Tell us more about yourself and the author team.

My name is Leonard Oppermann, M.A. Exercise Science. I am a scholarship student in the PhD programme ‚ChronicDiseases and Health Literacy‘ at the Hannover Medical School. My first supervisor is Prof. Marie-Luise Dierks, head of the Patient Orientation Research Unit at the Center of Public Health. She has many years of expertise in the field of health literacy.

What is the story behind your study?

The study is part of my dissertation project at the Hannover Medical School. At the beginning of my scholarship, we sought to combine my main field of expertise, which is sports science with the public-health focus of Prof. Dierks work.

The result was the emerging research field of physical activity-related health competence (PAHCO). As I started my PhD in April 2020, it quickly became clear that it would turn out to be a digital study with office workers, because the COVID-19 pandemic was the predominant topic at the time.

In your own words, what did you find?

As the published article is only a study protocol, there are no final results yet, the data collection is not yet completed. However, the relationship between health-related quality of life, physical activity and PAHCO is an exciting field of research that promises interesting results.

What was the main challenge you faced in your study?

Research during the COVID-19 pandemic was challenging, especially reaching out to cooperating companies and recruiting participants.

If there is one take home message from your study, what would that be?

Providing incentives for health-promoting physical activity in everyday working life is a challenge, but it is worth it. Many participants wrote positive comments during in their exercise diary and plan to integrate some of the study’s exercises into their daily routine.