Physical Activity and Health is the first textbook to bring together the results of the most important studies in this rapidly changing field and offers a detailed yet concise and clear presentation of key concepts. The text provides a conceptual framework to help readers relate results from single studies or collections of studies to the overall paradigm linking physical activity and physical fitness to health. Written by Claude Bouchard and other leading scientists from around the world, this richly illustrated textbook offers information unmatched in accuracy and reliability. Where other books have simply promoted physical activity for the individual or a population, this book completely integrates and examines the relationship between physical activity and health by -providing a history of physical activity, including how levels of physical activity have changed over time and how this has affected the overall health of society; -highlighting the differences in the effects of physical activity on fitness across age, gender, and ethnic groups; -describing how various systems of the human body respond to physical activity; -illustrating the relationship between physical activity and health concerns such as obesity, diabetes, cancer, and mental health; -offering guidance for determining the proper amount and type of exercise to be undertaken; and -suggesting new directions for research in this growing and changing field. The text explains the latest advances in understanding the effects of acute and chronic participation in physical activity and reviews the relationships between regular physical activity and health outcomes, including cardiovascular morbidities, mental health, and all-cause mortality. It also focuses on the prevention of diseases, quality of life, and well-being.