Skip to main content
SpringerLink
Log in

Physical Activity in Culturally and Linguistically Diverse Migrant Groups to Western Society

A Review of Barriers, Enablers and Experiences

  • Leading Article
  • Published:
Sports Medicine Aims and scope Submit manuscript

Abstract

A close examination of epidemiological data reveals burdens of disease particular to culturally and linguistically diverse (CALD) migrants, as these individuals adjust to both culture and modernization gaps. Despite the increased risk of hypertension, diabetes mellitus, overweight/obesity and cardiovascular disease, individuals from CALD groups are less likely to be proactive in accessing healthcare or undertaking preventative measures to ensure optimal health outcomes. The purpose of this paper is to review literature that outlines the barriers, challenges and enablers of physical activity in CALD groups who have recently migrated to Western society, and to identify key strategies to increase physical activity participation for these individuals. Electronic and manual literature searches were used to identify 57 publications that met the inclusion criteria. Findings from the review indicate that migration to Western societies has a detrimental effect on the health status and health behaviours of CALD groups as they assimilate to their new surroundings, explore different cultures and customs, and embrace a new way of life. In particular, there is evidence that physical inactivity is common in migrant CALD groups, and is a key contributing risk factor to chronic disease for these individuals. Challenges and barriers that limit physical activity participation in CALD groups include: cultural and religious beliefs, issues with social relationships, socioeconomic challenges, environmental barriers, and perceptions of health and injury. Strategies that may assist with overcoming these challenges and barriers consist of the need for cultural sensitivity, the provision of education sessions addressing health behaviours, encouraging participation of individuals from the same culture, exploration of employment situational variables, and the implementation of ‘Health Action Zones’ in CALD communities. This information will inform and support the development of culturally appropriate programmes designed to positively influence the physical activity behaviours of individuals from CALD populations.

This is a preview of subscription content, log in via an institution to check access.

Access this article

Log in via an institution

Price excludes VAT (USA)
Tax calculation will be finalised during checkout.

Instant access to the full article PDF.

Institutional subscriptions

Table I

Similar content being viewed by others

References

  1. United Nations Department of Economic and Social Affairs. World economic and social survey: trends andpolicies in the world economy. New York: United Nations Publications, 2001

    Google Scholar 

  2. Commonwealth of Australia. Population flows: immigration aspects. Canberra (ACT): Department of Immigration and Multicultural Affairs, 2007

    Google Scholar 

  3. Australian Bureau of Statistics. 2007 Australian yearbook (cat. no. 1301.0). Canberra (ACT): Commonwealth of Australia, 2007

    Google Scholar 

  4. Australian Bureau of Statistics. 2006 Census of population and housing: media releases and fact sheets. Canberra (ACT): Commonwealth of Australia, 2006

    Google Scholar 

  5. Burns C, Webster K, Crotty P, et al. Easing the transition: food and nutrition issues of new arrivals. Health Prom J Australia 2000; 10 (3): 230–6

    Google Scholar 

  6. Health Department of Western Australia. Cultural competency standard and self-assessment audit tool manual. Perth (WA): Government of Western Australia, 2005

    Google Scholar 

  7. Commonwealth Interdepartmental Committee on Multicultural Affairs. The guide: implementing the standards for statistics on cultural and language diversity. Canberra (ACT): Department of Immigration and Multicultural Affairs, 2001

    Google Scholar 

  8. Carrington K, McIntosh A, Walmsley J. The social costs and benefits of migration into Australia. Canberra (ACT): Commonwealth of Australia, 2007

    Google Scholar 

  9. Adily A, Ward J. Improving health among culturally diverse subgroups: an exploration of trade-offs and viewpoints among a regional population health workforce. Health Promot J Austr 2005 Dec; 16 (3): 207–12

    PubMed  Google Scholar 

  10. Perez CE. Health status and health behaviour among immigrants. Health Reports 2002; 13 (Suppl): 89–100

    Google Scholar 

  11. Antecol H, Bedard K. Unhealthy assimilation: why do immigrants converge to American health status levels? Demography 2006; 43 (2): 337–60

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  12. Abate N, Chandalia M. Ethnicity and type 2 diabetes: focus on Asian Indians. J Diabetes Complications 2001 Nov-Dec; 15 (6): 320–7

    Article  PubMed  CAS  Google Scholar 

  13. Johnson PA, Fulp RS. Racial and ethnic disparities in coronary heart disease in women: prevention, treatment, and needed interventions. Womens Health Issues 2002 Sep-Oct; 12 (5): 252–71

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  14. Davidson PM, Daly J, Hancock K, et al. Australian women and heart disease: trends, epidemiological perspectives and the need for a culturally competent research agenda. Contemp Nurse 2003 Dec-2004 Feb; 16 (1-2): 62–73

