Foundations of Physical Activity and Public Health

Harold W. (Bill) Kohl, III, PhD (1960-2024) was a professor of epidemiology and kinesiology at the University of Texas Health Science Center at Houston and the University of Texas at Austin. At the University of Texas Health Science Center, Kohl served as the associate regional dean for academic affairs and international health affairs at the Austin regional campus. Kohl’s efforts concentrated on national and international physical activity surveillance and epidemiology issues as well as program development and evaluation studies for the promotion of school-based physical activity for children and adolescents. He was a fellow of the American College of Sports Medicine (ACSM) and the National Academy of Kinesiology and served as an elected trustee of ACSM. He was the founder and past president of the International Society for Physical Activity and Health (ISPAH) and served as the elected chair of the National Physical Activity Plan Alliance. He also served in an editorial capacity for several scientific journals and was editor emeritus of Journal of Physical Activity & Health. He published more than 200 papers, chapters, and monographs in the scientific literature. In 2018, he coauthored the textbook Foundations of Kinesiology. Kohl passed away during the writing of this third edition. Tinker D. Murray, PhD, is a professor emeritus and honorary professor of international studies in health and human performance at Texas State University in San Marcos, where he served as the director of the exercise performance laboratory for more than 15 years. His research interests include school-based and clinical-based youth physical activity and interventions with public health linkages for the prevention of obesity and diabetes, continuing education opportunities for coaching education, and personal fitness and training applications related to exercise physiology. Murray is a fellow emeritus of the American College of Sports Medicine (ACSM) and was certified as an ACSM program director. He was a two-time president of the Texas regional chapter of ACSM. He served on the national ACSM board of trustees from 1998 to 2001. In the fall of 2003, he was a guest researcher with Bill Kohl at the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) Division of Nutrition and Physical Activity. He has been actively involved with the International Society for Physical Activity and Health (ISPAH) and has attended several biannual meetings of the International Congress on Physical Activity and Public Health. Murray retired from Texas State University in 2018. He remains academically active by contributing to scholarly presentations and publications that promote physical active lifestyles. Deborah Salvo, PhD, is an associate professor of health behavior and health education in the department of kinesiology and health education at the University of Texas in Austin, where she also serves as the director of the Texas Center for Equity Promotion. She is a faculty affiliate of the Prevention Research Center in St. Louis and of the Center for Diabetes Translation Research at Washington University in St. Louis. Salvo’s research interests and expertise center in the reduction of disparities in access to environments that enable physically active lifestyles. Her work focuses on understanding the relationship between the built environment and physical activity, documenting and ameliorating geospatial health disparities, and using and improving objective measures to quantify physical activity and geospatial exposures. Salvo is the president-elect of the International Society for Physical Activity and Health (ISPAH), founded in 2008 by Bill Kohl as the first global scientific society focused on physical activity and public health research. She is part of the steering committee of the Global Observatory for Physical Activity and of the executive committee of the Global Observatory of Healthy and Sustainable Cities. She is a founding member and a conference chair of the Latin American Society of Physical Activity and Health Research. Salvo serves as senior associate editor of Journal of Physical Activity & Health and as associate editor for Translational Journal of the American College of Sports Medicine. Throughout her career, she has served as a technical advisor on physical activity and the built environment for several agencies, including the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), the Fogarty International Center within the National Institutes of Health, the National Institute of Public Health of Mexico, and the World Health Organization.

Part I. Introduction to Physical Activity and Public Health

Chapter 1. Fundamentals of Public Health
Defining Moments in Public Health
Areas of Specialization in Public Health
Core Functions of Public Health
Public Health Law

Chapter 2. Fundamentals of Kinesiology
The Field of Kinesiology
Kinesiology Subdisciplines and Exercise Training
Principles of Exercise Training, Prescription, and Planning
Applying Physical Activity and Exercise Training Principles
Health and Fitness Benefits of Physical Activity and Exercise

Chapter 3. Integrating Public Health and Physical Activity
History of Physical Activity and Public Health
Role of Physical Activity in Chronic Disease Development
From Science to Practice and Back
Promoting Physical Activity for Health
Practitioners of Physical Activity in Public Health

