It makes sense to act fast when initial symptoms such as occasional back pain, being slightly overweight or sleeping problems are experienced before they develop into something more serious. The German Pension Insurance set up the RV Fit prevention programme for that precise purpose. It is available to all employees experiencing initial health issues and new users can register quickly and easily at RV Fit. The free courses on nutrition, exercise and stress management in the RV Fit programme help participants learn how to cope more effectively with the demands of work and daily life, and to practice healthy behaviour over a period of several months. RV Fit has proven to be very popular: online applications have risen by around 70 per cent to 47,000 since the previous year.
New online 45+ Check launched
The 45+ Check service has been helping insured persons over the age of 45 to quickly identify their requirements of the German Pension Insurance’s vocational and social reintegration services since August 2023. The free test contains a series of questions on the subjects of social and vocational health. When the insured persons have answered the questions they receive an assessment of whether participation in a preventive or rehabilitation measure might be a good idea for them. Even though the 45+ Check service cannot replace a consultation with a medical professional, it does provide valuable insights into potential action requirements.
“I’m delighted that our prevention programme has been so well received – after all, it helps people to stay fit in their everyday lives and jobs.”
National Disease Prevention Conference
The National Disease Prevention Conference (Nationale Präventionskonferenz – NPK) submitted its second Disease Prevention Report to the Federal Ministry of Health in June 2023. The German Pension Insurance held the rotating Chair of the NPK in 2023. The report presents the results of the National Prevention Strategy for the period 2019 to 2022. It shows that, despite the limitations and challenges associated with the COVID-19 pandemic, disease prevention and health promotion have been successfully advanced through the collaboration of the NPK’s members. The topic of mental health was also addressed. The objective of prevention in employment environments must be to reduce work-related stress and to promote workplace health and safety. The report covers several digitalisation-related issues such as future developments, equal opportunities and health literacy. Finally, and importantly, the National Disease Prevention Conference has been addressing the impacts of climate change on health for some time already and it will continue to prioritise this cross-cutting issue.
