DEADLINE EXTENDED UNTIL SEPTEMBER 15, 2025

Geriatrics, Gerontology and Aging invites submissions for a Special Call on “New Exercise Programs for Older Adults in the Community: Evidence and Applicability in the Latin American Context”
 
SCOPE:

As the global population ages, promoting physical activity and exercise programs among older adults has become a critical public health priority. Maintaining physical fitness and cognitive functions has been identified as one of the main drivers for successful aging. Regular exercise improves physical and cognitive functions, reducing the risk of chronic diseases, geriatric syndromes, falls, and fractures in older adults. However, implementing effective, culturally appropriate exercise programs in community settings remains challenging.

While significant research supports the benefits of some exercise programs for older adults, there is limited evidence on the applicability of these interventions in the Latin American context, where socioeconomic, cultural, and healthcare factors differ from those in other regions. This Special Call aims to explore and highlight emerging exercise programs for older adults, focusing on older adults in Latin American communities.

We invite submissions that provide evidence of the effectiveness of these programs, discuss barriers and facilitators to their adoption, and explore innovative solutions that consider the region's unique characteristics and that contribute to developing scalable, sustainable interventions that can be integrated into public health strategies across Latin America.

We invite the submission of original research articles, systematic reviews, scoping reviews, and brief research reports.

Submissions should focus on innovations in exercise programs, focusing primarily on investigations of national and international relevance rather than local scope and focus; the potential use, adoption, and applicability of technologies to improve adherence to physical activity programs in monitoring and reducing the risk of adverse events and negative outcomes during their implementation; advances on frameworks, modalities and guidance on exercise prescription for older adults in different settings; older adults experiences on barriers and facilitators to adopt routines of physical activities; and the impact of exercise on health outcomes in older adults in Latin American communities.

The following will be considered topics of special interest:

• Novel Exercise Programs
• Technology and Digital Innovations
• Exercise Prescription and Customization
• Barriers and Facilitators of Exercise Participation

INSTRUCTIONS FOR THIS SPECIAL CALL:
-Authors must submit the manuscripts in English, Spanish or Portuguese.
-Manuscripts for this Special Call must be submitted adopting “Special Call” on the name of main file and highlighting that this submission must be designated for the Special Call is in the Cover Letter and on the Title Page.
-No fees will be charged for submission and/or publication.
-All papers will be peer-reviewed and must have been prepared following the Instruction for Authors.
-Appeals: The Editor-in-Chief will handle written appeals and complaints regarding post-publication issues.
-Plagiarism Check: Each accepted paper undergoes a similarity check using the Ithenticate tool®.
-Misconduct: The editors will seek advice from COPE and evaluate on a case-by-case basis for retractions or expressions of concern, according to the GGA policies.

Schedule
- The launch of the call is scheduled for December 2024, with the closing scheduled for July 30, 2025.
- The Geriatrics, Gerontology and Aging journal and its publisher, the Sociedade Brasileira de Geriatria e Gerontologia, will widely publicize the call on their social media, events in the areas of geriatric and gerontology, as well as for research groups, universities, and societies involved with the theme of the call globally, always counting as possible with the collaboration of editors and reviewers in its wide dissemination
- The deadline for the final publication of all manuscripts accepted for the call will be the end of the second semester in 2025. The articles will be published and made available as soon as the editorial team has corrected, revised, and diagrammed them.

Roles of Editors and reviewers:

• The Scientific Editor and Guest Editors will manage the submission process via the editorial platform, conducting desk reviews and assigning an editor to oversee each submission.
• The Scientific Editor will approve manuscripts that receive a favorable recommendation for publication from external reviewers and the handling editor.
• The Editors will be responsible for inviting reviewers based on the themes and topics of the submissions and, when necessary, adding new reviewers to the editorial platform.
• The Editors will make the final editorial decision and, when necessary, resolve conflicting opinions provided by reviewers (a minimum of two reviews are required for an editorial decision).
• All editors must disclose potential conflicts of interest, including non-financial biases.
• No favors or payments are allowed for editors or reviewers.