Work

The Digital Competences of Exercise Therapists in Obesity Care: A Step Towards Digital Sovereignty Assessed with the DigCompThExO Questionnaire

Year: 2026

Type: article

Abstract: BACKGROUND/OBJECTIVES: Digital obesity therapy requires exercise therapists with adequate digital competences, yet training opportunities remain limited. This study provides the first application of the DigCompThExO questionnaire to assess exercise therapists' digital competences and their predictors in obesity therapy, addressing digital sovereignty as an educational outcome and informing future training programs. METHODS: A cross-sectional online survey assessed self-perceived digital competences among German-speaking exercise therapists in obesity care using the validated DigCompThExO questionnaire (14 items). Descriptive and regression analyses examined personal (age, gender, qualification) and contextual (type of therapy, therapeutic targets) predictors of overall digital competence, with correction for multiple testing. RESULTS: < 0.001), with the digitally pursued therapeutic target body awareness emerging as significant predictor (B = 0.18, p_FDR = 0.003). CONCLUSIONS: This study provides initial insights into the digital competence profiles of exercise therapists in obesity therapy. In exploratory analysis, the therapeutic target of digitally fostering body awareness was the only predictor that remained significant after correction. The findings suggest that targeted education in data protection, media reflection, and the communication of exercise-related therapeutic targets may be relevant to support digital competence development.

Source: Healthcare

DOI: 10.3390/healthcare14081037

Authors: Sabine Pawellek, Isabell Estorff, Hagen Wulff, Thomas Wendeborn

Institution: Leipzig University

Language: English

Topic: Digital literacy in education

Subfield: Information Systems

Field: Computer Science

Domain: Physical Sciences

SDG: Good health and well-being

Open Access status: gold

Estimated APC paid: $3,258