Human-centered participatory co-design with children and adults for a prototype lifestyle intervention and implementation strategy in a rural middle school.

PURPOSE: The significance of regular physical activity (PA) in reducing cardiovascular disease (CVD) risk is widely acknowledged. However, children in rural areas encounter specific barriers to PA compared to their urban counterparts. This study employs human-centered participatory co-design, involving community stakeholders in developing a multi-level PA intervention named Hoosier Sport. The primary hypothesis is the co-design sessions leading to the development of a testable intervention protocol. METHODS: Two co-design teams, each consisting of six children and six adults, were formed using human-centered participatory co-design facilitated by research faculty and graduate students. The process involved five co-design sessions addressing problem identification, solution generation, solution evaluation, operationalization, and prototype evaluation. Thematic analysis was employed to identify key themes and intervention components. RESULTS: Child co-designers (n = 6) ranged from 6th to 8th grade, averaging 12.6 years (SD = 1.8), while adult co-designers (n = 6) averaged 43.3 years (SD = 8.08). Thematic analysis revealed children emphasizing autonomy, the freedom to choose physical and non-physical activities, and the importance of building peer relationships during PA. Adult interviews echoed the importance of autonomy and choice in activities, with a focus on relatedness through positive role modeling. CONCLUSION: The prototype intervention and implementation strategies developed constitute a testable intervention aligned with Phase 1 of the ORBIT model. This testable prototype lays the groundwork for a collaborative campus-community partnership between the university and the local community, ensuring mutual benefits and sustainable impact.

Policy vs. practice in sport and climate change: the perspectives of key actors in global sport and international development.

Despite widespread, scientifically supported recognition of the scope of the climate crisis, and policies in place connecting sport to sustainable development, there remain concerns that the environment and climate change are rarely acknowledged within SDP activity and that even when they are, it is unclear how such policies are implemented, and to what effect. This raises the question of how and why the climate crisis and the attendant relationships between sport and sustainable development are understood and operationalized (or not) by stakeholders within the SDP sector. In this paper, therefore, we explore various perspectives and tensions around the environment and climate crisis within the SDP sector. To do so, we draw on interviews with SDP policy-makers (primarily from the United Nations and the International Olympic Committee) and SDP practitioners living and working in the global South in order to gauge the place of the environment and climate change in their everyday SDP policy-making, programming and practices. Overall, the data shows that while SDP stakeholders recognize the urgency of the climate crisis, the need for action, and the policy agenda linking sport to sustainable development, significant barriers, tensions and politics are still in place that prevent consistent climate action within SDP. Policy commitments and coherence are therefore needed in order to make climate action a core feature of SDP activity and practice.

The Homeless World Cup through storytelling: The narratives of Street Soccer players from Scotland and the USA.

OBJECTIVES: The purpose of this paper was to explore: (a) What stories do the Street Soccer players draw upon to construct meaning around their experiences of trauma, social exclusion, and homelessness? and (b) What stories are linked to the subjective sport programming experience and resulting future orientations? DESIGN: A longitudinal narrative approach was adopted with semi-structured interviews conducted with players from Scotland and the United States (n = 16, 7 female, 9 male, M age = 27.5) across three time points. Interviews were also conducted with significant others (n = 13) at time point three. All data were analyzed using thematic narrative analysis and represented in creative non-fiction approaches through three composite narratives. RESULTS: These narratives depicted visceral accounts of complex and developmental trauma, along with consequential experiences that unfolded before, during, and after the Homeless World Cup. While both preparing for and attending the event, players recalled concurrent feelings of anxiety and pride which manifested in various resilient and maladaptive coping behaviors. As the stories progressed, players battled a post event crash by engaging in support seeking and/or self-destructive behaviors before positive implications of the Homeless World Cup materialized. CONCLUSIONS: Through creative narrative approaches, this study presents novel and engaging accounts of players' experiences before, during, and after the event. We also identify potential safeguarding concerns that can be addressed through trauma-informed practices.

Conceptualisation and Measurement of Social Cohesion within the Sport and Physical Activity Context: A Scoping Review.

