Projects

As part of the "AufZack" project, the living environment of senior citizens in assisted living is to be made more "active" in a sustainable and future-oriented way in order to maintain physical and mental health in the long term. The project is based on the objectives of health sport and can make a significant contribution to practice-oriented research in the field of assisted living and can also be integrated into everyday life in the long term.

The project consists of three modules: an exercise program that contributes to increasing independence in everyday life, promoting physical activity and strengthening the psychosocial resources of senior citizens in assisted living facilities. In addition, interested people from the fields of care, physiotherapy and occupational therapy as well as interested relatives are qualified as so-called "AufZack companions". A three-day training course is being developed for this purpose. The offerings are supplemented by a web-based platform that supports the AufZack companions in creating individual training plans and promotes exchange among them.

Project website

Leibniz ScienceCampus Digital Transformation of Research (DiTraRe) - Usecase "Sensitive data in sports science"

DiTraRe's work program is organized into four research clusters, each based on a specific scientific use case. The Protected Data Rooms research cluster, for example, is dedicated to the use case “Sensitive Data in Sports Science.” The team at the Institute for Sports and Sports Science led by Dr. Claudia Niessner is responsible for this cluster. The other research clusters deal with intelligent data collection (use case: smart laboratories in chemistry), AI-based knowledge spaces (use case: artificial intelligence in biomedical engineering), and publication cultures (use case: publication of large amounts of data).

The objective of the “Fitness Check” project is to provide first-year students at KIT with individualized feedback on their physical fitness and health status, to increase their awareness of health- and fitness-related issues, and to inform them about the diverse range of physical activity and health promotion programs offered by the Institute of Sports and Sports Science. The Fitness Check is designed to present participants with specific action-oriented recommendations for the development of a health-promoting lifestyle, by encouraging changes in personal habits or environmental factors

The “Fitness Check” is a low-threshold fitness and health-related awareness intervention offered to all first-year students at the beginning of each winter semester at KIT. In the first stage, participants complete a Social Norms-based online survey assessing their motor performance and other health-relevant parameters. These individual results are then compared to aggregated data from the broader KIT student population, allowing participants to contextualize their own values in relation to perceived social norms.
In the second stage, a limited number of first-year students from all academic disciplines are given the opportunity—on a first-come, first-served basis—to participate in a low-threshold basic fitness assessment using bioelectrical impedance analysis (BIA). Participants receive a printed summary of their test results, followed by an interpretation provided by the test facilitator.
The third stage consists of a personalized consultation based on the individual assessment results. This includes tailored recommendations for further steps, along with information materials to help students navigate and access the wide range of follow-up services and health-related offerings available at KIT.
for each individual survey participant.
In a second step, a limited number of these first semester students from all disciplines at
of all disciplines at KIT will be given the opportunity to take part in a low-threshold
to undergo a low-threshold basic fitness examination based on a bioelectrical impedance analysis.
impedance analysis. As part of the analysis, the participating students
analysis, participating students receive a summary of the test results in the form of a
printout with subsequent interpretation by the respective test supervisor.
In a third step, the results of the analysis are used as a basis for
personal counseling regarding possible follow-up measures and support
services at KIT, including the provision of information material that provides orientation about the
information about the various potential follow-up offers.

As part of the ActiveLearn project, health-promoting learning spaces are to be created at KIT and students and lecturers are to be sensitized to the topic of "healthy learning". The focus is on 'active learning on campus', but 'active learning in homestudying' and the interaction of lecturers with students in the teaching setting are also taken into account.

The program, centered around networking and health communication, addresses the topic of "Healthy Learning" through three core components: physical activity, relaxation, and ergonomics. These elements will be designed and delivered in a modular and flexible format to meet the diverse needs of participants:

1) Development and implementation of trainings and workshops (e.g., How to ergonomically set up your learning workstation), as well as the provision of short movement (e.g., 5-minute neck fitness) and relaxation breaks (e.g., 5-minute progressive muscle relaxation). These activities will take place directly at the learning locations, in order to keep participation barriers as low as possible.

2) Development of communication materials on the topic of "Healthy Learning" (e.g., posters with neck stretching exercises or information on "How to learn in a healthy way"), which will be displayed on campus and at learning spaces at KIT to further raise awareness of the topic.

2) Development of communication materials on the topic of "Healthy learning" (e.g. posters with neck stretching exercises or on the topic of "How do you learn healthily?"), which are displayed on campus and at the learning locations at KIT to raise additional awareness of the topic.

The aim of the COMO study is to analyze changes in (1) physical and (2) mental health, as well as (3) health behavior in children and adolescents during the years 2023, 2024, and 2025, following the COVID-19 pandemic, considering (4) socioecological contexts. The goal is to identify particularly vulnerable groups and thus create a (5) data foundation for targeted health promotion, prevention, and intervention approaches.

The COMO study is based on two existing population-based longitudinal studies (COPSY, MoMo-Corona-Study) as well as a new study sample. Children and adolescents (aged 4-17) from the new sample and their parents are invited to complete an online questionnaire in  2023, 2024 and 2025. The online survey includes for example questions on health behavior, mental and physical health, as well as socioecological variables.  In addition,  a subsample is invited to complete a digital motor performance test (online survey 2023) and/or to wear an accelerometer for 7 days to assess physical behaviour (online survey 2024). Participants who took part in all surveys of the MoMo-Corona study are asked  to participate in an in-depth, smartphone-based survey at the individual level.

Federal Ministry of Research, Technology and Space

The German Motor Test (DMT) enables the measurement and evaluation of motor skills in children and adolescents aged 6–18. It was developed by leading experts from the German Association for Sports Science (dvs). The impetus for this came from a request made by the Conference of Sports Ministers (SMK) to the dvs.

"Motor performance is closely related to health. This relationship becomes stronger with increasing age. The current discussion in science, the media, and the public shows that the performance of today's children and adolescents has declined compared to previous generations.
On behalf of the Conference of Sports Ministers, the ad hoc committee “Motor Tests for Children and Adolescents” of the German Association for Sports Science developed the DMT, which allows the level of motor skills and abilities of children and adolescents to be continuously assessed nationwide in order to make future political decisions based on reliable data.

The test profile consists of a total of eight exercises and assesses physical performance in the areas of endurance, strength, coordination, speed, and agility. The test tasks only require basic motor skills and no specific skills. With the help of the DMT, both current performance (cross-sectional studies) and performance and development trends (longitudinal studies) can be determined.

The test is considered highly standardized and can be easily performed with minimal equipment. In Baden-Württemberg and North Rhine-Westphalia, the DMT is already used almost everywhere in the form of the “Kinderturn-TestPLUS” or “Motorische Test” (motor skills test). Numerous studies of the quality criteria have confirmed its good objectivity, reliability, and validity.

The test results can be evaluated manually or using an evaluation platform.

Overall, the DMT is considered a meaningful sports motor skills test profile for measuring general sports motor skills performance.

Since 2012, KITT+3-10 has been used in kindergartens, elementary schools, and sports clubs as part of the “Turnbeutelbande – Motorik Test für Kinder” initiative to assess the motor skills of children aged 3 to 10. The resulting scientific findings are published annually in the form of the Fitness Barometer. The aim is to bring the promotion of physical activity among children to the attention of politicians and society and to raise awareness of the importance of physical activity.

The test procedure and standard values of KITT+3-10 are identical to those of the German Motor Test (DMT). KITT+3-10 is divided into two modules: Module 1 is designed for children of kindergarten age and comprises four test tasks, while Module 2 is recommended for children of primary school age and includes all eight test tasks of the DMT.

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