Effectiveness

The sustained effectiveness of MoVo-LISA, MoVo-work and MoVo-BnB has been well documented on the basis of sequential cohort studies and randomized, respectively prospective controlled trials. Special thanks are due to the German Pension Insurance (Deutsche Rentenversicherung Bund, Dr. Gabriele Worringen) which provided organizational and financial support for the evaluation of those programms in large-scale studies. Reliable data on the effectiveness of the weight loss program M.O.B.I.L.I.S. are also available. An overview of the most important study results is presented below. For more detailed information, please refer to the relevant studies.

MoVo-LISA

MoVo-LISA serves to promote “Lifestyle Integrated Sport Activity” (LISA) in the context of inpatient or outpatient rehabilitation (manual: Göhner & Fuchs, 2007; field report: Göhner & Fuchs, 2016).

Several randomized controlled (and quasi-experimental) studies were able to demonstrate the effectiveness of MoVo-LISA in increasing the level of physical activity after rehabilitation in various indication areas (Fuchs et al., 2010, 2011; Gerber, Fuchs & Pühse, 2010; Göhner, Dietsche & Fuchs, 2015; Wurst et al., 2019).

The randomized controlled trial (RCT) by Wurst et al. (2019) demonstrated that the sport activity of cardiological patients who completed the MoVo-LISA program was significantly higher than that of the control group even after one year (see figure on the right). The figure also shows that the initially achieved behavior changes in the MoVo-LISA group could not be maintained to a satisfactory extent. At 6 months after rehab, the level of sport activity had decreased significantly again. In order to stabilize the changes achieved at the beginning, a smartphone app (MoVo-App) is currently being developed which will be used in the 12 weeks after discharge from clinic and should contribute to the long-term maintenance of sport activity (see program MoVo-LISA+).

M.O.B.I.L.I.S.

The obesity program M.O.B.I.L.I.S. combines the promotion of physical activity and a change in diet. It has been evaluated in several studies (Berg et al., 2010; Göhner et al., 2012) with regard to weight reduction, sport and exercise activity and nutritional behavior.

The results showed that the participants’ level of sport activity was increased (see figure on the left) and the quality of food intake was optimized in obese patients (Göhner et al., 2012). This led to significant weight loss as well as a reduction in the risk of obesity-related diseases (Berg et al., 2010; Lagerström et al., 2013). In particular, a large proportion of participants showed no further signs of diabetes after the program – in contrast to the situation at the start of the intervention (König et al., 2018).

MoVo-work

MoVo-work is a short intervention to promote physical activity which was specially designed for the workplace setting. The program combines psychological coaching units based on the MoVo concept and practical sport and exercise units. The effectiveness of MoVo-work was evaluated in several studies (Krebs, Baaken, Hofmeier, Göhner & Fuchs 2015; Krebs, Baaken, Wurst, Göhner & Fuchs, 2019; Krebs, Wurst, Göhner & Fuchs, 2020).

The randomized controlled trial (RCT) by Krebs et al. (2019) found participants of the MoVo-work group (practical sport and exercise units + psychological coaching; PA+C group) to be more active in sports even after 12 months than the participants of the control group who only did the practical training (PA group). This finding (see figure on the right) suggests that a psychological coaching combined with sport and exercise practice (MoVo-work) is more effective than sport and exercise practice alone underlining the importance of cognitive interventions (goal setting, action planning, barrier management, etc.) for sustainable behavior change.