Sport, physical activity and social cohesion are increasingly linked within the academic literature. Indeed, studies recognise both the importance of social cohesion for promoting physical activity and the potential of sport to support social cohesion. Up until now, however, the ways in which social cohesion has been defined and measured in the context of sport and physical activity have not been the subject of much academic attention. Through a scoping review of studies measuring social cohesion in the sport and physical activity context, we aim to uncover how social cohesion is defined and measured, thus allowing us to better grasp how the concept is understood and operationalised in this field. As such, full-text inclusion occurred when studies quantitatively measured social cohesion through a questionnaire/survey instrument in connection with sport or physical activity participation or within programmes using sport to foster social cohesion. A total of 40 papers were included in the review, showing broad support for the argument that social cohesion is positively related to sport or physical activity participation. However, the retained texts engage on only a surface level with the concept of social cohesion, with around half not defining the term and the associated measurement tools using only a fraction of the dimensions typically associated with social cohesion. To conclude, we propose future directions to enhance conceptual engagement with and measurement of social cohesion.

Multilevel needs assessment of physical activity, sport, psychological needs, and nutrition in rural children and adults.

Introduction: Physical activity yields significant benefits, yet fewer than 1 in 4 youth meet federal guidelines. Children in rural areas from low socioeconomic (SES) backgrounds face unique physical activity contextual challenges. In line with Stage 0 with the NIH Stage Model for Behavioral Intervention Development, the objective of the present study was to conduct a community-engaged needs assessment survey with middle school children and adults to identify perceptions, barriers, and facilitators of physical activity, sport, psychological needs, and nutrition from a multi-level lens. Methods: A cross-sectional survey data collection was conducted with children (n = 39) and adults (n = 63) from one middle school community in the Midwestern United States. The child sample was 33% 6th grade; 51% 7th grade and was 49% female. The adult sample was primarily between 30 and 39 years old (70%) and comprised predominantly of females (85%). Multi-level survey design was guided by the psychological needs mini-theory within self-determination theory and aimed to identify individual perceptions, barriers, and facilitators in line with the unique context of the community. Results: At the individual level, 71.8% of children and 82.2% of the overall sample (children and adults) were interested in new physical activity/sport programming for their school. Likewise, 89.7% of children and 96.8% of adults agree that PA is good for physical health. For basic psychological needs in the overall sample, relatedness was significantly greater than the autonomy and competence subscales. Children's fruit and vegetable intake were below recommended levels, yet only 43.6% of children were interested in nutritional programming. Conversely, 61.5% indicated interest at increasing leadership skills. At the policy-systems-environmental level, the respondents' feedback indicated that the condition and availability of equipment are areas in need of improvement to encourage more physical activity. Qualitative responses are presented within for physical activity-related school policy changes. Discussion: Interventions addressing children's physical activity lack sustainability, scalability, and impact due to limited stakeholder involvement and often neglect early behavioral intervention stages. The present study identified perspectives, barriers, and facilitators of physical activity, sport, psychological needs, and nutrition in a multi-level context and forms the initial campus-community partnership between scientists and community stakeholders.

Supporting employability through sport: what kind of training?

Training, as a core device in the projects that use sport to increase employability, is today a much-cited element in papers in the sector. However, there seems to be little research that specifically delves into training processes. This contribution analyses the state of the art on the subject, focusing on the characteristics of the training courses mentioned in literature, highlighting some recurring critical issues. A proposal, which considers the limitations discussed above, is formulated as a result of this analysis. More specifically, we introduce, as a contribution to the debate, a training model for team sports coaches developed within the EU Erasmus + sport project SBSMED. Theoretical assumptions, methodology, contents and assessment methods of training effectiveness will be explained, highlighting valuable elements and the open issues that emerge from this experience.

How sport changed my life? Description of the perceived effects of the experiences of young Colombians throughout a sport for development and peace program.

Introduction: This study contributes to the advancement of the field of Sport for Development and Peace (SDP) research in Latin America and the Caribbean (LAC). There are still few studies on SDP programs in this region and it is important to document and understand the impacts of these programs on participants. Methods: The present study is the result of a collaborative research that aims to describe the experiences and perceptions of Colombian youth and program managers who participated in an SDP program that took them from a local community sports club to the Olympic Games. Seven semi-structured interviews were conducted with key actors (administrators, coaches, and athletes) who participated in a triple and transversal (local, district and national) Olympic walking training program. Results: The results provided a better understanding of the program dynamics in the local, regional, and national level, as well as of the short- and long-term effects perceived by the actors of the process on their development, education, health, and career. Recommendations are made for SDP organizations in LAC. Discussion: Future studies should continue to investigate the SDP initiative in LAC to understand how sport can help development and peace building in this region.

