Research and Practice of Health Promotion, Volume 16: The Young Old

In order to obtain a broad outline of the manifold life circumstances of the “young old” in Germany - men and women between the ages of 55 and 65 years - the Federal Centre for Health Education (BZgA) asked the Institute for Gerontological Research (Berlin) to prepare a report on this matter reflecting the present state of affairs in various specific areas based on publicly available data. This expert opinion thus takes a look at the economic situation, the social relationships and lifestyles of the elderly, their living situation, their networks, their employment and societal roles. It also delves into the themes of continuing education, recreation, sports and cultural activities as well as treating the areas of health behavior and state of health. Also included are the crossover themes of social situation, migration and gender. Since it draws solely from publicly available databases, it can also serve as a starting point for more detailed investigations.

The BZgA presents this publication as a detailed and differentiated text describing how to prepare age-group-specific plans to enable activities of prevention and health promotion in the elderly.