Health and Physical Activity Research as Represented inRQES

Abstract

In the past 75 years, articles in Research Quarterly for Exercise and Sport (RQES) have contributed to the understanding of the role physical activity plays in the health of individuals and populations. Articles have described laboratory and community research studies in humans and animals, presented reviews of topics and conference proceedings, and presented forums for discussion about current topics in physical activity and health. The articles reflect the growth of the profession from basic inquiry, about physiological responses to exercise (and the development of physical fitness methods and standards), to studies of the effects of exercise on physical fitness and health in various population subgroups. This evolution in RQES reflects the well recognized paradigm shift toward public health concerns for physical activity and health outcomes.

Volunteer Bias and Female Participation in Exercise and Sports Science Research

“…It implies all individuals and demographic groups are equally interested and willing to participate in research and that health behaviors and outcomes are equal between males and females. Such assumptions then lead to the conclusion that differences in proportions of male and female participants in ESS research are due to investigator bias (e.g., purposeful exclusion of females or lack of interest in female issues) (Ainsworth & Todor-Locke, 2005;Bekker et al, 2018;Bruinvels et al, 2017;Costello et al, 2014;Counts et al, 2018). However, these assumptions are problematic.…”

“…Some articles on females as participants in ESS research have not accurately represented history. Quest recently published a paper (Nuzzo, 2020a) that revealed a historical error made by Ainsworth and Todor-Locke (2005) about female participants in exercise training studies. Ainsworth and Todor-Locke ( 2005) stated (a) the first training study published in Research Quarterly for Exercise and Sport (RQES) that focused on women was by Wallace (1975) and (b) females were rarely the focus of RQES studies published prior to Title IX in the 1970s.…”