Overweight and obesity in children and adolescents pose major public health challenges. About one in six children in Germany is overweight or obese. Among the 11- to 13-year-olds, the rate is even one in five. Obesity can have negative consequences for the health of children that can continue into adulthood.

The Robert Koch-Institute has established a population-wide system to monitor the factors relevant to childhood obesity: AdiMon. The AdiMon Indicator System regularly provides data in the areas of behavior and relationships before and after birth, psychosocial and contextual data. Information is also provided on implemented prevention and health promotion measures and on the prevalence of obesity in early childhood.

MoMo supports this project with data analysis of different aspects according to children obesity. Data from MoMo is the singular data basis for physical activity and fitness.

More information:

www.rki.de

Movement is a fundamental factor in the development of children and adolescents.

Prof. Dr. Klaus Roth founded the Ball School in 1998, initially as a program to promote talent based on the latest sports science findings. In the meantime, the "Heidelberger Ballschule" has developed into a "children's sports program for everyone" based on the following 4 principles:

•    developmental appropriateness
•    versatility
•    Playful, unguided learning
•    Joyfulness

The aim of the ball school is to teach age-appropriate and cross-sport skills in a varied and playful way, implemented in fun-filled competitions.

Further information:

https://ballschule.de

CAPA is an association of scientists from various disciplines and companies with proven expertise in the recording and analysis of physical activity.

The goal is to pool competences, to create common guidelines, to optimize and validate existing methods and to establish new procedures based on technical and methodological developments. In addition, the latest research findings are to be integrated into academic training in an interdisciplinary teaching program.

The employees of the activity group in MoMo are substantially represented with their know-how in CAPA. Due to the scientific contacts of the MoMo researchers, international scientists repeatedly contribute as co-authors in joint publications or as guests in workshops and conferences. Results of MoMo are often used as input for this work.

More information: 

https://www.ifss.kit.edu/capa/index.php

In the meantime, a long-standing cooperation with the specialized clinics in Wangen (especially Dr. Robert Jaschke) has developed through various projects. With the Center for Lung Diseases in Children, Adolescents and Adults and the Rehabilitation Clinic for Children and Adolescents, the specialized clinics in Wangen are experts in respiratory diseases and allergies that can affect motor performance.

Through this cooperation we were involved in the model project "Kinder-Reha, Sport und Schule (KidS²)".

More information:

www.fachkliniken-wangen.de

Once a year the Kinderturnstiftung Baden-Württemberg presents in cooperation with the test author Prof. Dr. Klaus Bös (KIT) and the working group around Dr. Claudia Niessner current results on the physical performance of children between the ages of three and ten years in the form of a barometer. The "Fitnessbarometer" provides a detailed overview of the fitness level of children in Baden-Württemberg.

For this purpose, the test results of the motor skills test for children (KITT + 3-10), which were recorded as part of the "Turnbeutelbande", are evaluated by the Research Center for School Sports and the Physical Education of Children and Young Adults (FoSS). The MoMo Study provides the reference values ​​for the evaluation.

More information:

www.turnbeutelbande.de

Practically oriented research into the implementation and effectiveness of sports, play and movement programs for pre school age, school children and young adults is carried out in various settings:

1. school sports: e.g. school sport development, development of students personality, posture training
2. athletic ability: e.g. talent recognition and fostering
3. leisure and club sports: e.g. development of offerings, usage, youth culture
4. movement, sport and play at pre school age: e.g. development of everyday motion, movement and learning, prevention programs (e.g. obesity)

More information: https://www.ifss.kit.edu/foss/index.php

The "International Physical Performance Test Profile - Revised" enables the measurement and evaluation of motor skills of 6 to 18-year-old children and adolescents. The IPPTP-R was developed by leading experts of the German Association for Sports Science (dvs) from a request of the Conference of Sports Ministers (SMK).

The MoMo test battery formed the basis and preliminary work of the IPPTP-R.

More information: 

https://www.ifss.kit.edu/dmt/english/index.php

The project "Kinder-Reha, Sport und Schule" (KidS²) aims to identify children's movement problems at an early stage and to intervene. By means of standardized motor skills tests, data of the children are collected during physical education and the parents of children with conspicuous behavior are informed about the test results. 

