ISPAH and the Journal of Physical Activity and Health (JPAH) have been in partnership since the society’s inception in 2008. As the official journal of ISPAH, JPAH offers society members a premier scholarly journal for publishing their best physical activity research. Together, the society and the journal serve as co-stewards of a growing field dedicated to the science and advocacy around physical activity and health.   

Get to know JPAH 

Founded in 2004, JPAH’s vision is to inspire meaningful change in how the world views the relationship between physical activity and health. This vision has been realized through a mission focused on being the primary journal for research relevant to the science and practice of physical activity as it relates to health and health outcomes. JPAH is a hybrid-model, peer-reviewed journal with a 3.1 Impact Factor and a 4.5 CiteScore. Led by co-Editors Pedro C. Hallal and Melody Ding, a robust group of Senior Associate Editors, and a diverse Editorial Board, JPAH prides itself on its global focus and commitment to research and evidence equity. During 2022-2023, JPAH published articles by scientists from more than 60 countries worldwide. JPAH offers authors a speedy editorial decision, prompt online publication, and superb dissemination of research including marketing on social media. There are no submission or publication fees; however, optional open and free access publishing is available, with reduced fees for ISPAH members.  

A healthy partnership between society and journal 

The remarkable growth of both the society and the journal during the past decade has been a collaborative effort built on shared goals and identity. ISPAH and JPAH have jointly focused on promoting excellence in physical activity research spanning from practice to surveillance and policy development.  Together, they stress the importance of creating behavioral, community, and environmental interventions that are sustainable and will affect physical activity and health on an individual and population level. JPAH’s commitment to battling publication biases that negatively impact researchers from the Global South reflects ISPAH’s vision for a healthy active world where the opportunities for physical activity and active living are available to all. At the root of this commitment is an understanding that physical inactivity is a pandemic that must be addressed globally by researchers from varied cultural backgrounds and regions through working collectively toward the goal of a healthier planet and people. JPAH relies on ISPAH to help facilitate the dissemination of its impactful research to an international community of researchers, practitioners and policymakers.   

Working together  

All ISPAH members receive complimentary access to JPAH as well as substantial publication fee discounts when choosing to purchase free access for accepted articles. ISPAH and JPAH co-host webinars focused on the exceptional physical activity research published in the journal. They also co-develop unique capacity-building opportunities for early career researchers, including peer review mentorship and better understanding of the publication process from the viewpoint of authors; interviewing early career researchers who publish in the journal on social media; and the creation of the ISPAH-JPAH Early Career Social, a virtual peer-to-peer discussion group.