"Even Though We Have Different Colors, We Are All Equal Here": Immigrants building a sense of community and wellbeing through sport participation.

Although there are several studies reporting the beneficial role of sports in immigrant health, more research is needed to understand whether and how these activities can guide the psychological sense of community (SOC) and well-being outcomes. This study aims at exploring how sport participation among immigrants contributes to developing their SOC and subjective well-being. We analyzed the experiences of 17 immigrants participating in Balon Mundial (BM), an annual multicultural football tournament in Turin (Italy). A thematic deductive theory-driven analysis was implemented based on in-depth interviews. BM developed a psychological SOC by providing immigrants with a safe space-based on norms of accessibility and fair play-to mutually share traditions while forming positive and trusting bonds. All these dimensions of the tournament were connected to an enhancement of immigrants' subjective well-being in terms of happiness, self-care, sense of acceptance and cultural intelligence. Sport participation can sustain immigrants' psychological SOC and subjective well-being under specific conditions: (a) when norms are developed based on inclusion; and (b) when a shared goal and  history are built among participants.

Coordination processes in partnerships between German governmental organizations and German sports federations in jointly implemented SDP projects.

Sports and physical activity are increasingly used as instruments of development policy. Within this field of sport for development and peace (SDP), one can observe a large number of partnerships between national governmental organizations and national sport federations. These are particularly important although these organizations pursue different core objectives with their SDP engagement. The aim of this qualitative study is to analyze how German governmental organizations and sports federations coordinate jointly managed SDP projects. Against the backdrop of systems theory, we conducted interviews with participants from relevant organizations. The qualitative content analysis revealed that inter-organizational coordination takes place partly in hierarchical and partly in network-based structures. The results show complex patterns between the participating organizations which gain varying degrees of influence on the SDP projects and seek to get specific resources through the cooperations. These should be taken into consideration when designing SDP projects to build stable cooperations that bring all the participating organizations an added value.

Multiperspectivity in organized sport in refugee sites: Sociological findings and pedagogical considerations.

Refugee sites are a means to manage large-scale refugee movements, a recurring event in today's world. Sport is supposed to have beneficial effects for the residents of such sites and is therefore an activity, which is standardly organized by the sites' management. Moreover, many NGOs and "Sport for Development and Peace" programmes endorse the use of sport in emergency situations-including in refugee sites-to achieve several biopsychosocial objectives. There is a growing body of scientific literature, however, that is calling into question the beneficial effects of sport in this setting as well as the rationale behind this idea. Against this background, we explore the question "How does multiperspectivity influence sport in refugee sites?" based on two case studies. We use the ethnographic materials we were able to collect for the case studies to conduct a (sociological) analysis of multiperspectivity in sport and to develop (pedagogical) proposals on how to incorporate multiperspectivity when devising sports activities for refugees. The fact that the perspectives and motivations beyond the actual sports activities in the refugee site setting might be extremely homogenous leads us to conclude that multiperspectivity is key for planning, organizing and monitoring sports activities, and that refugees' positions must also be acknowledged. We recommend programmes and practical ways of achieving these objectives with a focus on the role of trainers and coaches.

Exploring the design of a sport for employability program: A case study.

Rates of young people who are neither in employment, education, or training (NEET) are fairly high in the European Union. Correspondingly, there has been a growing tendency to regard sport as a suitable tool to develop soft skills and raise NEETs' level of employability. However, if and how such sport for employability (SfE) programs are able to realize these major claims has been called into question. The purpose of the present study was, therefore, to explore how an actual SfE initiative constructs and delivers its program. In addition, the article assessed whether the investigated program operates in line with researchers' recent calls for theory-based approaches. Guided by a case study approach set up within an initiative located in Flanders, data were gathered through 12 semi-structured interviews with 8 program providers. Results, analyzed using thematic analysis, indicated that the program was characterized by an absence of well-defined desired outcomes, imprecision as to how the program should contribute to these outcomes, and consequently minimal attention to the follow-up of participants' progress. As such, these findings and the accompanying challenges point to the absence of a theory-based approach. Several possible sources for the lack of a systematic approach are discussed.

Examination of Ecological Systems Contexts Within a Latino-Based Community Sport Youth Development Initiative.

