Journal of Exercise & Organ Cross Talk
Journal of Eexercise & Organ Cross Talk

Physical literacy as the missing link in industrial health: A narrative review and conceptual analysis informed by the Sirjan context and the Golgohar cultural and sports club initiative

Document Type : Review Articles

Authors

Amir Hossein Ahmadi Hekmatikar 1
Katsuhiko Suzuki 2
Diego Fernández Lázaro 3

1 Department of Physical Education and Sport Sciences, Faculty of Humanities, Tarbiat Modares University, Tehran 10600, Iran

2 Faculty of Sport Sciences, Waseda University, Tokorozawa 359-1192, Japan

3 Department of Cellular Biology, Histology and Pharmacology, Faculty of Health Sciences, University of Valladolid, Campus of Soria, 42003 Soria, Spain

https://doi.org/10.22122/jeoct.2025.561355.1180
Abstract
Rapid industrial expansion in Sirjan has reshaped occupational routines in ways that constrain daily movement and heighten metabolic vulnerability. While the health benefits of physical activity are well established, this narrative review advances the argument that the more fundamental deficit in such environments is the erosion of movement literacy—the cognitive, physiological, and behavioral capacity to understand, interpret, and intentionally engage in health sustaining physical activity. Drawing on evidence from exercise physiology, metabolic science, and occupational health, we conceptualize movement literacy as a multidimensional construct comprising awareness of exercise induced mechanisms, interpretation of bodily cues, and the ability to apply this knowledge to everyday behavior. Using the Gol Gohar industrial community as an illustrative case, we describe how limited literacy in these domains contributes to sedentary patterns among workers and outline how the Gol Gohar Sports Club operationalizes a literacy oriented model through targeted public education initiatives, coach led instructional programs, and awareness based practices such as “smart running.” By synthesizing mechanistic pathways—including glucose regulation, inflammatory modulation, neuroendocrine adaptation, and myokine signaling—the review positions movement literacy as a missing but necessary dimension in industrial health policy. We argue that enhancing this form of literacy may serve as a scalable strategy to mitigate metabolic risk and integrate exercise knowledge into routine occupational life.

What is already known on this subject?

• Industrial workplaces are typically characterized by low physical activity, long sedentary shifts, and high occupational stress, all of which increase the risk of metabolic syndrome, obesity, hypertension, and type 2 diabetes.

• Regular physical activity improves glucose regulation, reduces chronic inflammation, enhances HPA‑axis stability, and positively influences metabolic, endocrine, and cardiovascular health.

• Myokines such as IL‑6, irisin, FGF‑21, and myostatin-related pathways mediate systemic anti-inflammatory, metabolic, and anti‑tumor effects of exercise.

• Industrial workers—especially in mechanized settings—often show low motor competence, reduced flexibility, and early metabolic abnormalities due to prolonged inactivity.

• Global public‑health frameworks (e.g., Exercise is Medicine) emphasize integrating structured physical activity into daily routines to mitigate chronic‑disease risk.

 

What this study adds?

• Introduces physical literacy as a missing but fundamental variable in industrial health—going beyond physical activity levels to include workers’ cognitive, physiological, and behavioral understanding of how exercise affects the body.

• Provides a conceptual framework linking low movement literacy with poor metabolic outcomes in industrial settings such as Sirjan, despite the availability of recreational facilities.

• Demonstrates how the Gol Gohar Sports Club offers a literacy‑oriented model that connects exercise behavior with mechanistic understanding through coach‑led education, social-media–based public communication, and structured programs such as “smart running”.

• Highlights movement literacy as a scalable public‑health strategy capable of transforming physical activity from a simple task into an applied learning process, enhancing self‑efficacy and long‑term adherence in industrial populations.

• Repositions industrial health promotion from merely providing training opportunities to teaching workers why specific exercises matter, how physiological cues should be interpreted, and how these insights support metabolic and neuroendocrine resilience.

Keywords

Physical activity
Industrial health
Gol Gohar Sirjan
Occupational stress
Metabolic syndrome
Public health

Subjects

Acknowledgements

This research was proposed and supported by the Organization of Sports Affairs of Gol Gohar Club. The ownership and rights of this study belong to the Organization of Sports Affairs, Gol Gohar Sports Club.

Funding

No sources of funding were sought or awarded for this study.

Data availability

Review article.

Compliance with ethical standards

Conflict of interest The authors declare that they have no conflict of interest.

Ethical approval Not applicable.

Informed consent Not applicable. 

Author contributions 

Conceptualization: A.A.H., Methodology: K.S.; Software: None.; Validation: D.F.L., Formal analysis: None.; Investigation: D.F.L.; Resources: K.S.; Data curation: None.; Writing - original draft: A.A.H., Writing–review & editing: A.A.H.; Visualization: A.A.H.; Supervision: A.A.H.; Project administration: A.A.H.; Funding acquisition: A.A.H.   

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Journal of Exercise & Organ Cross Talk
Volume 5, Issue 4
Autumn 2025
Pages 207-214

  • Receive Date 21 September 2025
  • Revise Date 26 November 2025
  • Accept Date 29 November 2025

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