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Background and Objective. Research has shown that children's motor performance (MP) and body composition (BC) are positively related to health and influence physical activity across the lifespan. As an intervention for improving MP and BC in childhood, engagement in a sports club (SC) is an important key strategy. Therefore, the aim of the study is to examine the stability of MP and BC and their associations with SC participation. Methods. MP and BC of 295 children (161 girls) with a mean age of 8.42 ± 0.36 years were measured annually with the German Motor Test 6‐18. Based on self‐reports, children were divided into three groups according to consistent (CON), partial (PAR), and nonparticipation (NO) in SC. NO and PAR were then combined into NO‐PAR. The stability of MP and BC was determined using Pearson's correlation coefficient (r). Associations of SC participation, MP, and BC were examined using robust mixed‐model ANOVA (mmANOVA) additionally with first grade as covariate (ANCOVA). Results. More girls (39%) than boys (25%) were classified in PAR. The stability of MP (r =.755) and BMI (r =.889) was moderately high. Children in CON (r =.847) showed lower stability in BMI than NO‐PAR (r =.923). mmANOVA revealed better overall MP for both sexes in CON except for balance and BMI. Boys in CON showed better performance in flexibility, endurance, and speed than NO‐PAR. ANCOVA confirmed unadjusted results for boys. Conclusion. Lower stability of BMI due to CON indicates a greater variance in ranking and thus the chance to adjust weight management in childhood. Girls' MP benefited less from SC participation, which may be due to their more frequent rates in PAR. Therefore, interventions to increase engagement in SC should focus on a stepwise approach from none to partial and finally to long‐term participation. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: Despite the recognised health benefits of physical activity, the physical activity levels of children and adolescents continue to decline. The concept of physical literacy (PL) is a promising holistic approach to physical activity promotion that addresses affective and cognitive domains in addition to physical and motor domains. In Germany, however, no uniform or widely used method exists for assessing PL in children. This research was conducted to compile information on international PL assessment systems for children and adolescents (up to 18 years of age), including their underlying definitions, structural designs and development processes, for the purpose of developing such a tool in Germany. Methods: A scoping review was conducted using PubMed, Web of Science and SPORTDiscus database entries. The initial search was conducted in July 2022, with a follow-up search performed in May 2023. Articles that operationalised the construct of PL and at least two of the three domains were identified and included. The procedure and assessment tools used to evaluate the individual domains and the overall PL construct were extracted from all selected articles. Results: A total of 882 articles were identified; five were added after a manual search. After duplicates were removed, 563 articles were screened by title and abstract, and 40 articles met the inclusion criteria and were included in the review. In a review of these articles, 23 different assessment procedures were identified. Eight assessment procedures included PL as a superordinate construct. Twenty-two of the 23 procedures assessed the affective and physical domains, only 14 assessed the cognitive domain. Conclusion: Approximately half of the identified PL assessment systems addressed all three domains. Motor performance was most frequently integrated into the test procedures. Future developments in Germany should integrate all domains in the assessment to produce a holistic conceptualisation as the basis for appropriate funding. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: Despite the recognised health benefits of physical activity, the physical activity levels of children and adolescents continue to decline. The concept of physical literacy (PL) is a promising holistic approach to physical activity promotion that addresses affective and cognitive domains in addition to physical and motor domains. In Germany, however, no uniform or widely used method exists for assessing PL in children. This research was conducted to compile information on international PL assessment systems for children and adolescents (up to 18 years of age), including their underlying definitions, structural designs and development processes, for the purpose of developing such a tool in Germany. Methods: A scoping review was conducted using PubMed, Web of Science and SPORTDiscus database entries. The initial search was conducted in July 2022, with a follow-up search performed in May 2023. Articles that operationalised the construct of PL and at least two of the three domains were identified and included. The procedure and assessment tools used to evaluate the individual domains and the overall PL construct were extracted from all selected articles. Results: A total of 882 articles were identified; five were added after a manual search. After duplicates were removed, 563 articles were screened by title and abstract, and 40 articles met the inclusion criteria and were included in the review. In a review of these articles, 23 different assessment procedures were identified. Eight assessment procedures included PL as a superordinate construct. Twenty-two of the 23 procedures assessed the affective and physical domains, only 14 assessed the cognitive domain. Conclusion: Approximately half of the identified PL assessment systems addressed all three domains. Motor performance was most frequently integrated into the test procedures. Future developments in Germany should integrate all domains in the assessment to produce a holistic conceptualisation as the basis for appropriate funding. