Table 2.

Physical activity research priorities.

Question/Priority Area	Methodology Considerations
Physical activity and sedentary behavior on multiple health outcomes across the lifespan	Dose response, role and contribution of light-intensity vs. moderate-to vigorous physical activity Independent and interactive effects Is effect modified by demographic factors, including sex and race/ethnicity?
Biological/molecular/cellular responses to physical activity and sedentary behavior	Anti-inflammatory effects of mechanical stretch; Stimulation and physical stimuli to enhance the regenerative cascade Molecular tenets of exercise or physical activity, e.g., mechanotransduction Translation of mechanical to molecular cellular response Neurochemical measurement Measurement of mitochondrial function Measurement of epigenetic effects Computational analysis and in silico modeling
Effective intervention strategies for increasing physical activity through actions in multiple settings, across the lifespan	Larger trials to determine how the effectiveness of interventions differs by sex, age, race, ethnicity, socioeconomic status, and other factors Machine learning analysis of trial results to define novel biomarkers or mechanisms Individual cohort identification and application of precision medicine approaches