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Sensorimotor communication is a form of communication instantiated through body move-ments that are guided by both instrumental, goal-directed intentions and communicative, social intentions. Depending on the social interaction context, sensorimotor communication can serve different functions. The aim of this article is to disentangle three of these functions: a) an informing function of body movements, to highlight action intentions for an observer; b) a coordinating function of body movements, to facilitate real-time action prediction in joint action; and c) a performing function of body movements, to elicit emotional or aesthetic experiences in an audience. We provide examples of research addressing these different functions as well as a number of influencing factors, relating to individual differences, task characteristics, and situational demands. The article concludes by discussing the benefits of a closer dialog between separate lines of research on sensorimotor communication across different social contexts.

The sports club setting is a key context for health promotion, but it can also be associated with risky behaviours. Sports coaches play a crucial role in supporting the physical, mental and social health of sport participants but often lack the resources and support to do so. This paper proposes a guide to help coaches become health promoters by aligning their actions with the Health Promoting Sports Club model, which represents the setting-based approach applied to sports clubs. An embedded mixed-method study with a QUAL (qual) design was used, where 15 experts took part in 5 meetings and 299 coaches provided input through an online survey. Four steps were carried out: (1) defining the health-promoting sports coach and key action principles, (2) co-constructing progression stages using the settings-based approach, (3) identifying key actions for promoting health in different moments of coaching (i.e., before, during, and after training and competition, and outside of coaching), and (4) developing long-term intervention components. A definition of the health-promoting sports coach was produced, and eight key action principles have been identified, divided into three dimensions: connection with the system, adoption of a coaching philosophy, and focus on participants. Five stages of progression for integrating health promotion into coaching have been established, ranging from risk prevention to a global approach involving the entire sports system. Specific actions for each moment of coaching (before, during, and after training and competition, and outside of coaching) have been identified, such as monitoring the physical, mental, and social health of participants or plan the coaching session to ensure safety, inclusion, and well-being for all sports participants, staying open for last-minute changes. Finally, long-term intervention components to support the implementation of these actions in practice have been developed, based on what coaches are already doing, the skills they possess and the five stages of progression. This paper enables the development of a guide to help sports coaches promote health by identifying concrete actions and short- and long-term interventions, whilst making links with the health promoting sports club model. It broadens the scope of coaching by incorporating health principles, while emphasising the need to adapt to the environment and context of the club. This work calls for future research to test the effectiveness and feasibility of these approaches in various sporting environments.

This study investigated agent and expression intensity recognition in point-light displays depicting dancing performances. In a first session, participants danced with two different expression intensities to music, solo or in dyads. In a subsequent session, they watched point-light displays of 1–5-s duration, depicting their own, their partner’s or another participant’s recorded actions, and were asked to identify the agent (self vs. partner vs. stranger) and the intended expression intensity (expressive vs. inexpressive) of the performer. The results indicate that performer identity and expression intensity could be discerned reliably from displays as short as 1 s. The accuracy in judgment increased with exposure duration and, for performer identification, with higher expression intensity. Judgment accuracy in agent and expression intensity recognition tasks correlated with self-report empathy indices. Accuracy correlated also with confidence in judgment, but only in the intensity recognition task. The results are discussed in relation to perceptual and neural mechanisms underlying action and intention recognition.

