Herausforderungen intergenerativer Gesundheitsförderungsangebote

Health-promoting exercise programs are important for all age groups. Social relationships are considered an important health resource, which is why intergenerational programs are becoming increasingly important. From 2020–2023, the “Klein & Groß – Bewegt & Gesund” project of the Vienna Health Promotion designed free health-promoting exercise programs for different generations in children’s and senior citizens’ facilities and public spaces. In 2023, the offer was supplemented by intergenerational gardening. The aim of this article is to formulate solutions for the practical implementation of future intergenerational health promotion programs.

The evaluation comprised multiperspective qualitative surveys and included guided individual interviews with senior citizens (n = 12), six group discussions via Zoom (Zoom Video Communications, San Jose, CA, USA) with trainers and multipliers (n = 22) and participant observations of intergenerational health promotion programs (n = 14).

The COVID-19 pandemic was identified as a relevant context for the intergenerational project. Prerequisite for the implementation of intergenerational projects is the interest of senior citizens, who, if implemented, will shift their focus from their own physical activity to psychosocial activation through interaction with the children. Structural challenges identified in the evaluation relate to the time and duration of the programs, the setting and the routine and level of difficulty of the activities.

There are many challenges when implementing intergenerational exercise programs in a pandemic situation, but these can be overcome with foresight regarding planning and well-qualified trainers.