Four tests from the MoMo test battery are used to assess the children's developmental needs.

More information:

www.rehadat-forschung.de

Further information and details on the study can be found at:

www.centrum-seltene-erkrankungen-ruhr.de/knochen-bei-klinefelter-alles-im-gruenen-bereich/

School, university, or work: today the center of our lives is sitting. Even in our free time, we spend much more time sitting, and pursue much less active sports hobbies. But various studies have shown that being active is always worth it!

The KOMM project prepares various studies and would like to answer the following questions:

• Are the exercise recommendations of the WHO followed?
• Why do people move - or why not?
• Which people use which sports offers and what can we do to increase the use of existing offers?
• How do we have to plan cities, parks and sports fields to get more people to do sports?

MoMo supports the BMBF project KOMM with data and evaluations of various indicators of physical activity with a focus on motivational aspects and locations of physical activity.

More information:

www.komm-beweg-dich.de

Physical activity and sport make a decisive contribution to the healthy physical and mental development of children. The motor development of children with oesophageal atresia is hampered by intensive treatment in early childhood, secondary and consequential diseases.

Krümel meets MoMo aims to record the duration, frequency and intensity of physical activity as well as the physical self-concept of children with esophageal atresia and compare them with other children.

Pediatric cancer patients suffer from various negative consequences due to the disease, the medical therapy and the inactivity during the intensive treatment. Only few studies have systematically identified the adverse effects of cancer on motor performance in childhood.

To determine the motor performance of pediatric cancer patients, a motor performance test was developed which is applicable for this specific patient group. Eight test items with reference values for healthy children were merged to the MOON-test (Determination of Motor Performance in the Pediatric Oncology). The expertise of the MoMo team flowed into the development of the test battery.

More information:

https://www.thieme-connect.com/products/ejournals/abstract/10.1055/s-0033-1343411?id=&lang=en

Supported by the DFG, the project "MO|RE data" assembles a public eResearch-Infrastructure for motor research data until 2016. It focuses on selected standardized motor tests of wide acceptance. Furthermore "MO|RE data" generates quality authority control and publishes accompanying material for motor tests.

Data from MoMo-Baseline (2003-2006) is integrated in this data base and is available as a public usefile.

More information: 

https://www.ifss.kit.edu/more/english/index.php

Lack of exercise and long periods of sitting are among the epidemics of the 21st century and represent central health challenges worldwide. Many children and adolescents do not reach the recommended daily exercise time, but spend too much time sitting. This leads to many chronic degenerative diseases and affects physical, mental and social health.

The aim of this project is

1. to record the initial situation with regard to the population-wide extent and distribution of various movement activities and sitting times of children and adolescents (e.g. outdoor sports, sitting behavior)
2. to analyze the factors that influence specific movement and sitting behavior (e.g. school, parents, friends, clubs, political strategies) and
3. to disseminate this information through evidence-based information brochures (Report Cards).

Since 2019 the MoMo team has been working on the creation of these Report Cards.

More information:

www.sg.tum.de

Exercise and sport are good for everyone. Even for children, they are an important way to balance the stressful everyday life. One thing is certain: regular exercise can help avoid secondary diseases and it increases the quality of life. But do children with chronic and congenital diseases have the same sports and exercise opportunities as healthy people?

From 2017-2019, the S-Bahn study examined the effects of sport and exercise on the health of people with congenital heart defects and thus created a basis for recommending appropriate exercise offers and programs.

More information:

www.kinderherzen.de

The "TigerKids - Kindergarten aktiv" program was launched in 2003 by the Children's Health Foundation at Dr. von Haunersche Children's Hospital of the LMU Munich (Prof. Dr. med. Berthold Koletzko), the Bavarian State Office for Health and Food Safety (LGL), the Research Center for School Sports and the Physical Education of Children and Young Adults (FoSS) of the University of Karlsruhe (KIT), the State Institute for Early Education and the Institute for Social Pediatrics and Adolescent Medicine at LMU Munich.

With the three pillars of nutrition, exercise and relaxation, the program aims to strengthen children's health and thereby reduce the prevalence of overweight and obesity. In 2010-2012 the TigerKids relaxation program was developed at KIT (MoMo) and PH Karlsruhe.

More infomation:

www.tigerkids.de/