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  15. Chaturvedi N. Ethnic differences in cardiovascular disease. Heart 2003 Jun; 89 (6): 681–6

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  16. Dhanjal TS, Lal M, Haynes R, et al. A comparison of cardiovascular risk factors among Indo-Asian and Caucasian patients admitted with acute myocardial infarction inKuala Lumpur, Malaysia and Birmingham, England. Int J Clin Pract 2001 Dec; 55 (10): 665–8

    PubMed  CAS  Google Scholar 

  17. Kolt G, Schofield G, Rush E, et al. Body fatness, physical activity, and nutritional behaviours in Asian Indian immigrants to New Zealand. Asia Pac J Clin Nutr 2007

    Google Scholar 

  18. Kolt G, Paterson J, Cheung Y. Barriers to physical activity participation in older Tongan adults living in New Zealand. Australasian J Ageing 2006; 25 (3): 119–27

    Article  Google Scholar 

  19. Gettleman L, Winkleby MA. Using focus groups to develop a heart disease prevention program for ethnically diverse, low-income women. J Community Health 2000 Dec; 25 (6): 439–53

    Article  PubMed  CAS  Google Scholar 

  20. Bauman A. Updating the evidence that physical activity is good for health: an epidemiological review 2000-2003. J Sci Med Sport 2004; 7 (1 Suppl.): 6–19

    Article  PubMed  CAS  Google Scholar 

  21. Australian Bureau of Statistics. Migrants and participation in sport and physical activity 2006. Canberra (ACT): National Centre for Culture and Recreation Statistics, 2006

    Google Scholar 

  22. Kalavar J, Kolt G, Giles L, et al. Physical activity in older Asian Indians living in the United States: barriers and motives. Activ Adapt Aging 2004; 29 (1): 47–67

    Article  Google Scholar 

  23. Belza B, Walwick J, Shiu-Thornton S, et al. Older adult perspectives on physical activity and exercise: voices from multiple cultures. Prev Chronic Dis 2004 Oct; 1 (4): A09

    Google Scholar 

  24. Lawton J, Ahmad N, Hanna L, et al. ‘I can’t do any serious exercise’: barriers to physical activity amongst people of Pakistani and Indian origin with type 2 diabetes. Health Educ Res 2006 Feb; 21 (1): 43–54

    Article  PubMed  CAS  Google Scholar 

  25. Kreuter MW, Lukwago S, Bucholtz D, et al. Achieving cultural appropriateness in health promotion programs:targeted and tailored approaches. Health Educ Behav 2002; 30 (2): 133–46

    Article  Google Scholar 

  26. Rogerson M, Emes C. Physical activity older immigrants and cultural competence: a guide for fitness practitioners. Activ Adapt Aging 2006; 30 (4): 15–27

    Article  Google Scholar 

  27. Dawson AJ, Sundquist J, Johansson SE. The influence of ethnicity and length of time since immigration on physical activity. Ethn Health 2005 Nov; 10 (4): 293–309

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  28. Gracey M, Bridge E, Martin D, et al. An Aboriginal-driven program to prevent, control and manage nutrition-related “lifestyle” diseases including diabetes. Asia Pac J Clin Nutr 2006; 15 (2): 178–88

    PubMed  Google Scholar 

  29. Rowley KG, Daniel M, Skinner K, et al. Effectiveness of a community-directed ‘healthy lifestyle’ program in a remote Australian aboriginal community. Aust N Z J Public Health 2000 Apr; 24 (2): 136–44

    Article  PubMed  CAS  Google Scholar 

  30. Thompson SJ, Gifford SM, Thorpe L. The social and cultural context of risk and prevention: food and physical activity in an urban Aboriginal community. Health Educ Behav 2000 Dec; 27 (6): 725–43

    Article  PubMed  CAS  Google Scholar 

  31. Lindstrom M, Sundquist J. Immigration and leisure-time physical inactivity: a population-based study. Ethn Health 2001 May; 6 (2): 77–85

    Article  PubMed  CAS  Google Scholar 

  32. Berrigan D, Dodd K, Troiano RP, et al. Physical activity and acculturation among adult Hispanics in the United States. Res Q Exerc Sport 2006 Jun; 77 (2): 147–57

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  33. Hjelm K, Sundquist J, Apelquist J. The influence of socioeconomic status and life style on self-reported health in diabetics and non-diabetics: a comparison of foreign-born and Swedish-born individuals. Prim Health Care Res and Develop 2002; 3: 249–59

    Article  Google Scholar 

  34. Ackerman LK. Health problems of refugees. J Am Board Fam Pract 1997 Sep-Oct; 10 (5): 337–48

    PubMed  CAS  Google Scholar 

  35. Sundquist J, Iglesias E, Isacsson A. Migration and health: a study of Latin American refugees, their exile in Sweden and repatriation. Scand J Prim Health Care 1995 Jun; 13 (2): 135–40

