Journal
JOURNAL OF IMMIGRANT AND MINORITY HEALTH
Volume 17, Issue 1, Pages 263-275Publisher
SPRINGER
DOI: 10.1007/s10903-013-9917-2
Keywords
Immigrant and refugee health; Physical activity; Focus groups
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Funding
- NCATS NIH HHS [UL1 TR000135] Funding Source: Medline
- NHLBI NIH HHS [R01 HL 111407, R01 HL111407] Funding Source: Medline
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Immigrants and refugees to the United States exhibit relatively low levels of physical activity, but reasons for this disparity are poorly understood. 16 gender and age-stratified focus groups were conducted among 127 participants from heterogenous immigrant and refugee groups (Cambodian, Mexican, Somali, Sudanese) in a small Minnesota urban community. We found many similarities in perceived barriers and facilitators to physical activity between heterogeneous immigrant and refugee groups. While the benefits of physical activity were widely acknowledged, lack of familiarity and comfort with taking the first steps towards being physically active were the most significant barriers to physical activity. Participants described being motivated by social support from family, friends, and communities to be physically active. Our findings suggest that shared experiences of immigration and associated social, economic, and linguistic factors influence how physical activity is understood, conceptualized and practiced.
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