Youth Development Programs (YDPs) can serve as effective mechanisms to alleviate social and psychological adversities while enhancing and developing resilience among youth. Recently, more YDPs have incorporated sport within Sport for Development (SFD) models to achieve these goals. Due to the growing Latino population in the US and the wide achievement gap between Latinos and other demographic populations, there is a need to explore programs that may support individual development as well as long-term change with regard to social inequality. There is also a need to better understand the ecological contexts within SFD programs and how these contexts may support underserved youth. Specifically, using an ecological systems perspective, this study seeks to explore the implementation of a sport program by a YDP in order to examine the ecological processes that may support or inhibit the efficacy of sport programs working with underserved youth. Juntos is a YDP that primarily serves Latinx youth and families by assisting youth with graduating high school and pursuing higher education opportunities. Juntos incorporates two annual soccer tournaments (i.e., Kicking it with Juntos and Copa Unidos). A qualitative case study approach was implemented in two counties in North Carolina. Interviews were conducted with tournament participants, county coordinators and planning committee members. Findings found three key themes related to three ecological levels 1. At the Microsystem level, sport was implemented to engage youth and connect to non-sport program outcomes, but divergent perceptions of goals among stakeholders potentially inhibited intentional implementation. At the Mesosystem level, sport provided a mechanism to engage in collaborative relationships and encouraged parental participation. At the Macrosystem level, sport celebrated Latino culture and attempted to address social barriers facing Latinx youth, but some aspects of culture may have created barriers to access for girls. Findings suggested that while the programs emphasized mesosystem engagement, more integration across exosystem and macrosystem levels may be needed for sustainable outcomes.

Netball Shoots for Physical and Mental Wellbeing in Samoa: A Natural Experiment.

Sport-for-development programs claim to address key determinants of recreational physical activity participation and subsequent development outcomes in low-income settings. We conducted a natural experiment with pre-post measures taken from women in the 12 villages in Samoa, some of which voluntarily participated in the sport-for-development intervention. The intervention comprised a six-week netball league delivered by local volunteers who attended coaching workshops, received ongoing support from the national governing body and were provided with infrastructure and equipment to conduct local training sessions. Changes in netball participation, recreational physical activity, body composition, mental wellbeing and socio-ecological determinants of physical activity were compared between intervention and comparison villages using a univariate ANOVA. The intervention reached women who participated in little recreational physical activity and had poor physical and mental wellbeing. Program uptake was higher in villages with the strongest social support for netball participation. Local social support and capacity to independently organize netball activities increased. There were concurrent improvements in netball participation, physical activity levels, mental wellbeing and body weight in the intervention villages. Our findings support scaling-up of the intervention in similar settings but preceding this with formative evaluation to identify low active communities that are "primed" to participate in the proposed activity.

"There Was Some Kind of Energy Coming into My Heart": Creating Safe Spaces for Sri Lankan Women and Girls to Enjoy the Wellbeing Benefits of the Ocean.

Worldwide, there is growing recognition of the wellbeing benefits of accessing and engaging with healthy blue spaces, especially seas, coasts, and beaches. However, vast gender inequalities persist that impact women's and girls' ability to safely access these spaces for recreational benefit. This is even more pronounced in the context of emerging surf cultures in regions such as Southeast Asia. Using a qualitative and reflective approach, this paper explored how safe spaces for female surfers are created, using case studies from two female-focused surfing programs in Sri Lanka. To facilitate a safe space, the multi-layered challenges that female surfers face were analysed. The common mediators that enable females to participate in surfing were then investigated and identified, including: seeing surfing as an option, supportive families and communities, the group factor, free lessons, an all-female environment, culturally appropriate surf apparel, and a safe and playful methodology. This study highlights pathways for how unsafe spaces of exclusion and fear may be transformed into safe spaces of inclusion, healing, and empowerment. These findings have implications for how safe spaces may be facilitated for other organisations, as well as the sustainability of female access to surfing, beyond the life of surfing programs.

Impact of sports participation on components of metabolic syndrome in adolescents: ABCD growth study.

