Regular physical activity is the easiest way to protect yourself from many diseases. The question of why some people exercise more frequently and others less or not at all has been on the scientific agenda for quite some time.

The Mobile Activity Lab is an interdisciplinary project of sports science and sports medicine and will address the above mentioned question with scientific methods of systems biology, psychology and sociology.

Three topics are in the foreground: a) the monitoring of movement under everyday conditions, b) social and economic incentive systems and c) analysis of individual training needs and motivation, which require a longer stay at Tübingen (Interdepartmental Research Centre for Sport and Physical Activity).

In the sense of applied science, the findings will be transferred into exercise and health-related services, such as individualised training and activation programmes and sports and health counselling services.

The mobile form of the Mobile Activity Lab makes it possible to research different settings. Approximately 12 trips per year are planned here, which will be accompanied by a one-week standing time on site. Location goals are both kindergartens, kitas, schools, hospitals, enterprises and senior residences as well as market and fair places of the region Stuttgart/Neckar-Alb.

Short and long-term studies on the culture of movement and the prevention of diseases of civilization at the Tübingen site and at the sites in the Stuttgart/Neckar-Alb metropolitan area will transfer findings for the protection of society. The social commitment of the operators (AOK, University, and other supporters) is carried into the "Ländle" by public relations work, but especially by the rolling advertising platform Mobile Activity Lab.

© Daniel Haigis

© Daniel Haigis

For example, the MAL was made usable for projects on the subject of climate and heat by means of a specially installed climate module in order to carry out heat exposure tests. In the PreHIT study (“Analysis of predictors of individual heat tolerance in triathlon sport”), triathletes were examined to determine the extent to which endurance exercise leads to a disruption in the barrier function of the intestine and how this correlates with possible gastrointestinal complaints during competition. In the project funded by the Federal Institute for Sports Science, the behavior of so-called “leaky gut” parameters in the blood and the intestinal microbiome were examined under laboratory conditions in the MAL and during a half-distance triathlon in the field. The initial results show a reproducible increase in "leaky gut" parameters at an individual level under laboratory and competition conditions.

The MAL is also active in the educational institution setting in Baden-Württemberg (districts of Tübingen, Esslingen and Heilbronn). The Wundine project (“Scientific evaluation of the ‘Wundine on Wheels’ swimming mobile offers”), funded by the Josef Wund Foundation, is concerned with teaching swimming-specific skills to (pre-)school children, with a focus on getting used to and mastering water as well as learning basic swimming skills. The use of mobile swimming areas (SchwimmMobiles) increases the opportunities for (pre-)school children to take advantage of offers for teaching swimming-specific skills close to home and, together with the MAL, forms an excellent basis for a translational exchange. The aim of this project is to record the differentiated effects of the SchwimmMobile concept in a child-friendly way against the background of a holistic understanding of the ability to engage in movement and sports activities in the water (aquatic physical literacy). In a further professional exchange with all stakeholders involved, implications for the quality development of the SchwimmMobile concept are to be supported on the basis of the findings generated. The MAL working group is also working on the scientific monitoring and evaluation of the “Preschool children learn to swim” support program of the Kinderland Baden-Württemberg Foundation and the Wiedeking Foundation.