From the Editorial Board

We present the journal Pedagogy of Health. Our mission is to enhance national, international, and interdisciplinary scientific communication and to strengthen the connections among scientists worldwide across diverse cultural and geographical contexts.
Special attention is given to studies examining the impact of military conflicts and unstable or high-risk environments on the health of affected populations.

The prerequisites for the creation of the journal "Pedagogy of Health" were three important factors that reflect the following: the impact of physical activity on athletes of different ages and enthusiasts of exercise in the long term; social upheavals affecting health and behavior in society; the recent historical commonality of sports and wellness systems, as well as the shared experience of social upheavals in Eastern European countries. The integration of these three key factors necessitates the search for appropriate solutions.

In this context, the first factor emphasizes that modern sports and athletes' pursuit of achieving maximum results evoke respect and admiration from society, while simultaneously inspiring the younger generation to follow the example of their idols. In this pursuit, the potential health consequences that manifest in later life are often overlooked. Therefore, the mission of science and the scientific journal is to shed light on ways to mitigate or eliminate the negative effects of long-term and often unjustified physical exertion on health, both in the short and long term.
Unfortunately, the awareness of potential consequences comes too late – already in adulthood, and especially in old age. To be fair, it should be noted that numerous existing publications dedicated to training athletes from a young age to the level of a mature professional focus on achieving positive results, primarily in the short term, with the necessary scientific justification. However, conclusions about the safety of applied physical loads can only be drawn based on long-term studies (over 10–20 years) with appropriate scientific support. Alternatively, in rare cases, such data can be obtained from personal observations and analyses conducted by the athletes themselves over a comparable period.
Studies based on many years of experience in professional sports, as well as in veteran sports tournaments covering age categories from 40 to 60 years, demonstrate the possibility of achieving top results at the global level. This experience, complemented by scientific research in the field of Olympic and professional sports, allows well-founded assumptions to be made about the impact of long-term physical activity on the health of athletes upon reaching the age of 60 and beyond.
Based on the above, the creation of a scientific journal focusing on the safety of physical activity could become a valuable guide not only for novice and experienced athletes but also for enthusiasts of physical activity.

Circumstances unfolded such that the decision to create the journal coincided with the emergence of another key factor reflecting two critical events in the life of society: the COVID-19 pandemic and the ongoing war in Ukraine. It is particularly important to note that the proximity of large cities to the warzone created hazardous living conditions, effectively placing them in a state of war. This, in turn, posed challenges for the sports and wellness system, requiring adaptation to extreme conditions, including providing physical and psychological support to the population under heightened stress, limited access to resources, and increased health risks.

The third factor that served as a prerequisite for creating the journal specifically in Eastern Europe (Kharkiv, Ukraine) is the shared historical foundation of the countries of the former "socialist bloc." This includes similar systems for athlete training and physical education, as well as a common experience of social upheavals in recent history. Among these are the war in Ukraine, ongoing since 2014; the war in Georgia in 2008; attempts to suppress public dissent with the involvement of military forces in Lithuania in 1991; the military suppression of protests using armed forces and armored vehicles in Czechoslovakia in 1968 and in Hungary in 1956; as well as the military conflicts in Moldova and the former Yugoslavia.
These historical and contemporary events highlight the necessity of adapting physical education, sports, and wellness systems to conditions of social instability and crises. It is especially important to consider that in such situations, a significant portion of the population becomes vulnerable, facing serious consequences for their physical and psycho-emotional health. All of this underscores the relevance of creating the journal Pedagogy of Health, which can serve as a valuable guide by uniting the best scientific practices to address these complex challenges.

In this context, the key word “Pedagogy” in the journal’s title serves as a unifying component, encompassing sports and wellness activities, as well as the education of young and experienced athletes and the physically active population as a whole. In times of social instability, pedagogy becomes an essential tool for adaptation, helping society cope with challenges such as war, pandemics, and other crisis situations.
Thus, pedagogy in this context serves not only as a theoretical foundation but also as a practical tool that ensures an interdisciplinary approach to preserving and enhancing health. This makes it an indispensable element of modern educational and wellness systems.

The journal was created with the hope of attracting the attention of researchers in the fields of pedagogy, sports, and wellness activities not only from Eastern European countries but also from other regions of the world. It is intended to serve as a platform for international collaboration, the rapid exchange of experiences, and the unification of efforts to address pressing issues related to education and training, the safety of physical activity, and the adaptation of sports and wellness practices to conditions of social instability and societal upheavals.

Thematic Development of the Journal (2026)

Since its establishment in 2022, the journal Pedagogy of Health has consistently addressed issues related to health preservation, physical activity, and pedagogical approaches under conditions of social instability, crisis, and prolonged stress. Over this period, the journal has developed a substantial body of scientific publications based on empirical and analytical research conducted primarily in the city of Kharkiv and the eastern and south-eastern regions of Ukraine, reflecting the impact of armed conflict, humanitarian challenges, and social transformations on various population groups.

In response to the accumulated research outcomes and in line with emerging international research trends, the Editorial Board decided to expand the thematic structure of the journal beginning in 2026. This expansion includes the introduction of a dedicated subsection entitled “Inclusive Physical Culture.”

The contemporary context underlying this decision is shaped by the situation in Ukraine, where the full-scale war has continued for more than four years. The eastern and south-eastern regions of the country, including the city of Kharkiv where the journal is published, remain under constant military pressure, significantly affecting infrastructure, living conditions, and access to safe environments for physical activity, recovery, and rehabilitation. At the same time, these conditions create unique opportunities for scientific research under extreme circumstances, the results of which possess both academic and practical relevance.

Within this context, inclusive physical culture is considered an effective socio-pedagogical and humanistic tool for supporting health, restoring functional capacity, promoting social integration, and strengthening individual and community resilience. The research focus of the subsection aligns with global efforts aimed at accessibility, equality of opportunity, and human-centered development through physical activity.

The establishment of this subsection reflects a systematic and evidence-based evolution of the journal’s thematic focus rather than a change in its foundational mission. By introducing this subsection in 2026, the journal reaffirms its commitment to interdisciplinary dialogue, responsiveness to contemporary societal challenges, and the continuous development of its scientific agenda.