Physical education (PE) can make meaningful contributions to public health by directly providing moderate to vigorous physical activity (PA) opportunities for school-aged youth. Quality PE aims to contribute indirectly to PA beyond the school day. Unfortunately, insufficient evidence exists regarding the impact of PE on lifelong PA. This has led…

Although significant attention has been paid to promoting the importance of physical activity in children, adolescents, and adults, we do not currently understand how to promote sustained physical activity levels throughout the lifespan. We contend that previous research has failed to consider the dynamic and synergistic role that motor skill…

Data on the dose-response gradient for the relation of physical activity or physical fitness to health and function are reviewed, refuting the idea that physical activity programs are either exercise for health or for fitness and suggesting that the key factor is the total energy expenditure of the activity. (SM)

All elements of an active lifestyle need not be meaningful. Good active habits of living can be generated without significant reliance on excitement or other kinds of notable meaning. The development of active living habits depend partly on enlightened social policy, but such policies are rare in the United States. Consequently, kinesiologists…

Discusses physical activity and exercise adherence, describing five conundrums that retard advances in knowledge about causal determinants of physical activity and successful interventions that increase physical activity and exercise adherence: adoption versus maintenance; social marketing versus product marketing; mediators of physical activity;…

Sargent and other human service professionals have pursued visions of a rational, regulated life, a vision entertained by many professions. The paper critiques the human capital model (which unites these professions and delivery systems), presents a human development perspective, identifies its assumptions, and sketches its life-enabling…

The increasing popularity of health promotion and lifestyle management techniques call for a careful look at the misuse and costs of suasion, imposition of values as science, social inequities and individual consequences, and biases in communication of health risk information. The application of more systematic cost-benefit analysis is…

This paper presents epidemiologic evidence on the contributions of physical inactivity and reduced cardiorespiratory fitness to risk of coronary heart disease (CHD). The types and dose of physical activity to reduce risk of CHD and plausible biologic mechanisms for the partial protective effect are reviewed. (Author/SM)