Background: Promoting mental health through sports participation may be a promising strategy to support the mental health of children and adolescents. This systematic review investigated the perceptions of children and adolescents and of stakeholders close to this target group (e.g., teammates, coaches, parents) on 1) how sports participation influences the mental health of children and adolescents; and 2) factors in sports settings influencing this relationship. Methods: A systematic review of qualitative studies was performed. Six electronic databases (CINAHL, PsycInfo, PubMed, Scopus, SPORTDiscus, Web of Science) were searched for relevant studies from inception to 21 August 2024. Out of 1,001 identified records, 25 studies were included. Study quality was assessed using the CASP-tool. Thematic analysis was performed to synthesize findings, which were structured according to the socio-ecological model. Results are presented according to three main topics: 1) mental health outcomes (intrapersonal level of socio-ecological model); 2) individual mechanisms (intrapersonal level); and 3) factors in the sports setting (interpersonal, and organizational and community levels). Results: Sports participation influenced various mental health outcomes, including emotions, self-confidence and self-esteem, levels of stress, and resilience, both positively and negatively. Five key individual mechanisms were identified through which sports participation influenced mental health: distraction and focus, performance, personal development, purpose and structure in life, and a sense of belonging. Additionally, interpersonal factors, such as the influence of coaches, teammates and peers, family members, and (team) professionals, appeared important in the relationship between sports participation and mental health. The broader social climate (organizational and community levels) also influenced this relationship. Based on the socio-ecological model and the review findings, a theoretical model was developed illustrating these interconnections. Conclusions: The findings confirm the potential mental health benefits of sports participation among children and adolescents, which are largely influenced by interpersonal factors. However, some negative mental health outcomes were also identified and may be underreported. These insights can guide targeted interventions to enhance youth mental health through sports participation, aligned with the proposed theoretical model. Future research should refine this model, assess its applicability across populations, developmental stages, sports activities, and settings, and explore its links with sport drop-out.

Purpose Physical activity (PA) among parous women postpartum has multiple health benefits to mother and child. Knowledge of the barriers to PA among parous women postpartum is necessary to support future health-enhancing PA interventions. The purpose of this study was to explore the barriers to PA in parous women six to 10 months after giving birth. Methods In this qualitative study, we used a phenomenological–hermeneutic approach to explore barriers to PA among parous women six to 10 months postpartum. Semi-structured interviews were conducted including 16 parous women from Central Denmark Region. These women were physically active before pregnancy; had a mean age of 29 years; differed in level of education; and represented both vaginal birth and caesarian section. The women were recruited from two sources. 1) a video on Facebook, which had >10.000 views, and 2) the Department of Health Visitors at Aarhus Municipality. Nvivo was used for analysis. We used open and closed coding, and quotes from the interviews were used to support claims and illustrate the identified barriers. Results Three categories of barriers were identified. 1) The individual level: lack of motivation to engage in PA, insufficient self-efficacy in PA, limited economical resources, and bodily physical changes. 2) The interpersonal level: lack of a training partner, childcare, and missing community-based activities in sports clubs. 3) The structural level: lack of guidance and directions on PA from the healthcare system, lack of training facilities, the accessibility of training facilities, and the weather. Fourteen of the 16 included women felt “lack of guidance on PA from the healthcare system” as a barrier to PA postpartum. Conclusions 11 barriers to PA among parous women were identified. On a policy level, “lack of guidance and directions from the health care system” is a modifiable barrier, calling for intervention. Health-enhancing PA in parous women postpartum may be improved by addressing this barrier, when future maternity care programs are developed. Support/Funding No funding source was applied for this study.

This study investigated the perceptual identification of individuals' intended expression intensity in point-light displays depicting dance. Participants watched point-light displays of 200-1,000-ms duration, as well as static displays, of expressive and inexpressive dance performances. The task was to identify the intended expression intensity of the performer. The results indicate that expression intensity could be discerned reliably only from dynamic displays, even when they were as short as 200 ms, though the accuracy of judgments increased with exposure duration. Judgment accuracy for dynamic displays was positively correlated with self-report empathy indices and confidence in judgments. Accuracy for these displays also correlated with indices of informal music and dance experience. The findings are discussed in relation to sensorimotor and cognitive-emotional processes underlying action understanding and social cognition.

This study investigated the perceptual identification of individuals’ intended expression intensity in point-light displays depicting dance. Participants watched point-light displays of 200–1,000-ms duration, as well as static displays, of expressive and inexpressive dance performances. The task was to identify the intended expression intensity of the performer. The results indicate that expression intensity could be discerned reliably only from dynamic displays, even when they were as short as 200 ms, though the accuracy of judgments increased with exposure duration. Judgment accuracy for dynamic displays was positively correlated with self-report empathy indices and confidence in judgments. Accuracy for these displays also correlated with indices of informal music and dance experience. The findings are discussed in relation to sensorimotor and cognitive-emotional processes underlying action understanding and social cognition.