Chapter 4. Measuring Physical Activity
Evidence-Based Recommended Levels of Physical Activity for Health
Laboratory Measures of Energy Expenditure
Electronic Devices to Measure Physical Activity
Direct Observation Techniques
Self-Report Instruments
Surveillance in Populations
Combining Measurement Approaches

Part II. Health Effects of Exercise and Physical Activity

Chapter 5. Cardiorespiratory and Metabolic Health
Prevalence of Cardiovascular Disease
Risk Factors for Cardiovascular Disease
Kinesiology and Cardiorespiratory Health
Cardiorespiratory Fitness Assessments
General Recommendations for Cardiorespiratory Health
Prevalence and Economic Costs of Metabolic Disease
Metabolic Disease Risk Factors
Kinesiology and Metabolic Health
Common Tests of Metabolic Function
General Recommendations for Metabolic Health

Chapter 6. Overweight and Obesity
Caloric Balance
Prevalence of Obesity and Overweight and Associated Health Consequences
Obesity and Overweight Risk Factors
Obesity and Overweight Challenges
Kinesiology and Body Weight
Common Assessments of Obesity and Overweight
Physical Activity Guidelines for a Healthy Weight

Chapter 7. Musculoskeletal and Functional Health
Prevalence of Musculoskeletal Disorders and Related Health Challenges
Risk Factors Associated With Musculoskeletal Disorders and Associated Health Challenges
Kinesiology and Musculoskeletal Health
Common Tests of Musculoskeletal Fitness or Function
Physical Activity and Musculoskeletal Health
Functional Health
Risk Factors for Poor Functional Health
Common Tests of Functional Health
Fitness Recommendations for Functional Health

Chapter 8. Cancers
Prevalence of Cancers
Cancer Risk Factors
Kinesiology and Cancers
Physical Activity Among Cancer Survivors
Physical Activity Guidelines for Cancer Prevention

Chapter 9. Brain Health and Other Emergent Health Topics
Prevalence and Economic Costs of Brain Health Disorders
Common Brain Health Conditions
Risk Factors Associated With Brain Health Disorders
Physical Activity and Brain Physiology
Physical Activity and Brain Cognitive Function
Physical Activity Guidelines for Brain Health
Physical Activity and Infectious Disease and Immune Response

Chapter 10. Health Risks and Unintended Consequences of Exercise and Physical Activity
Musculoskeletal Injuries
Kinesiology and Musculoskeletal Injuries
Sudden Adverse Cardiac Events

Part III. Strategies for Effective Physical Activity Promotion

Chapter 11. Key Resources and Theoretical Models for Evidence-Based Physical Activity Promotion
Ecological Models of Health Behavior
The Community Guide
Eight Investments That Work for Physical Activity
Selecting the Most Appropriate Source of Information

Chapter 12. Individual and Interpersonal Approaches for Promoting Physical Activity
Rationale for Informational Approaches
Behavioral Theories and Theoretical Models of Behavior Change
Social Support for Health Behavior Change
Social Support Interventions to Increase Physical Activity Participation
Individually Adapted Health Behavior Change Programs

Chapter 13. Approaches to Promoting Physical Activity in Educational Settings
Rationale for School-Based Physical Activity Programs
International and National Trends in Youth Physical Activity Levels
Kinesiology and Physical Activity Outcomes for Youth
Physical Fitness Assessments of Youth
Evidence-Based Educational Physical Activity Approaches That Work for Youth and Young Adults
Developmental Considerations for Physical Activity in Youth

Chapter 14. Community-Wide Approaches for Promoting Physical Activity
Community-Wide Informational Campaigns
Multicomponent Community-Wide Programs

Chapter 15. Environmental and Policy Approaches to Promoting Physical Activity
Access
Urban Design
Measuring the Built Environment
Physical Activity Policy
Land Use Policy
Co-Benefits of Activity-Promoting Environments and Policies

Chapter 16. Program and Policy Evaluation for Physical Activity and Public Health
Ways to Measure Program and Policy Effectiveness
Logic Models for Physical Activity Promotion and Policies
Evaluation Designs
Data Collection and Analysis
Disseminating Results

Chapter 17. Partnership Development and Advocacy
Key Factors in Building Partnerships
Strategies for Physical Activity Advocacy