Senior health and physical activity in Central Europe

Reports highlight both the benefits of active aging and the challenges regarding physical activity levels among seniors in Germany and Austria.

In Germany and Austria, individual and group efforts demonstrate the advantages of fitness for older adults. Programs such as the ‘Sport fürs Herz’ group in Verl, Germany, provide specialized endurance and strength training for those with cardiovascular issues. Additionally, individual examples, such as marathon runner Roswitha Ruthner in Austria, illustrate the potential for high-level endurance in advanced age.

However, a study by MedUni Wien involving nearly 4,000 participants aged 65 and older indicates that many Austrian seniors are not meeting recommended activity levels. Only approximately 30 percent of individuals meet the international recommendation of 150 minutes of weekly aerobic physical activity. Researchers noted that adequate exercise could potentially prevent up to 46.6 percent of strokes, 40.8 percent of heart attacks, and 35.8 percent of diabetes cases in this demographic.

Alongside these health findings, social trends show that two-thirds of people over 60 in Austria prefer to age in their own homes, prompting the development of the ‘Pflegestrategie 2040’ care strategy in Upper Austria. Recent updates from the Austrian Ministry of Health also include changes to vaccination schedules, such as reverting the pertussis booster interval for those under 60 to every ten years, while recommending five-year intervals for those aged 60 and older.