A Second Generation of Active Living Research

Abstract

Research on active living has grown significantly since its early days, now over a decade ago. What began as a plausible assertion—that the design of physical environments could encourage physical activity—is now a robust area of research inquiry. Today, active living research boasts an annual conference, several special journal issues dedicated to this topic (including this one), and a new generation of researchers drawn from very diverse disciplines who are committed to this field. Though it is still far from standard practice, the idea of engineering communities to naturally promote physical activity is no longer a radical notion. Active living research has also grown in maturity. Building on the first wave of studies, this second generation of research is more focused on specific populations and settings, more sophisticated in its theorizing, and more connected to planning and design practice. The 13 articles in this special issue represent some of the best of this second generation of active living research. The papers in this special issue of American Journal of Health Promotion were presented at the Third Annual Active Living Research Conference that was held in Coronado, California, February 17 through 18, 2006. The conference was designed to attract the best research to be submitted, and the best of those submissions were invited to prepare papers for consideration for this special issue. Thus, this set of papers from transdisciplinary research teams illustrates the breadth and quality of the current state of the science of this vibrant but still-new field of study.