Letter from Bill Kohl: Do We Need Another Professional Society?

Do we need another professional society?

by ISPAH president, Dr. Harold W. (Bill) Kohl III

This is a question that I have asked, and have been asked, repeatedly since embarking on this journey.

Physical activity and health is an emerging discipline that has its roots in several important areas. Public health, sports medicine and exercise physiology, behavioral science and exercise psychology, and recently transportation and urban planning, among others each have provided an incredibly rich knowledge base for the growth of this new discipline. The field has, hopefully, taken strands of DNA from each of these sources as it begins to mature.

Experience suggests that professional organizations can play an important role in fostering growth and development of fields of study, particularly for students and young investigators. They provide a meeting place for like-minded individuals to teach and learn, they provide fellowship and they can also provide important leadership to move key issues of discovery ahead. The underlying assumption however is that existing organizations can meet the demands of changing and growing professional interests.

The reality is that as the field of physical activity and health has begun to develop from its multiple seeds, no existing professional society can meet the growth demands of the field. For example, exercise physiologists are not as likely to join a society that focuses specifically on behavior change. Behavioral scientists will rarely, if ever, be interested in joining a professional society dedicated to urban planning, although both have substantial insight to offer in physical activity interventions. Public health practitioners find little of interest in organizations that focus solely on science without translation to practice. A place to bring each of these people interested in physical activity and health is needed.

Likewise, with an increasingly connected world, there is much to learn from experiences and work across countries and regions. Professionals interested in physical activity and health from around the world may find a country-specific organization too limiting for applications of their work. Physical activity and health should be the common theme around which all interested professionals can gather.

Consider the four key reasons why the International Society for Physical Activity and Health was organized:

1. Focus. There is no professional organization where the main theme is physical activity and health. Slices (of various sizes) of the field can be found in public health, exercise science, and behavioral science-based organizations, but those organizations also carry other activities and interests that diffuse the focus on physical activity and health. A major goal is to encourage and maintain an organizational focus on physical activity and health over time.
2. International. There is no professional society organized to take on physical activity and health in a truly international fashion. There are country-specific and regional organizations in exercise science and in public health. Many of these organizations have international members, but few, if any, have truly international governing bodies with representation from around the world. There are international organizations focusing on "disease" outcomes that are related to physical activity. There are even some international organizations and federations that combine health behaviors. The health effects of inactivity know no borders and cross many disease outcomes. The scientific, practice and advocacy efforts around physical activity should be the same.
3. Promotion and Practice. Traditionally, communication and convention between persons interested in the promotion and practice of physical activity and health, particularly public health, and scientists has been difficult. The reasons for this separation are varied and numerous, but not insurmountable. If we are to make real progress in creating physically active societies, communication avenues between researchers and practitioners need to be open, wide and clear, so that translation from science to practice is the norm.
4. Leadership. The adverse health consequences of physical inactivity and the prevalence of the problem around the world create a global urgency that demands innovation and bold steps. It is my firm belief that this innovation cannot be achieved without a professional society dedicated to advancing a broad agenda solely around physical activity and health. And, it is my hope that we can take advantage of this opportunity to begin to develop new leaders for tomorrow.

I find it ironic that there is an enormous and urgent need for growing a focused global capacity in the science and practice of physical activity and health, yet this need is not being filled by current professional organizations, each with multiple and diffused missions. Historically, physical activity and health has been split among many groups, each doing its share to help make incremental steps forward. The urgent demands require major advances, not incremental steps. As our field of interest matures, it is time to develop an organization with a vision specific to Physical Activity and Health.

As professionals interested in physical activity and health, we have many choices for our affiliations. Observations suggest that we affiliate with what we know and have known through our training and work experience. My own choices are driven by a combination of professional interests, economics, colleagues and the inertia of tradition.

The challenge is to break this inertia when necessary.

Clearly, a new professional society is needed. I invite you to join me and the Founding Board of Directors to help grow the field of physical activity and health with the International Society for Physical Activity and Health.