH?

JPAH welcomes physical activity research from all cultures, countries, and climates and encourages our editorial leadership, reviewers, authors, and readers to help reduce publication bias based on where we live, work, and play. Read our position statement on publication bias related to research from Majority World (i.e., Global South, low-to-middle income) countries.

For more information on JPAH’s editorial priorities and the type of studies the journal is most interested in publishing, please see this video:

 

Standardized Publication Reporting Guides

JPAH highly recommends that authors refer to relevant published reporting guidelines for different types of research studies. Examples of reporting guidelines include:

  • Consolidated Standards of Reporting Trials (CONSORT)
  • Meta-analysis of Observational Studies in Epidemiology (MOOSE)
  • Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Reviews and Meta-Analyses (PRISMA)
  • STrengthening the Reporting of OBservational studies in Epidemiology (STROBE)
  • Improving the Quality of Web Surveys: The Checklist for Reporting Results of Internet E-Surveys (CHERRIES)
  • Template for Intervention Description and Replication (TIDieR) checklist. Authors are required to submit separate TIDieR Checklists for all intervention components that are delivered within a study, including interventions targeted at actors involved in implementation (e.g. parents, partners, teachers, colleagues, peers).

Manuscripts must be submitted in Microsoft Word® (*.doc) or rich text (*.rtf) format only. Do not submit a .pdf file. Graphics should be submitted in .tif or .jpg formats only. Before submitting, authors should complete the Manuscript Submission Checklist (see below). Authors may be asked to provide Human Kinetics with photo-ready graphics and/or a hard copy of the text. Authors are responsible for confirming the accuracy of the final copy, particularly the accuracy of references, and to retain a duplicate copy to guard against loss. Final review of the pre-published text is the responsibility of the authors. Authors of manuscripts accepted for publication must transfer copyright to Human Kinetics, as applicable.

Cover Letter

Submissions must include a cover letter stating that the manuscript has not been previously published (except in abstract form), is not presently under consideration by another journal, and will not be submitted to another journal before a final editorial decision from JPAH is rendered. Full names, institutional affiliations, and email addresses of all authors, as well as the full mailing address, telephone number, and fax number of the corresponding author, must be provided. Authors must also provide a statement disclosing any relevant financial interests related to the research. 

Manuscript Types

Original Research

A manuscript describing the methods and results of a research study (quantitative or qualitative), including the background and purpose of the study, a detailed description of the research design and methods, clear and comprehensive presentation of results, and discussion of the salient findings.

Public Health Practice

A manuscript describing the development or evaluation of a public health intervention to increase or promote physical activity in a community setting, or a study that describes translation of research to practice.

Technical Note

A short article that presents results related to a new or modified method or instrument related to physical activity measurement or an important experimental observation.

Brief Reports

A short article (15 or fewer pages), usually presenting the preliminary or novel results of an original research study or public health practice program.

Reviews

Manuscripts that succinctly review the scientific literature on a specific topic. Traditional narrative reviews are discouraged. However, well-conducted systematic reviews and meta-analyses are highly encouraged. The Editorial Office may recruit reviews on specific topics.

Commentaries

A short text (<1,000 words, excluding references) discussing a relevant topic in the field of physical activity and health. All commentaries will be reviewed by the editorial board prior to publication.

Manuscript Sections

The order of submission must be (1) Title page, (2) Abstract, (3) Text, (4) Acknowledgments, (5) Funding source, (6) References, (7) Tables, (8) Figures/Graphics.

Title Page

The manuscript must include a title page that provides the full title, a brief running head, manuscript type (see definitions above), three to five key words not used in the title of the manuscript, abstract word count, manuscript word count (inclusive of all pages except the abstract and title page), date of manuscript submission, and full names of authors, their institutional or corporate affiliations, and e-mail addresses.

Abstract

All manuscripts must have a structured abstract of no more than 250 words. Required headings are (1) Background, (2) Methods, (3) Results, and (4) Conclusions.

Text

The entire manuscript must be double-spaced, including the abstract, references, and tables. Line numbers are not needed. A brief running head is to be included on the upper right corner of each page; page numbers must appear on the bottom right corner of each page.

For studies involving human subjects, the Methods section must include statements regarding institutional approval of the protocol and obtaining informed consent. For studies using animals, the Methods section must include a statement regarding institutional approval and compliance with governmental policies and regulations regarding animal welfare.

Acknowledgments

Provide the names, affiliations, and the nature of the contribution for all persons not included as an author who played a critical role in the study.

Funding Source/Trial Registration

Details of all funding sources for the work should be provided (including agency name, grant numbers, etc.). Provide the registry name and registration number for all clinical trials (see JPAH Ethics Policies below).

Example: “This work was supported by a grant (grant #) from the National Cancer Institute, National Institutes of Health. This study is registered at www.clinicaltrials.gov (No. xxxxx).”

References

For reference lists, authors must follow the guidelines found in the American Medical Association Manual of Style: A Guide for Authors and Editors (10th ed.). Examples of reference style:

Journal articles: Surname of first author, initials, then surname and initials of each coauthor; title of article (capitalize only the first word and proper nouns), name of the journal (italicized and abbreviated according to style of Index Medicus), year, volume, and inclusive page numbers.

Melby CL, Osterberg K, Resch A, Davy B, Johnson S, Davy K. Effect of carbohydrate ingestion during exercise on post-exercise substrate oxidation and energy intake. Int J Sport Nutr Exerc Metab. 2002;12:294–309.

