Physical fitness and physical activity as determinants of health development in children and adolescents : the momo longitudinal study

Abstract

Until now, there is no longitudinal epidemiologic data available on the development of physical activity/inactivity and motor skills in children, adolescents and young adults in Germany as well as on their underlying factors. In addition, there has not been a representative longitudinal study in the Germanspeaking countries which investigates the causal effects of physical activity and motor skills on objective and subjective parameters of physical and mental health in children, adolescents and young adults. For Germany, the existing cross-sectional German Health Interview and Examination Survey for Children and Adolescents (KiGGS, Survey conducted by the Robert Koch Institute (RKI) in Berlin, www.kiggs.de, Kurth, 2007) is the first representative nationwide study with respect to physical and mental health. KiGGS consists of several modules with one of these being the “Motorik-Modul” (MoMo, www.motorik-modul.de, Woll, Kurth, Opper, Worth & Bös, 2011). The MoMo Baseline Study, conducted 2003-2006, offers nationwide cross-sectional representative data on the physical fitness and physical activity of children and adolescents. Since 2009, MoMo has continued longitudinally as a joint project of the University of Konstanz, the Karlsruhe Institute of Technology and the University of Education Karlsruhe in cooperation with the RKI under the direction of Prof. Dr. Alexander Woll of the University of Konstanz. The MoMo Longitudinal Study is funded by the Federal Ministry of Education and Research. Using an interdisciplinary framework, the combination of the MoMo Longitudinal Study with the KiGGS health monitoring, which is funded by the German Ministry of health (2008-2023), yields organisational and scientific synergy effects.