The Journal of Physical Activity and Health (JPAH) is proud to announce its inaugural Article of the Year Awards, which recognizes the outstanding research published in the journal. This initiative was conceived as a means to publicly acknowledge leading research within our physical activity and health community and reinforce its essential role in advancing the field and inspiring the next generation of researchers. Moreover, the awards highlight pioneering studies within 5 categories, which aligns with our mission to publish high-quality, impactful research that addresses critical evidence gaps worldwide in the science, practice, and policy of physical activity.
The selection and voting process for the awards was led by the Human Kinetics Senior Managing Editor for JPAH, Doug Hoepker, and two JPAH Deputy Editors, Valerie Carson and Gregore Mielke. First, the award categories were determined based on the scope of articles published in JPAH. The final award categories include (in no particular order): 1) Observational Study, 2) Review, 3) Intervention/Policy/Advocacy, 4) Low- and Middle-Income Country (LMIC), and 5) Commentary. Of note, LMIC papers were based on original research (ie, not review papers) where the author groups were located. JPAH adheres to World Bank classifications in determining LMICs, and includes all countries in the following World Bank economic categories: low income, lower-middle income, and upper-middle income.1 Though papers from LMICs were eligible across all award categories, it was decided to also have a specific LMIC category because it aligns with JPAH’s desire to combat biases associated with publication and citation metrics.2
Next, all JPAH papers published in the 2023 volume were compiled and ranked based on an overall score derived from the distribution quartiles of citations and Altmetric scores. A score from 0 (lowest quartile) to 3 (highest quartile) was assigned for citations, and a separate score from 0 to 3 was assigned for Altmetric scores. The final ranking was calculated by summing these 2 values. This process identified 4 publications with the highest score (6) and 14 publications with a score of 5. Variations in the number of eligible papers across categories influenced the distribution of scores. The top 5 Observational and Review papers were shortlisted and the top 3 Intervention/Policy/Advocacy, Commentary, and LMIC papers were shortlisted. Finally, members of the Editorial Board who had no direct conflicts of interest were invited to serve on the voting committee for each award (see Acknowledgments). Mielke and Carson created a rubric for the voting committees to score each paper. The paper with the highest average score in each category was the award winner. The editorial team acknowledges that metrics such as citations and Altmetric have their limitations and is committed to continuously improving the scoring mechanisms with input from the JPAH community.
The award winners will be permanently acknowledged on the JPAH website on both the article’s webpage and in the awards section on the journal website as well as via social media. There will also be an award ceremony at the next International Society for Physical Activity and Health (ISPAH) conference (Mexico, 2026). Finally, the award-winning articles will be made permanently free access so that they are available for all to read.
Below is a brief summary of each award-winning article (in no particular order).
Best Observational Study
“Heat-resilient schoolyards: relations between temperature, shade, and physical activity of children during recess”
A prospective cohort study by Lanza et al3 observed a sample of 213 children, aged 8–10 years, from 3 schools in Austin, TX, United States to examine the associations between ambient temperature, shade, and moderate to vigorous physical activity (MVPA) during school recess. A variety of technologies to measure study variables were used. Overall, the authors found that higher ambient temperature was associated with lower MVPA and higher time under shade. A stronger association was observed at a threshold of 33 °C (91 °F). Additionally, the authors found that children at the school with the most tree cover in their outdoor schoolyard spent the highest percentage of their recess time in MVPA. The study has important implications for school policies and the design of outdoor places at schools, especially as extreme weather events intensify across the globe.
Best Review
“Questionnaires measuring 24-hour movement behaviors in childhood and adolescence: content description and measurement properties—a systematic review”
Rodrigues et al4 conducted a systematic review examining the validity and reliability of movement behavior (ie, physical activity, sedentary behavior, sleep) questionnaires for children and youth (<17.9 years). A total of 29 articles were included in the review that used 37 different questionnaires. Overall, the authors found only 2 questionnaires that measured all 3 movement behaviors and no questionnaires for children <3 years. No questionnaire was found that had adequate validity (ie, criterion) and reliability. Findings from this review suggest higher quality movement behavior questionnaires for children and youth need to be developed to advance the field.
Best Intervention, Policy, or Advocacy Article
“Advocating for implementation of the Global Action Plan on Physical Activity: challenges and support requirements”
Murphy et al5 conducted a cross-sectional study among a sample of 518 participants, across 81 countries, who work in physical activity promotion regarding the advocacy of the World Health Organization’s Global Action Plan on Physical Activity (GAPPA). Through an online survey, authors identified a number of challenges in advocating for the GAPPA as well as supports needed to facilitate advocacy. The experiences of these challenges differed by country income levels. Findings from this study provide important insights on how to improve the implementation of the GAPPA across regions and cultures.