    Article  PubMed  CAS  Google Scholar 

  36. Barnes DM, Almasy N. Refugees’ perceptions of healthy behaviors. J Immigr Health 2005 Jul; 7 (3): 185–93

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  37. Brown PJ. Culture and the evolution of obesity. Human Nature 1991; 2 (1): 31–57

    Article  Google Scholar 

  38. Richardson S, Miller-Lewis L, Ngo P, et al. The settlement experiences of new migrants: a comparison of wave one of LSIA 1 and LSIA 2. Canberra (ACT): DIMIA, 2002

    Google Scholar 

  39. Van den Heuvel A, Wooden M. New settlers have their say: how immigrants fare over the early years of settlement. Canberra (ACT): DIMIA, 1999

    Google Scholar 

  40. Choudhry UK. Uprooting and resettlement experiences of South Asian immigrant women. West J Nurs Res 2001 Jun; 23 (4): 376–93

    PubMed  CAS  Google Scholar 

  41. Australian Institute of Health and Welfare. Australia’s Health 2004. Canberra (ACT): AIHW, 2004

    Google Scholar 

  42. Williams R. Health and length of residence among south Asians in Glasgow: a study controlling for age. J Public Health Med 1993 Mar; 15 (1): 52–60

    PubMed  CAS  Google Scholar 

  43. Singh GK, Miller BA. Health life expectancy, and mortality patterns among immigrant populations in the United States. Can J Public Health 2004 May-Jun; 95 (3): I14–21

    Google Scholar 

  44. Fennelly K. The “healthy migrant” effect. Minn Med 2007 Mar; 90 (3): 51–3

    PubMed  Google Scholar 

  45. Tremblay MS, Bryan SN, Perez CE, et al. Physical activity and immigrant status: evidence from the Canadian Community Health Survey. Can J Public Health 2006 Jul-Aug; 97 (4): 277–82

    PubMed  Google Scholar 

  46. Evenson KR, Sarmiento OL, Ayala GX. Acculturation and physical activity among North Carolina Latina immigrants. Soc Sci Med 2004 Dec; 59 (12): 2509–22

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  47. Abraido-Lanza AF, Chao MT, Florez KR. Do healthy behaviors decline with greater acculturation? Implications for the Latino mortality paradox. Soc Sci Med 2005 Sep; 61 (6): 1243–55

    Google Scholar 

  48. Jaber LA, Brown MB, Hammad A, et al. Lack of acculturation is a risk factor for diabetes in Arab immigrants in the US. Diabetes Care 2003 Jul; 26 (7): 2010–4

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  49. Hosper K, Nierkens V, Nicolaou M, et al. Behavioural risk factors in two generations of non-Western migrants: dotrends converge towards the host population? Eur J Epidemiol 2007; 22 (3): 163–72

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  50. Wolin KY, Colditz G, Stoddard AM, et al. Acculturation and physical activity in a working class multiethnic population. Prev Med 2006 Apr; 42 (4): 266–72

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  51. Steffen PR, Smith TB, Larson M, et al. Acculturation to Western society as a risk factor for high blood pressure:a meta-analytic review. Psychosom Med 2006 May-Jun; 68 (3): 386–97

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  52. Schulz LO, Bennett PH, Ravussin E, et al. Effects of traditional and western environments on prevalence of type 2diabetes in Pima Indians in Mexico and the U.S. Diabetes Care 2006 Aug; 29 (8): 1866–71

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  53. Guerin PB, Elmi FH, Corrigan C. Body composition and cardiorespiratory fitness among refugee Somali women living in New Zealand. J Immigr Minor Health 2007 Jul; 9 (3): 191–6

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  54. Reijneveld SA, Westhoff MH, Hopman-Rock M. Promotion of health and physical activity improves the mental health of elderly immigrants: results of a group randomised controlled trial among Turkish immigrants in the Netherlands aged 45 and over. J Epidemiol Community Health 2003 Jun; 57 (6): 405–11

    Article  PubMed  CAS  Google Scholar 

  55. Nakanishi S, Okubo M, Yoneda M, et al. A comparison between Japanese-Americans living in Hawaii and Los Angeles and native Japanese: the impact of lifestyle westernization on diabetes mellitus. Biomed Pharmacother 2004 Dec; 58 (10): 571–7

    Article  PubMed  CAS  Google Scholar 

  56. Gutmann MC. Ethnicity alcohol, and acculturation. Soc Sci Med 1999 Jan; 48 (2): 173–84

    Article  PubMed  CAS  Google Scholar 

  57. Loury S, Kulbok P. Correlates of alcohol and tobacco use among Mexican immigrants in rural North Carolina. Fam Community Health 2007 Jul-Sep; 30 (3): 247–56

