The focus of this year's National Physical Therapy Month is on physical activity and the ways increasing movement, even moderately, can help people live longer, healthier lives. Physical therapists are in the perfect position to promote health through movement — and research published in PTJ can help clinicians tailor their treatment approaches to meet each patient or client's unique needs.

The association's journal publishes an abundance of peer-reviewed research, free to members, on topics including physical activity and health promotion, negative perceptions and attitudes toward physical activity, and factors that are associated with higher levels of physical activity.

Here is a small sampling of more recent PTJ articles on physical activity, covering a variety of patient populations:

"A Necessary Investment in Future Health": Perceptions of Physical Activity Maintenance Among People With Rheumatoid Arthritis 
To help people with chronic conditions maintain physical activity, authors write, PTs should target any negative attitudes toward physical activity, help patients create physical activity habits to incorporate in their daily routines, monitor intensity of activity, and provide exercise facilities with the possibility of peer support.

Promoting Physical Activity via Telehealth in People With Parkinson Disease: The Path Forward After the COVID-19 Pandemic? 
In a case report, authors suggest that remotely delivered interventions "may serve as a sustainable platform for physical activity coaching programs" for people with neurodegenerative diseases.

Impact of Physical Training Programs on Physical Fitness in People With Class II and III Obesity: A Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis
In a review of the research on different types of exercise training programs, authors suggest that combining aerobic and resistance exercise with diet modifications may improve cardiovascular and muscular endurance in people with obesity.

Physical Activity and the Risk of Depression in Community-Dwelling Korean Adults With a History of Stroke 
An examination of data from the Korean Community Health Survey found that physical activity reduced the risk of poststroke depression by 36.1% to 42.4%.

Perceptions of Kinesiophobia in Relation to Physical Activity and Exercise After Myocardial Infarction: A Qualitative Study 
To increase participation in physical activity and cardiac rehabilitation, authors write that "it is crucial for physical therapists to acknowledge signs of fear by listening carefully to the patient’s full story in addition to using adequate self-reports and tests of physical fitness" before designing a plan of care.