Addressing community readiness to promote physical activity in older adults in Germany.

This article focuses on evaluating the lasting effects of community-based capacity building on community readiness (CR) to promote physical activity among older adults in Northwestern Germany. Using the Community Readiness Assessment (CRA), which measures five dimensions of CR, four communities were assigned to intervention or control groups and assessed at three time points between 2015 and 2020. Despite implementing local physical activity action plans and cooperative planning processes in intervention communities, overall CR scores did not significantly improve compared to controls, though some increases in leadership and resource dimensions were noted in one urban intervention community. The study highlights factors facilitating successful stakeholder cooperation—such as leveraging existing networks, structured planning, financial support, and linking activities to community events—and underscores challenges including stakeholder turnover, competing priorities, and reaching hard-to-engage groups.