OBJECTIVES: This study aimed to analyze the impact of sports participation (12 months of practice) on the components of metabolic syndrome (MetS) in both sexes. METHODS: This is an observational longitudinal study, a part of which is entitled "Analysis of Behaviors of Children During Growth" (ABCD Growth Study), Presidente Prudente, São Paulo, Brazil. The sample was composed of 171 adolescents (112 boys and 59 girls), divided into non-sports and sports groups. High-density lipoprotein-cholesterol (HDL-c), triglycerides, and glucose were analyzed by the colorimetric method of dry chemistry and processed biochemically. Systolic blood pressure and diastolic blood pressure were measured using an automatic device. Body fat was estimated using a densitometry scanner. RESULTS: Adolescents who practiced sports were younger (p-value=0.001) and had a lower peak height velocity (p-value=0.001) than the non-sports group. The differences (Δ) after 12 months were of greater magnitude for the sports group when compared to the non-sports group (p-value=0.013), glucose (moderate magnitude in favor of the sports group; p-value=0.001), HDL-c (small magnitude in favor of the sports group; p-value=0.0015), and MetS (moderate magnitude in favor of the sports group; p-value=0.001). CONCLUSIONS: The practice of sports in adolescents had a protective effect on the metabolic components of MetS.

Sport for Indigenous resurgence: Toward a critical settler-colonial reflection.

This article examines the field of sport for development (SFD) while considering Indigenous resurgence amidst Canada's neoliberal settler-colonial landscape. While sharing challenges encountered within their practice, program staff from the Promoting Life-skills in Aboriginal Youth program revealed high levels of constructive self-criticism and reflexivity. There are three emergent themes, the adoption of which appeared essential for transforming the sector in recognition of Indigenous resurgence: growth and pace; Indigenous agency and knowledge; and political engagement. Grounded in settler colonialism and resurgence, this paper also reflects on the field of SFD and what it would mean to decolonize the practice. The article concludes by asking if non-Indigenous scholars can study SFD by subverting the colonial status quo that is also reproduced in this research field.

Sport-for-employability as an innovative practice in addressing youth underemployment in sub-Saharan Africa.

Youth unemployment reflects the lack of economic growth and prosperity for many nations in sub-Saharan Africa where the average age of the population is estimated to be 24 years in 2050. The study generates insights informed by preliminary findings of an ambitious 6-month government-funded "youth employment program" in South Africa. The paper reports on qualitative data emanating from two field visits per organization providing the baseline of this national project as the researcher had been tasked to develop the monitoring, evaluation, and learning (MEL) system. About 4,000 of this population are from Special Olympics and comprise of youth with complex needs, while the baseline focus on 45 youth as part of the unified leadership initiative (partnering with a mainstream individual). The MEL system allows for a mixed-method approach, but the paper draws on narrative data obtained during field visits where 10 managers were interviewed and 47 youth interns (42.5% men and 57.5% women) took part in focus group discussions. The interview and focus group questions explored their work-related histories and profiles, current involvement with a structured program, experiences, perceptions, expectations, and pragmatic recommendations. Emerging themes and analysis report five main themes that refer to (i) personal employment histories, (ii) local embeddedness, (iii) a typology of work, (iv) program benefits, and (v) enablers and goal setting. Contextual realities shaped the agency of all research participants, but promising results show positive outcomes of soft skills associated with the level of employability and job-seeking strategies.

O esporte para o desenvolvimento e a paz nas revistas acadêmicas brasileiras: uma revisão de literatura integrativa / Sport for development and peace in brazilian academic journals: an integrative literature review / El deporte para el desarrollo y la paz en las revistas académicas brasileñas: una revisión de literatura integrativa

Neste artigo, realizamos uma revisão de literatura integrativa através de quatro bases de dados científicas de ampla utilização no meio acadêmico brasileiro, a partir dos descritores: "Esporte e Desenvolvimento Social", "Projeto Social Esportivo" e "Projetos Sociais Esportivos". Encontramos 341 artigos, os quais foram, posteriormente e de acordo com critérios de inclusão/exclusão, reduzidos a 57 trabalhos analisados. Apresentamos aqui resultados referentes às categorias "Campo de atuação", "Ano de publicação", "Revistas" e "Resultados da pesquisa". A metodologia seguiu os passos sugeridos por Whittemore e Knafl (2005): (a) identificação do problema, (b) pesquisa da literatura, (c) avaliação dos dados, (d) análise dos dados e (e) apresentação. Os resultados de nossa pesquisa lidam com variações que consideramos significativas no contexto das categorias eleitas e sugerem interpretações para tais variações. Além disso, por fim, refletimos acerca dos limites de nossa pesquisa e das implicações deste trabalho para investigações futuras. (AU)

