National Recommendations for Physical Activity and Physical Activity Promotion: Older Adults and Adults with Non-Communicable Diseases

Background In 2016, "National Recommendations for Physical Activity and Physical Activity Promotion" for Germany were published for the first time. The following article briefly presents the associated research project and provides a summary of the recommendations for older adults and for adults with non-communicable chronic diseases. Methodological approach For the recommendations on physical activity, systematic literature research, criteria-based quality assessments, content analyses and syntheses of internationally available physical activity recommendations were applied. For the recommendations for the promotion of physical activity three systematic literature reviews on the topics of efficacy/effectiveness, cost-effec-tiveness and quality criteria for successful implementation were conducted. Results Older adults and adults with a non-communicable chronic disease achieve significant health effects through regular physical activity. A central recommendation for both target groups is to achieve 150 minutes of moderate or 75 minutes of intensive endurance activity, or a combination of both, over the course of the week. Furthermore, muscle strengthening activities should be performed at least two days a week. The promotion of physical activity among both target groups can be successful if it takes place in the settings where those people are, and all actions are specifically tailored towards the needs of these target groups. Physical activity counseling seems to be one of the more promising means to promote physical activity among both target groups. Conclusions The development of evidence-based "National Recommendations for Physical Activity and Physical Activity Promotion" is an important building block for the initiation and implementation of actions on physical activity-related health promotion in Germany. The formulation of specific recommendations for older adults and for adults with non-communicable chronic diseases makes the German recommendations unique.