Call for papers - Physical activity throughout women’s life stages

Guest Editors

Maria O’Kane, PhD, Ulster University, UK
Cinara Sacomori, PhD, University of Desarrollo, Chile

Submission Status: Open | Submission Deadline: 27 June 2025

BMC Women's Health is calling for submissions to our Collection on Physical activity throughout women's life stages. This Collection invites researchers to submit their work on the role of exercise and physical activity throughout women's life stages. We aim to explore the unique health benefits of exercise, including strength training and sport participation, and their implications for women's physical and mental well-being. By highlighting evidence-based strategies, this Collection seeks to empower women to engage in lifelong physical activity for improved health outcomes.

New Content Item This Collection supports and amplifies research related to SDG 3: Good Health & Well-being, and SDG 5: Gender Equality.

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Meet the Guest Editors

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Maria O’Kane, PhD, Ulster University, UK

Dr Maria O’Kane is a Lecturer in Healthcare Science at Ulster University. Maria was awarded a BSc and PhD from Ulster University. Her PhD studies focused on the importance of nutrition for women of childbearing age while her post-doctoral research focused on a school-based physical activity intervention for adolescent girls. Dr O’Kane’s research interests focus on health promotion, behaviour change and public health. She is particularly interested in socio-economic inequalities in health as well as developing evidence-based interventions to improve population health and well-being. She is currently involved in research projects that aim to improve physical activity for women across the lifecycle.

Cinara Sacomori, PhD, University of Desarrollo, Chile

Cinara Sacomori, PhD, is an Associate Professor at Facultad de Medicina, Clínica Alemana, Universidad del Desarrollo, Santiago, Chile. She is a physiotherapist with experience in women´s health. Her research interests are on pelvic floor and cancer rehabilitation, particularly through the promotion of physical activity and rehabilitation exercises. She also serves on the editorial board of BMC Women’s Health.

About the Collection

BMC Women's Health is calling for submissions to our Collection on Physical activity throughout women's life stages.

The role of physical activity in women's health is a critical area of research that spans various life stages, from adolescence through menopause and into older adulthood. Understanding how physical activity impacts women's physical, mental, and emotional well-being is essential for developing tailored interventions that promote lifelong health. Factors such as hormonal changes, social expectations, and cultural norms can influence women's engagement in physical activity, making it imperative to explore these dynamics comprehensively. This Collection aims to highlight the importance of physical activity, including its subcategory exercise, across different life stages and its implications for women's health.

Research on physical activity throughout women's life stages is vital for addressing health disparities and improving quality of life. Recent advances have demonstrated the positive effects of regular physical activity on mental health, bone density, and cardiovascular health in women. Additionally, research has begun to uncover the unique benefits of strength training and sport participation, particularly during pivotal life transitions such as pregnancy and menopause. By continuing to explore these areas, we can develop evidence-based guidelines that empower women to incorporate exercise into their daily lives.

Looking ahead, ongoing research in this field may lead to innovative approaches that integrate exercise into women's healthcare practices, enhancing the overall effectiveness of preventive health strategies. Future studies could also explore the role of technology in promoting physical activity among women, as well as the impact of community-based programs that foster social support and motivation for exercise.

Topics welcome for submission to this Collection include, but are not limited to the following:

The role of physical activity in cardiovascular and metabolic disease prevention and treatment
The impact of physical activity on women’s mental health
Strength training benefits across life stages
Exercise interventions during pregnancy
Pelvic floor physical therapy
Walking interventions
Sport participation and women's health outcomes
The impact of exercise in menopausal and postmenopausal women
The impact of hormone-based birth control and other medications on women’s physical activity
The role of community support in promoting physical activity
Physical activity for women’s well-being in space
Physical activity and healthy aging
Physical activity and adolescent transition into young adulthood

This Collection supports and amplifies research related to SDG 3: Good Health & Well-being, and SDG 5: Gender Equality.

There are currently no articles in this collection.

Submission Guidelines

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This Collection welcomes submission of original Research Articles. Should you wish to submit a different article type, please read our submission guidelines to confirm that type is accepted by the journal. Articles for this Collection should be submitted via our submission system, Snapp. During the submission process you will be asked whether you are submitting to a Collection, please select "Physical activity throughout women's life stages" from the dropdown menu.

Articles will undergo the journal’s standard peer-review process and are subject to all of the journal’s standard policies. Articles will be added to the Collection as they are published.

The Editors have no competing interests with the submissions which they handle through the peer review process. The peer review of any submissions for which the Editors have competing interests is handled by another Editorial Board Member who has no competing interests.