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The goal of this study was to examine how regular physical activity before and during pregnancy affected life quality throughout pregnancy. Between July 2020 and May 2021, 218 pregnant women were recruited from 11 outpatient clinics for this survey. Data were collected prospectively in a panel format beginning with the 10th gestational week over a 20-week period. Prior to pregnancy, a previous time point was also defined. The International Physical Activity Questionnaire, the EQ-5D-3L questionnaire, and the EQ-VAS questionnaire were used to collect data on the duration and intensity of daily physical exercises, as well as to assess health-related quality of life and self-estimated health status. The final survey included data from 113 women. During pregnancy, physical activity decreased dramatically. The duration of strenuous activities, but not moderate activities, was significantly reduced. Continuous physical activity independently predicted higher life quality scores at all points of assessment. Cases who participated in moderate and strenuous activities on a regular basis had higher self-estimated health status scores than cases who only participated in moderate activity. Instead of focusing solely on specific types of physical activity, we believe that strategies for motivating all pregnant women to be constantly active should be developed. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: Long-term unemployed have poor nutritional and physical activity statuses, and, therefore, special health promotion needs. Particularly in rural areas, however, they often do not have access to health promotion service. Thus, new promising strategies to improve the health of long-term unemployed are needed. Hence, a digital health intervention to promote nutritional and physical health behaviors was conceived, and the effectiveness of the intervention in combination with face-to-face sessions will be evaluated in a randomized controlled trial. Objective: The aim of this study is to elucidate the effectiveness of a mobile digital health intervention to promote the nutritional and physical activity behaviors of long-term unemployed in the rural areas of Germany. Methods: The 9-week intervention aims to promote nutritional or physical activity behavior by improving drinking habits, increasing the consumption of fruits, vegetables, and whole grains, increasing daily step count, strengthening muscles, and improving endurance. The intervention design is based on the transtheoretical model and is implemented in a mobile app using the MobileCoach open-source platform. The effectiveness of the intervention will be elucidated by a 9-week, 2-armed, parallel-designed trial. Therefore, long-term unemployed will be recruited by employees of the German social sector institutions and randomized either to receive information brochures; the digital intervention in the form of a mobile app; and 3 face-to-face sessions regarding technical support, healthy eating, and physical activity (n=100) or to receive a control treatment consisting of solely the hand over of information brochures (n=100). The effectiveness of the intervention will be assessed using questionnaires at baseline, after 9 weeks in face-to-face appointments, and after a 3-month follow-up period by postal contact. The use of the mobile app will be monitored, and qualitative interviews or focus groups with the participants will be conducted. Incentives of €50 (US $49.7) will be paid to the participants and are tied to the completion of the questionnaires and not to the use of the mobile app or progress in the intervention. Results: The effectiveness of the intervention in promoting the nutritional and physical activity behaviors of long-term unemployed participants will be elucidated. The adherence of the participants to and the acceptance and usability of the mobile device app will be evaluated. Recruitment started in March 2022, and the final publication of the results is expected in the first half of 2023. Conclusions: Positive health-related changes made by the intervention would display the potency of digital health interventions to promote nutritional and physical activity behaviors among long-term unemployed in the rural areas of Germany, which would also contribute to an improved health status of the German population in general. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This study examined the association between biological maturity, CVD risk, fitness and health behavior in 709 (359 male, 350 female) 8-year-old children (range: 6.3-8.9 years). Sports participation and sedentary behavior was assessed via parent questionnaire. Height and weight was measured and maturity status was predicted based on % of adult-height reached. Fitness was assessed via a test battery and CVD risk was determined using mean arterial pressure, cholesterol and intra-abdominal fat. BMIpercentiles (BMIPCT) differed significantly among early, average and late maturing children. Early maturing children displayed a higher CVD risk profile (0.5 vs. -0.2), lower fitness scores (-0.4 vs. 0.2), and spent more time watching TV (51 vs. 43 min/day) compared with their peers. After controlling for BMIPCT differences remained only for fitness in boys and TV time in girls. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Aim: This article describes the German recommendations for physical activity promotion. Such recommendations serve as an important stepping stone to increase physical activity prevalences on the population level. Subjects and methods: The German recommendations for physical activity promotion are based on three separate reviews: (1) a systematic review of reviews to formulate recommendations on the efficacy and effectiveness of interventions for physical activity promotion, which included 213 reviews; (2) a systematic review of reviews to investigate the cost-effectiveness of interventions for the promotion of physical activity, comprising of 18 reviews; (3) a review to identify literature on quality criteria for the conceptualisation, implementation and evaluation of interventions for physical activity promotion, which encompassed 24 studies and documents. Through an expert consensus panel, findings from each review were utilised to formulate specific recommendations for Germany. Results: Recommendations for physical activity promotion are provided for the following target groups: children and adolescents, adults, older adults, adults with a chronic disease and the general population. For each target group, other than the general population, the recommendations are structured by setting. Alongside recommendations on the efficacy and effectiveness of interventions, recommendations were also formulated for health equity, cost-effectiveness and quality criteria. Conclusion: From a political perspective, the development of recommendations for physical activity promotion highlights an important milestone for Germany. Not only do the national recommendations describe the amount of physical activity people should engage in, but they also provide organisations with information on how to support people in becoming more active. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

ABSTRACT: BACKGROUND: Physical activity (PA) is one of the most important health behaviors that may be modified by each individual. To foster PA in adolescents, a school‐based intervention was evaluated. METHODS: A cluster‐randomized controlled trial with preassessment in 2014 and follow‐up assessment in 2015 included 29 schools with 1020 students (47.6% girls, mean age = 13.69 years). Intervention students received pedometers and monitored their steps for 12 weeks. Classes with the most steps were awarded. Primary outcomes included moderate‐to‐vigorous PA, out‐of‐school sports activities, active transport assessed through questionnaires, as well as cardiorespiratory fitness measured using the 20‐m shuttle‐run test and anthropometric data (weight, height, body fat, and waist circumference) assessed by study staff. RESULTS: Significant interaction terms between group and time were found for all 3 indicators of PA; intervention students showed a higher increase of PA than control students. The same pattern was shown for cardiorespiratory fitness, but the effect missed significance. A more favorable development for the intervention students was shown for body fat and waist‐to‐height ratio, while there was no effect on body mass index percentile. CONCLUSIONS: An easy way to administer school‐based PA program may enhance students' leisure‐time PA even 1 year after the intervention has ended. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: Overweight and low levels of physical activity (PA) in preschoolers are major public health concerns. However, to date only few studies have investigated subjective and objective correlates of PA across different socioecological domains in preschoolers. We therefore simultaneously investigate associations between preschoolers' objectively measured leisure-time PA and a comprehensive set of subjective and objective potential PA correlates across the behavioral, social and physical environmental domains on both family- and community-level. Methods: In this cross-sectional study time spent in moderate-to-vigorous PA (MVPA) and total PA (TPA) were measured by combined accelerometry and heart rate monitoring in 735 3-6 year-old children from 52 preschools in Southern Germany. Family- and community-level potential correlates of PA from different domains (behavioral, social and physical environmental) were subjectively (i.e. by parent proxy-report) and objectively assessed. Their associations with PA on weekend days and weekday afternoons were tested by covariate-adjusted multilevel regression models. Results: While none of the objective social and physical environmental factors showed associations with PA, subjective parental