Historical Context and Current Status of the Intersection of Physical Activity and Public Health: Results of the 2015 American Kinesiology Association’s Opportunities for Kinesiology Survey
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Kinesiology leaders were surveyed regarding their views of the (re)emergence of physical activity and public health. Their views were captured via a 25-item, online survey conducted in 2014. The survey focused on four areas: (a) types of affiliation with public health; (b) program options and course coverage; (c) outreach programming; and (d) perspectives on integration. Member and nonmember institutions of the American Kinesiology Association received the survey. Responses were received from 139 institutional leaders, resulting in an overall response rate of 21.4%. Key findings included that the combination of physical activity and public health was seen as both a stand-alone subdisciplinary area within kinesiology and also an area that has a great deal of potential for collaboration, the acquisition of external funding, and further strengthening of community outreach and engagement. The survey results are placed in historical context and interpreted with various caveats and limitations in mind.
Cardinal is a professor in the Kinesiology Program, Oregon State University, Corvallis, OR. Kang is a professor in the Department of Health and Human Performance, Middle Tennessee State University, Murfreesboro, TN. Farnsworth II is a doctoral student in the Kinesmetrics Laboratory, Middle Tennessee State University, Murfreesboro, TN. Welk is a professor in the Department of Kinesiology, Iowa State University, Ames, IA.
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