WG Physical activity-related Health Services Research
The WG "Physical Activity-Related Health Services Research" aims to provide an overarching platform for all approaches of health services research which focus on physical activity as an intervention and/or on influencing physical activity behavior and physical functions. To this end, the WG aims to promote the inter- and transdisciplinary exchange of information, establish a competence network and facilitate the interlinking of research initiatives.
The considerable increase in the importance of physical activity and exercise in health promotion, prevention, therapy and rehabilitation is due to its many positive health effects, for which there is good evidence. The increasing lack of physical activity in the population is nowadays regarded as an separate risk factor for the development and chronification of non-contagious diseases such as type 2 diabetes mellitus, coronary heart disease and various cancer-types. Despite the convincing evidence, systematic use of the potential of exercise therapy and exercise promotion in health care is still too rare. Considering this background, diverse questions and challenges arise for health services research in the spectrum between, on the one hand, in-depth research into the effects of exercise-related interventions in health care practice ("effectiveness") and, on the other hand, investigation of the possibilities, sponsoring factors and obstacles for systemic further development in the sense of implementation research.
In the context of health services research, all application forms of exercise and sport in prevention, therapy, rehabilitation, disease management and palliative care are to be considered. Disciplines that deal with physical activity-related health services research are primarily sports and physiotherapy science, in each case also at the interfaces of other fields interfaces such as medicine, psychology, education or sociology. The WG "Physical activity-related health care research" aims to provide a overarching platform for all approaches to health care research that deal with movement as an intervention and/or the influencing of physical activity behavior and physical functions. Therefore, the WG aims to promote the inter- and transdisciplinary exchange of information, establish a competence network and facilitate the interlinking of research initiatives.
The WG’s foundation was mainly based on an initiative of the German Society for Rehabilitation Science (DGRW, WG Exercise Therapy), the German Association for Sports Science (dvs, Commission Health), the German Association for Health Sports and Sports Therapy (DVGS) as well as the German Society for Physiotherapy Science (DGPTW), which continue to support the WG’s work as institutional cooperation partners.
March 2021
The SARS-CoV-2 virus and measures to prevent its spread are changing the environment for physical activity or exercise. Regarding the health-promoting effects of physical activity, members of the DNVF WG Physical Activity-Related Health Services Research were asked to provide insight into recent work on physical activity in the SARS-CoV-2 pandemic. In total, 11 papers addressing different questions and target audiences emerged from the WG, which are listed here and link to the original publication if available.
May 2020
Inaugural meeting of the Exercise-Based Health Services Research WG.
Speakers