Best Article from LMIC Researchers
“Association of early sports participation with sedentary behavior in community-dwelling adults—the role of sociodemographic factors in a retrospective epidemiological study”
Tebar et al6 explored the association between early sports participation and sedentary behavior in adulthood in a sample of Brazilian adults. Overall, the findings suggest that early sports participation was associated with lower time in passive sedentary behaviors and more time in mentally active behaviors, including driving and office work. A key aspect of the study is that the authors also explored the potential roles of sex, age, and socioeconomic position in shaping the associations. Using a life course perspective, findings from the study by Tebar et al suggest that early promotion of physical activity through sports participation might have influence in movement behaviors late in life, but this relationship cannot disregard the fact that sociodemographic factors remain strong determinants of physical activity and should always be considered when planning physical activity interventions.
Best Commentary
“Unmasking the political power of physical activity research: harnessing the “apolitical-ness” as a catalyst for addressing the challenges of our time”
Lee and Tremblay’s7 commentary offered an important reflection on how physical activity research has historically taken a biomedical approach, focusing on individual outcomes, which may overlook the structural determinants and policy changes necessary for creating supportive environments for physical activity. The authors highlighted that physical activity, when framed solely as a public health concern, may not have been prioritized due to the existence of more pressing challenges. A key message from the authors is that rather than framing physical inactivity solely as a public health problem, we should view physical activity as both a catalyst and adjunct for addressing complex social and environmental issues while providing individual-level benefits.
We congratulate all our award winners, and we continue to encourage researchers to submit high-quality research on physical activity and health to the journal. JPAH has recently refined its Mission and Vision statements while also expanding on its scope and publishing priorities, which can all be viewed online at the journal’s About section of its website.8 We encourage readers and researchers to review this section and join JPAH and its partner society, ISPAH, in driving transformational change in physical activity participation globally.
Acknowledgments
JPAH recognizes the following members of its Editorial Board who participated in the voting process. Review award: Matthew Ahmadi (University of Sydney, Australia), Pieter Coenen (Amsterdam UMC, The Netherlands), Kelly R. Evenson (University of North Carolina–Chapel Hill, USA), Johan Ng (The Chinese University of Hong Kong, Hong Kong), Trish Tucker (University of Western Ontario, Canada). LMIC award: Kar Hau Chong (University of Wollongong, Australia), Silvia A. González (Universidad de los Andes, Colombia), Mengyun (Susan) Luo (University of Sydney, Australia), Rodrigo Reis (Washington University in St. Louis, USA), Lucy-Joy M. Wachira (Kenyatta University, Kenya). Intervention, Policy, and Advocacy award: Hayley Christian (University of Western Australia, Australia), Adriano Akira Hino (Pontifícia Universidade Católica do Paraná, Brazil), Sven Messing (University of Limerick, Ireland, and Friedrich-Alexander-Universität Erlangen-Nürnberg, Germany), Larkin Strong (The University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center, USA), Anne Vuillemin (Université Côte d’Azur, France). Observational Study award: Denver Brown (Kansas State University, USA), Ryan D. Burns (University of Utah, USA), Allison Poulos (Arizona State University, USA), Sylvia Titze (University of Graz, Austria), Daniel Umpierre (Universidade Federal do Rio Grande do Sul, Brazil). Commentary award: Anne Grunseit (University of Technology Sydney, Australia), David Lubans (University of Newcastle, Australia, and University of Jyväskylä, Finland), Afroditi Stathi (University of Birmingham, UK), Simone Tomaz (University of Stirling, UK), Antonina Tcymbal (Friedrich-Alexander-Universität Erlangen-Nürnberg, Germany).
References
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The World Bank. World Bank country and lending groups — country classification. Accessed March 30, 2025. https://datahelpdesk.worldbank.org/knowledgebase/articles/906519-world-bank-country-and-lending-groups
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Rodrigues B, Encantado J, Carraça E, et al. Questionnaires measuring 24-hour movement behaviors in childhood and adolescence: content description and measurement properties—a systematic review. J Phys Act Health. 2023;20(1):50–76. doi:
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Murphy J, Milton K, Mclaughlin M, et al. Advocating for implementation of the Global Action Plan on Physical Activity: challenges and support requirements. J Phys Act Health. 2023;20(1):10–19. doi:
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Tebar WR, Borges LO, Delfino LD, Mota J, Ritti-Dias RM, Christofaro DGD. Association of early sports participation with sedentary behavior in community-dwelling adults—the role of sociodemographic factors in a retrospective epidemiological study. J Phys Act Health. 2023;20(5):374–384. doi:
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Lee EY, Tremblay MS. Unmasking the political power of physical activity research: harnessing the “apolitical-ness” as a catalyst for addressing the challenges of our time. J Phys Act Health. 2023;20(10):897–899. doi:
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Journal of Physical Activity and Health. About. 2025. Accessed March 30, 2025. https://journals.humankinetics.com/view/journals/jpah/jpah-overview.xml?tab_body=about
