Science AI Journal
Medicine · Research topic

Open research questions in Physical Activity and Health

923 unresolved questions extracted from the limitations and future-work sections of 5,738 Physical Activity and Health papers in our library. Each links back to the study that raised it.

What the literature leaves open

  • Evidence on the association between physical activity and incident dementia among individuals with hypertension remains limited. Research on the associations between physical activity and the risk of dementia has mostly been conducted in the general population.

    Association between physical activity and incident dementia among individuals with hypertension · 2026 · DOI

  • Traditional physiological metrics are necessary but insufficient to account for overall human functioning. Cognitive control, emotion regulation, social connectedness, occupational balance, and digital literacy substantially influence wellbeing, resilience, and sustainable performance. Existing frameworks do not account for these multidimensional determinants.

    Toward a multidimensional fitness paradigm: a critical review and agenda for science, practice, and policy · 2026 · DOI

  • High workloads and organizational barriers limit healthcare workers' ability to engage in physical activity. The MIAuSport program faces challenges in terms of scheduling and activity options to accommodate participants' needs. The program also faces challenges in terms of communication and publicity to increase awareness and participation among healthcare workers.

    MIAuSport: a feasibility and acceptability study of a workplace-based physical activity program for hospital healthcare workers · 2026 · DOI

  • Investigate the long-term effects of the MIAuSport program on PA levels, - Examine the effectiveness of the program in different healthcare settings, - Explore the impact of the program on patient outcomes

    MIAuSport: a feasibility and acceptability study of a workplace-based physical activity program for hospital healthcare workers · 2026 · DOI

  • Further research could explore the causal relationships between physical activity and subjective class identity, - Investigate the mechanisms by which physical activity influences subjective class identity

    Leisure-time physical activity participation and subjective class identity among Chinese residents: evidence from CGSS 2021 · 2026 · DOI

  • Longitudinal studies are needed to establish temporal causation between sports participation and physical health outcomes - Studies should investigate the specific mechanisms by which sports participation influences physical health outcomes - Research should explore the potential benefits of sports participation for different populations, such as children and adolescents

    Sports participation and physical health outcomes: the mediating roles of educational attainment and health-related behaviors · 2026 · DOI

  • The paper identifies a gap in the understanding of the relationship between sports participation and physical health outcomes. The study notes that the underlying mechanisms of this association are unclear. The paper seeks to address this gap by investigating the mediating roles of educational attainment and health-related behaviors.

    Sports participation and physical health outcomes: the mediating roles of educational attainment and health-related behaviors · 2026 · DOI

  • The study identifies a gap in understanding how health-promoting behaviors are associated with temporal and social patterns in health inequality. The gap is addressed by examining the association between physical exercise participation and individual-level relative health deprivation using a cross-classified hierarchical age-period-cohort model.

    The association between physical exercise participation and individual-level relative health deprivation varies by age, period, birth cohort, and population group in China · 2026 · DOI

  • ObjectiveCardiorespiratory fitness is a modifiable marker of cardiometabolic health, but its association with cardiometabolic multimorbidity (CMM) and the generalisability of that association across populations remain unclear.

    Estimated cardiorespiratory fitness and incident cardiometabolic multimorbidity: findings from three nationally representative cohorts · 2026 · DOI

  • However, context-specific epidemiological data comparing cardiovascular risk profiles by mobility status in rural South Africa remain scarce.

    Comparative Evaluation of Blood Pressure, Central Adiposity, and Physical Activity Patterns Between Wheelchair Users and Ambulatory Adults in a Rural South African Settings: A Cross-Sectional Study Protocol · 2026 · DOI

  • Sufficient physical activity and sleep, and limited sedentary behavior mitigate those risks, but device-based assessments of these behaviors among CCS are scarce.

    Physical activity, sedentary behavior, and sleep in everyday life after childhood cancer: a report from the Swiss Childhood Cancer Survivor Study (SCCSS)-Activity · 2026 · DOI

  • Psychological factors associated with optimal PA engagement in this population have been under studied, and could provide key insight into behavioral patterns.

    EXERCISE COMMITMENT AND DEPENDENCE, BUT NOT SELF-EFFICACY, DIFFERENTIATE PHYSICALLY ACTIVE HISPANIC ADULTS · 2026 · DOI

  • While these three behaviours have each been extensively studied individually, the extent to which they have been jointly investigated as distinct constructs in the same undergraduate populations remains unclear.

    Nutrition, Sedentary Behaviour and Physical Activity in Undergraduate Students: A Scoping Review with PRISMA-ScR Checklist · 2026 · DOI

  • The gap is that physical activity is often studied as a health behavior, but its relationship with subjective class identity is not well understood. Prior studies have shown that subjective social status does not always correspond directly to objective class position.