    PubMed  Google Scholar 

  58. Weber TR. The influence of acculturation on attitudes toward alcohol and alcohol use within the Punjabi community: an exploratory analysis. Subst Use Misuse 1996 Sep-Oct; 31 (11-12): 1715–32

    Article  PubMed  CAS  Google Scholar 

  59. Yang EJ, Chung HK, Kim WY, et al. Chronic diseases and dietary changes in relation to Korean Americans’ length ofresidence in the United States. J Am Diet Assoc 2007 Jun; 107 (6): 942–50

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  60. Lee WP, Lingard J, Bermingham M. Change in diet and body mass index in Taiwanese women with length of residence in Australia. Asia Pac J Clin Nutr 2007; 16 (1): 56–65

    PubMed  Google Scholar 

  61. Guerin PB, Diiriye RO, Corrigan C, et al. Physical activity programs for refugee Somali women: working out in a new country. Women Health 2003; 38 (1): 83–99

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  62. Amesty SC. Barriers to physical activity in the Hispanic community. J Public Health Policy 2003; 24 (1): 41–58

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  63. Hayes L, White M, Unwin N, et al. Patterns of physical activity and relationship with risk markers for cardiovasculardisease and diabetes in Indian, Pakistani, Bangladeshi and European adults in a UK population. J Public Health Med 2002 Sep; 24 (3): 170–8

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  64. Walseth K, Fasting K. Islam’s view on physical activity and sport: Egyptian women interpreting Islam. Int Rev Socio Sport 2003; 38 (1): 45–60

    Google Scholar 

  65. De Knop P, Theeboom M, Wittock H, et al. Implications of Islam on Muslim girls’ sport participation in western Europe: literature review and policy recommendations for sport promotion. Sport Educ Society 1996; 1: 147–64

    Article  Google Scholar 

  66. Eyler AA, Baker E, Cromer L, et al. Physical activity and minority women: a qualitative study. Health Educ Behav 1998 Oct; 25 (5): 640–52

    Article  PubMed  CAS  Google Scholar 

  67. Cooper RS, Rotimi CN, Kaufman JS, et al. Prevalence of NIDDM among populations of the African diaspora. Diabetes Care 1997 Mar; 20 (3): 343–8

    Article  PubMed  CAS  Google Scholar 

  68. Morioka-Douglas N, Sacks T, Yeo G. Issues in caring for Afghan American elders: insights from literature anda focus group. J Cross Cult Gerontol 2004 Mar; 19 (1): 27–40

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  69. Eyler AA, Brownson RC, Donatelle RJ, et al. Physical activity social support and middle- and older-aged minority women: results from a US survey. Soc Sci Med 1999 Sep; 49 (6): 781–9

    Article  PubMed  CAS  Google Scholar 

  70. Stewart MJ, Neufeld A, Harrison MJ, et al. Immigrant women family caregivers in Canada: implications for policiesand programmes in health and social sectors. Health Soc Care Community 2006 Jul; 14 (4): 329–40

    Article  PubMed  CAS  Google Scholar 

  71. Mahajan D, Bermingham MA. Risk factors for coronary heart disease in two similar Indian population groups, oneresiding in India, and the other in Sydney, Australia. Eur J Clin Nutr 2004 May; 58 (5): 751–60

    Article  PubMed  CAS  Google Scholar 

Download references

Acknowledgements

This research was funded by a research grant from the Office for Women, Department of Families, Community Services and Indigenous Affairs made to CM Caperchione and KW Mummery. The authors have no conflicts of interest that are directly relevant to the contents of this article.

Author information

Authors and Affiliations

  1. Institute for Health and Social Science Research, CQUniversity Australia, Bruce Highway, Rockhampton, Queensland, 4702, Australia

    Cristina M. Caperchione & W. Kerry Mummery

  2. School of Biomedical and Health Sciences, University of Western Sydney, Sydney, New South Wales, Australia

    Gregory S. Kolt

Authors
  1. Cristina M. Caperchione
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

  2. Gregory S. Kolt
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

  3. W. Kerry Mummery
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

Corresponding author

Correspondence to Cristina M. Caperchione.

Rights and permissions

Reprints and permissions

About this article

Cite this article

Caperchione, C.M., Kolt, G.S. & Mummery, W.K. Physical Activity in Culturally and Linguistically Diverse Migrant Groups to Western Society. Sports Med 39, 167–177 (2009). https://doi.org/10.2165/00007256-200939030-00001

Download citation

  • Published:

  • Issue Date:

  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.2165/00007256-200939030-00001

Keywords

Search

Navigation