In a society with an aging population, the preventive healthcare importance of physical activity in middle-aged and older adults is growing. The purpose of the study "Living an active life - age and aging in Baden-Wuerttemberg" is to acquire generalisable data of practical relevance for the 50- to 70-year-old population of Baden-Wuerttemberg. The main themes of this study are sports, exercise, and health-related and lifestyle aspects--from both a current and a biographical perspective. Following conceptualization and a test run, the survey was conducted by means of a computer-assisted telephone interview (CATI) in the period from May to October 2006. 982 men and 1,020 women responded. The percentage of respondents with a high level of education was disproportionately high, as is frequently the case for telephone surveys. Due to the resultant bias, the data was weighted by age, gender and education on the basis of the German Microcensus 2004. In addition to serving as a health report on the middle-aged and older adult population, this basic survey generated representative data on physical/sporting activity among older people in Baden-Wuerttemberg, and can be used as a reliable basis for designing future preventive measures. First analyses show that people with higher educational levels and good health, and non-smokers, people with balanced diet and normal weight are more likely to do sporting activities.