The driving force behind this additional impetus to the study of physical activity is the graying of America. That is, the lengthening of the lifespan and the increased percentage of the population that is represented by retired persons.
Movement is an essential property of living systems.
As the science concerned with movement, kinesiology involves study of a broad range of physical activities. Against the background of a century of study of physical activity, it is undoubtedly the case in American higher education today that sport and exercise activities have taken center stage. There has been a growing trend over the last decade or so to re-emphasize the study of such fundamental physical activities as posture, locomotion and manipulation. It is not that these activities were not studied before, but rather that they were given emphasis only to the degree that they related to or supported the study of exercise and sport activities. This category encompasses those activities that are deemed essential for the conduct of everyday life.