traffic safety perceptions were positively associated with MVPA and TPA on weekends. Also, preschoolers' participation in organized sports was positively correlated with MVPA (on weekends) and TPA (both on weekends and weekday afternoons). Conclusion: Subjective traffic safety perceptions and participation in organized sports, an indicator and a result of parental support towards PA - i.e. subjective parental perceptions of environmental factors and family-level correlates which are more proximal to preschoolers - might be more central to PA in preschool age than objectively assessed community-level environmental features which tend to be more distal correlates. If replicable, targeting parental perceptions of environmental factors and parental support for PA in preschool age might be powerful leverages for public health policy. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The secular trend of reduced physical fitness (PF) leads to increased health risks. The aim of the present paper is to analyse various current factors that affect health behaviour with respect to the course of PF over 2 years. A path analysis combined with a latent growth curve analysis was based on a study that was conducted between June 2008 and June 2010 with 145 primary German school children (52.1% male, average age at baseline 7.95 years ± 0.95). PF was tested with the German Motor Test 6–18. For the mean PF and the course of PF, direct and indirect influences were shown over three levels, including migration background on the first level and physical activity (PA) on the second level. Body mass index (BMI) impacted the mean PF but not the course of PF. The influence of sedentary behaviour on the mean PF was diminished (compared to bivariate analysis) due to its common variance mainly with BMI. PA affected not only current PF in children but also the course of PF (aintercept =.28, P =.001; aslope =.27, P =.21). Consequently, preventive measures should focus on early adoption and maintenance of PA. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

ABSTRACT BACKGROUND Regular physical activity ( PA) has multiple benefits to health; however, the majority of schoolchildren do not reach PA guidelines of 60 minutes of moderate to vigorous PA ( MVPA) daily. During the school day, break times are often the only opportunity for children to be physically active. This study investigated PA levels during school breaks in German primary school children. METHODS PA of 294 children (7.1 ± 0.7 years; 48% boys) was assessed. On the basis of timetables, individual activity times and intensities for daily breaks were determined. Children's weight status was determined on site. RESULTS Breaks lasted 30.7 (± 13.8) minutes; length varied significantly between 1 and 2 breaks (21.7 ± 4.1 versus 36.2 ± 14.8 minutes; p ≤ .01). Children spent 25.3% of their breaks in MVPA, boys being significantly more active (30.8% versus 20.4%; p ≤ .01). Time spent in MVPA differed significantly between normal weight and overweight/obese children (26.1% versus 18.4%; p ≤ .05). Children having 2 breaks engaged in significantly more MVPA than those with only 1 (7.4 ± 6.1 versus 5.6 ± 4.7 minutes; p ≤ .02). CONCLUSIONS Children spent 25% of their break in MVPA; having 2 breaks increased time in MVPA significantly, although this is also influenced by weight status. Consequently, more activity breaks should be scheduled during school hours. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: Sedentary behaviour in general and sitting time in particular is an emerging global health concern. The aim of this study was to provide data on the prevalence of sitting time in German adults and to examine socio-demographic and environmental correlates of sitting time. Methods: A representative sample of German adults (n = 2000; 967 men, 1033 women; 49.3 ±17.6 years of age) filled in the Global Physical Activity Questionnaire, including one question on overall sitting time and answered questions about the neighbourhood environment, as well as concerning demographics. Daily sitting time was stratified by gender, age group, BMI, educational and income level, as well as physical activity (PA). To identify socio-demographic and environmental correlates of sitting time, we used a series of linear regressions Results: The overall median was 5 hours (299 minutes) of sitting time/day and men sat longer than women (5 vs. 4 hours/day; p < 0.05). In both genders age and PA were negatively and the educational level positively associated with sitting time. The level of income was not a correlate of sitting time in multivariate analyses. Sitting time was significantly positively associated with higher neighbourhood safety for women. The variance of the multivariate model ranged from 16.5% for men to 8.9% for women. Conclusions: The overall sitting time was unequally distributed in the German adult population. Our findings suggest implementing specific interventions to reduce sitting time for subgroups such as men, younger aged adults and adults with a higher education and lower PA. Future studies should enhance our understanding of the specific correlates of different types and domains of sitting in order to guide the development of effective public health strategies. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]