In this article, we carry out an integrative literature review in four databases widely used in the Brazilian academic environment, using the descriptors: "Sport and Social Development", "Sport Social Project" and "Sports Social Projects". We found 341 articles, which were, later and according to inclusion/exclusion criteria, reduced to 60 works to be analyzed. Here we present results referring to the categories "Field of action", "Year of publication", "Journals" and "Research results". The methodology followed the steps suggested by Whittemore and Knafl (2005): (a) problem identification, (b) literature search, (c) data evaluation, (d) data analysis and (e) presentation. The results of our research deal with variations that we considered significant in the context of the categories chosen and suggest interpretations for such variations. In addition, finally, we reflect on the limits of our research and the implications of this work for future research. (AU)

En este artículo, realizamos una revisión de literatura integrativa en cuatro bases de datos ampliamente utilizadas en el medio académico brasileño, a partir de los siguientes descriptores: "Deporte y Desarrollo Social", "Proyecto Social Deportivo" y "Proyectos Sociales Deportivos". Encontramos 341 artículos, los cuales fueron, posteriormente y de acuerdo con criterios de inclusión/exclusión, reducidos a 57 trabajos analizados. Presentamos aquí resultados referentes a las categorías "Campo de actuación", "Año de publicación", "Revistas" y "Resultados de la investigación". La metodología siguió los pasos sugeridos por Whittemore y Knafl (2005): (a) identificación del problema, (b) investigación de la literatura, (c) evaluación de los datos, (d) análisis de los datos y (e) presentación. Los resultados de nuestra investigación trabajan con variaciones que consideramos significativas en el contexto de las categorías elegidas y sugieren interpretaciones para tales variaciones. Además, reflexionamos acerca de los límites de nuestra investigación y de las implicaciones de este trabajo para las futuras investigaciones. (AU)

A Method for Conducting Preliminary Analysis of the Nature and Context of Sport for Development and Peace Projects in Fieldwork Research: An Illustration With a Malagasy Non-Governmental Organization.

More research on sport for development and peace (SDP) organizations is needed to better understand their actual contributions to the United Nations (UN) Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs). Yet, the unstable, restricted, or even risky contexts in which many non-governmental organizations (NGOs) and SDP agencies sometimes operate often leave researchers to face important challenges to develop effective or feasible methods to work with such organizations. This study aimed to address the ontological and epistemological questions about what should be known about a given context in an organization before setting off on fieldwork. We propose a methodology, based on an actantial model (AM), as a method to analyze the nature and context of a project, to assess the actors involved in the project, and to establish if the global cost (i.e., material, temporal, financial, and physical) for conducting fieldwork is realistic and feasible of all the parties involved in the potential project. To illustrate this process, we analyzed the nature and context of an SDP project in Madagascar as the first step for potential collaborative research. As researchers, we do not want to invest time and energy to build up a fully developed field research project with an NGO in a context where it would not be realistic or feasible to conduct such research. Actually in this context, developing a research protocol without an implementation strategy might not only be detrimental to the researchers, but also to the NGO itself, where resources are often limited. Accordingly, the results from this preliminary field research demonstrate that an AM is a relevant analytical tool for obtaining insights about the context, the actors, and their relationships within an NGO. In conclusion, this model might be a useful instrument for conducting an initial analysis for the preliminary identification of the necessary conditions for the construction of a sustainable empirical research partnership with a given SDP project.

Better Late Than Never?! Five Compelling Reasons for Putting Physical Activity in Low- and Middle-Income Countries High Up on the Public Health Research Agenda.

Since 2020, the world has been navigating an epidemiologic transition with both infectious diseases (COVID-19) and noncommunicable diseases intertwined in complex and diverse ways. In fact, the pandemics of physical inactivity, noncommunicable diseases, and COVID-19 coincide in a tragically impactful ménage à trois with their detrimental long-term health consequences yet to be determined. We know that people in low- and middle-income countries not only have the highest risk of developing chronic diseases, they also develop the diseases at a younger age, they suffer longer, and they die earlier than people in high-income countries. This commentary features 5 compelling reasons for putting physical activity in low- and middle-income countries high up on the public health research agenda and calls for more commitment to inclusive and context-specific public health practices that are paired with locally relevant promotion and facilitation of PA practice, research, and policymaking.