Book references: Author(s) as above, title of book (italicized and all major words capitalized), city and state/province of publication, publisher, and year.

Pearl AJ. The Female Athlete. Champaign, Ill: Human Kinetics; 1993.

Chapter in an edited book: Same as book references, but add the name of the chapter author(s) and title of chapter (capitalize first word and proper nouns) before the book information and inclusive page numbers.

Perrin DH. The evaluation process in rehabilitation. In: Prentice WE, ed. Rehabilitation Techniques in Sports Medicine. 2nd ed. St Louis, Mo: Mosby Year Book; 1994:253–276.

Tables

Each table must be accompanied by an explanatory title so that it is intelligible without specific reference to the text. Column headings and all units of measure must be labeled clearly within each table; abbreviations and acronyms must be fully explained in the table or footnotes without reference to the text.

Figures/Graphics

Graphics should be prepared with clean, crisp lines, and be camera-ready. For shading, stripe patterns or solids (black and white) are better choices than colors. Graphics created on standard computer programs will be accepted. Graphics should be submitted in .tif or .jpg formats only. Each figure and photo must be properly identified. A hard copy may be requested. If photos are used, they should be black and white, clear, and show good contrast. See additional figure guidelines here.

Manuscript Submission Checklist

Before submitting a first or revised manuscript, the following criteria must be met:

  • All sections are double-spaced
  • Page numbers appear in bottom right corner
  • Brief running head appears in upper right corner
  • Abstract is formatted and contains fewer than 250 words
  • Page count under limit for the manuscript type (15, 25, or 30 pages)
  • Fewer than 10 tables/figures
  • References are formatted per AMA guidelines

Submitting Author Revisions

Authors often submit their responses to reviewer comments and the modifications in the manuscript in a variety of different ways, making it quite difficult for reviewers and the Senior Associate Editors to review revisions. When submitting a revised manuscript, the author must be certain to answer all reviewer questions, comments, and concerns by including a separate response document in addition to the revised manuscript. The response document should follow the format of the Revision Template, including the reviewer comment, the author response, and the modification made to the revised manuscript (including page and line number). All modifications to the manuscript should be highlighted in yellow. Authors NOT following these guidelines when submitting their revision will have their manuscript rejected from further consideration.

JPAH Ethics Policies

The Committee on Publication Ethics (COPE), International Committee of Medical Journal Editors (ICMJE), and the Council of Science Editors (CSE) are excellent sources of information regarding misconduct in scientific publication. JPAH ethics policies are modeled after guidance from these three organizations.

Authorship Criteria

As noted earlier, JPAH adheres to the criteria for authorship as outlined by the ICMJE. Each author must provide any relevant information upon request to substantiate their contributions.

Duplicate Publication

All manuscripts must not have been published previously in any format (internet website, journal, newsletter, etc.), with the exception of abstracts presented at scientific meetings.

Trial Registration

JPAH complies with the ICMJE requirement regarding registration of all prospective clinical trial studies prior to subject enrollment (to learn more visit ICMJE Clinical Trials Registration). The ICMJE defines a trial as “any research study that prospectively assigns human participants or groups of humans to one or more health-related interventions to evaluate the effects on health outcomes.” Health-related interventions include behavioral treatments (e.g., physical activity).

Compliance With NIH Public Access Policy Requirements

The National Institutes of Health (NIH), as well as other research funding agencies, require open access of all publications they fund. JPAH and Human Kinetics, Inc., will work with authors on a case-by-case basis to be compliant with NIH Public Access Policy.

Violations of Journal Ethics Policies

Falsification of data, duplicate publication, breach of confidentiality, abuse of research subjects, and so on are considered violations of the ethical conduct of research. JPAH reserves the right to investigate and impart punishment for any such violation. All allegations of potential misconduct will be investigated by the JPAH editorial team, Human Kinetics, Inc., and possibly external experts on a case-by-case basis and final decisions will be agreed upon by the Editors in consultation with the JPAH Editorial Board and guided by the COPE, ICMJE, and CSE standards.

Submit a Manuscript

Articles are to be submitted electronically via ScholarOne (see submission button at the top of this page). First-time authors will create an account by following the directions on the ScholarOne page. Authors will be asked to submit a “blinded” version of their article and a separate cover sheet with names, institutional affiliations, and contact information.

Please visit ScholarOne to download JPAH’s copyright form, located under the "Instructions & Forms" link in the upper right corner. You do not need an account to access this information.

Individuals

Online Subscriptions

Individuals may purchase online-only subscriptions directly from this website. To order, click on an article and select the subscription option you desire for the journal of interest (individual or student, 1-year or 2-year), and then click Buy. Those purchasing student subscriptions must be prepared to provide proof of student status as a degree-seeking candidate at an accredited institution. Online-only subscriptions purchased via this website provide immediate access to all the journal's content, including all archives and Ahead of Print. Note that a subscription does not allow access to all the articles on this website, but only to those articles published in the journal you subscribe to. For step-by-step instructions to purchase online, click here.

Print + Online Subscriptions

Individuals wishing to purchase a subscription with a print component (print + online) must contact our customer service team directly to place the order. Click here to contact us!

Institutions

Institution subscriptions must be placed directly with our customer service team. To review format options and pricing, visit our Librarian Resource Center. To place your order, contact us

  • Collapse
  • Expand

Follow @JPAHJournal  

ISPAH Members get 50% off free access publication in JPAH

Most Popular