    Leisure-time physical activity participation and subjective class identity among Chinese residents: evidence from CGSS 2021 · 2026 · DOI

  • Text messages have proven effective for promoting physical activity, but little is known about how message content can engage motivational mechanisms.

    Optimizing generative artificial intelligence prompts to engage urges for physical activity in middle-aged and older adults · 2026 · DOI

  • The joint association of IC and PA with incident cardiovascular disease (CVD), and the mediating role of PA, remain unclear across populations.

    The joint association of intrinsic capacity and physical activity with cardiovascular risk in older adults: evidence from four longitudinal cohorts · 2026 · DOI

  • BACKGROUND: Although the relationship between physical activity (PA) and healthy cognitive aging is well-established, little is known about how different combinations of PA across intensities and life domains may uniquely buffer against declines in cognitive health.

    Combinations of light, moderate, and vigorous physical activity in midlife and old age: implications for healthy cognitive aging · 2025 · DOI

  • The impact of LS may be enhanced through physical activity (PA), although studies exploring the dynamic and bidirectional nature of the relationship are scarce.

    The temporal dynamics of the association between daily physical activity and life satisfaction · 2025 · DOI

  • CONCLUSION: Our study provides preliminary evidence suggesting environmental burdens contribute to sedentary lifestyles among cancer survivors, emphasizing the need for further research on this interplay in this population.

    Associations between environmental burdens and modifiable lifestyle risk factors among cancer survivors in NCI's HINTS-SEER survey · 2025 · DOI

  • PURPOSE: However, few studies have analyzed how multiple pollution-related and built environment characteristics influence lifestyle behaviors among cancer survivors.

    Associations between environmental burdens and modifiable lifestyle risk factors among cancer survivors in NCI's HINTS-SEER survey · 2025 · DOI

  • However, the extent to which this relationship varies across different demographic and health status subgroups remains unclear.

    Differential Associations of Physical Activity and Cognitive Function Among Diverse Older Adult Populations in the NHANES 2011–2014 · 2025 · DOI

  • Little is known about women’s preferences for PA partnerships or how preferences are linked to women’s broader conceptions of PA.

    Preferences and responses for physical activity partnerships among women in midlife with elevated risk for cardiovascular disease: a digital, mixed methods approach · 2025 · DOI

  • CONCLUSIONS: Testing the impact of interventions aimed at reducing sedentary time on cognitive function is warranted in this population, particularly for those living in highly rural areas.

    Degree of rurality moderates the association of sedentary time with cognitive function in rural patients with cardiac diseases and depressive symptoms · 2025 · DOI

  • The WW PA pattern demonstrates protective effects against a broad spectrum of chronic diseases; however, regarding a comprehensive investigation into the disease-specific protective mechanisms and long-term health outcomes of the subject, it remains unclear.

    Weekend warrior and the risk of specific disease: a meta-epidemiology study · 2025 · DOI

  • OBJECTIVE: Despite growing evidence linking 24-h movement behaviors to health outcomes, there is limited research examining these relationships among university students in Southeast Asia.

    Adherence to 24-h movement guidelines and its associations with dietary behavior and mental health among university students from five ASEAN countries · 2025 · DOI

Most-cited papers in Physical Activity and Health

Most recent work

Find a gap in your own Physical Activity and Health sub-topic

This page shows what the Physical Activity and Health literature already flags as unresolved. To narrow it to your specific question, run the guided finder — it searches the gap library on demand and checks candidates against 250M+ OpenAlex works.

Open the Research Gap Finder →

Related topics in Medicine

Artificial Intelligence in Healthcare and Education
2,044 open questions
Substance Abuse Treatment and Outcomes
1,964 open questions
Smoking Behavior and Cessation
990 open questions
Dementia and Cognitive Impairment Research
974 open questions
Innovations in Medical Education
960 open questions
Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder
839 open questions
Schizophrenia research and treatment
709 open questions
Sports Performance and Training
643 open questions
923 open questions have been extracted from the limitations and future-work passages of 5,738 Physical Activity and Health papers in our library. Each one below links back to the study that raised it, so you can read the original claim in context.

Tools for your next paper

Gaps & Literature SearchFind open questions in any field — 120,000+ open gaps mined from our own library.Pre-CheckIs your paper ready? A Tier 1–5 acceptance probability in seconds.Journal FinderA ranked shortlist of target journals from a 17,500-venue index.Duplicate Publication CheckerCheck prior-publication & salami-slicing risk across 8 sources.Citation GeneratorFreeA DOI or title → APA, MLA, Vancouver, Chicago, BibTeX, RIS. No signup.Graphical Abstract MakerFreeTurn your findings into a colorblind-safe graphical abstract.

Compare the category — Honest roundups of the AI research tools, ours listed alongside the alternatives.

Command palette

Jump anywhere, run any action.