Mobile for health: New research project starts in Tübingen!

Mobile for health: New research project starts in Tübingen!

Researchers at the University of Tübingen and the University Hospital of Tübingen are starting an innovative project to promote physical exercise. The Mobile Activity Lab (MAL) is used to examine exercise and health in hard-to-reach target groups. By using two container modules, the MAL travels through the Neckar-Alb region and Stuttgart to gain scientific knowledge that is intended to promote health. This initiative is part of the Research – Relevance – Responsibility excellence strategy of the University of Tübingen.

The MAL is a unique research and service facility in Germany that specializes in activity-related prevention and health promotion. The aim is to study people's movement patterns to understand why some people move more often than others. The methods used include movement monitoring under everyday conditions, social incentive systems and the analysis of individual training needs and motivations.

Interdisciplinary approaches to health promotion

The project is interdisciplinary and combines specialist areas such as sports science and sports medicine. The Mobile Activity Lab is equipped with modern technology, including treadmills, ergometers as well as medical measuring devices and sports science testing procedures. This enables researchers to collect precise and meaningful data.

A special MAL presentation will take place on July 21st on the campus of the Institute of Sports Science. The event is part of Studium Generale and has the theme “Performance, Education and Health”. A panel discussion with experts, including Professor Klaus Pfeifer and Professor Yolanda Demetriou, begins at 6:15 p.m. Following the discussion, there will be an opportunity to visit the MAL.

Social relevance of promoting physical activity

The need to promote physical activity is becoming increasingly urgent in society. Physical inactivity poses a significant challenge that results in negative health impacts. According to a conference proceedings of the dvs Health Commission, sports science interventions are crucial to support a health-promoting lifestyle and to establish best practice approaches. Sports science actors work in daycare centers, schools, communities as well as in rehabilitation and senior citizen facilities.

At MAL, we work together innovatively to not only promote physical activity in different age groups, but also to explore digital approaches and integrative support systems. These efforts are crucial to collectively finding a solution to the challenges of physical inactivity in society.

For further information, you can read the detailed offers and activities of the University of Tübingen on their website. University of Tübingen regularly reports on new developments in research.

The study of health-promoting lifestyles, as discussed in the book “Exercise heals and prevents”, offers additional insights. Further developments in this area can also be found in the context of the University of Tübingen Medicine Tübingen.

In addition, a conference proceedings of the dvs commission emphasizes the importance of interdisciplinary networking within sports science and its role in society BISP.