Variation in mode of physical activity by ethnicity and time since immigration: a cross-sectional analysis

Abstract

BackgroundPhysical activity (PA) levels are known to be significantly lower in ethnic minority and immigrant groups living in North America and Europe compared to the general population. While there has been an increase in the number of interventions targeting these groups, little is known about their preferred modes of PA.MethodsUsing three cycles of the Canadian Community Health Survey (cycles 1.1, 2.1, 3.1; 2000-2005, n = 400,055) this investigation determined PA preferences by self-ascribed ethnicity (White, South Asian, South-East Asian, Blacks, Latin American, West Asian, Aboriginal persons and Other) and explored variation in PA preference across time since immigration categories (non-immigrant, established immigrant [> 10 years], and recent immigrant [≤ 10 years]). PA preferences over the past three months were collapsed into eight categories: walking, endurance, recreation, sports, conventional exercise, active commuting, and no PA. Logistic regression models were used to estimate the odds of participating in each PA across ethnicity and time since immigration compared to Whites and non-immigrants, respectively.ResultsCompared to Whites, all other ethnic groups were more likely to report no PA and were less likely to engage in walking, with the exception of Aboriginal persons (OR: 1.25, CI: 1.16-1.34). Further, all ethnic groups including Aboriginal persons were less likely to engage in endurance, recreation, and sport activities, but more likely to have an active commute compared to Whites. Recent and established immigrants were more likely to have an active commute and no PA, but a lower likelihood of walking, sports, endurance, and recreation activities than non-immigrants.ConclusionEthnic minority groups and immigrants in Canada tend to participate in conventional forms of exercise compared to Whites and non-immigrants and are less likely to engage in endurance exercise, recreation activities, and sports. Health promotion initiatives targeting ethnic and immigrant groups at high-risk for physical inactivity and chronic disease should consider mode of PA preference in intervention development.

A joint count-continuous model of travel behavior with selection based on a multinomial probit residential density choice model

“…In terms of race effects on other dependent variables, households of Hispanic race make fewer motorized tours, while households of Asian race make fewer nonmotorized tours. A few earlier studies (see Allen et al, 2007 andDogra et al, 2010) in the public health field also have observed that Asian households tend to be less physically active in terms of non-motorized recreation pursuits (such as walking and bicycling around the neighborhood).…”

Consumption patterns of sweetened food and drink products in a Catholic Middle Eastern Canadian community

“…The association between physical activity and consumption of sweetened products requires further examination especially in very active individuals who may overuse sweetened products as the main source of energy while exercising. This is important considering that Middle East Canadians report one of the lowest levels of physical activity in the country (21,22) . The study also has implications for migrant health studies.…”

“…Forty-two self-declared normoglycaemic individuals (twenty-five women, seventeen men) evenly distributed across age groups (18)(19)(20)(21)(22)(23)(24)(25)(26)(27)(28)(29)(30) (33) ; an exclusion cut-off of .6?5 % was applied (34) . The research protocol was submitted and approved by the ethics committee of the Centre Hospitalier de l'Université de Montréal (SL 06-063).…”

“…In Western countries, sweetened product consumption is associated with physical inactivity and sedentary behaviours, including television viewing and recreational computer use (17)(18)(19) . Such relationships are important to examine among Middle Eastern Canadians because they report one of the lowest levels of physical activity among all ethnic groups in Montreal (20) and in the country (21,22) . Studying the consumption patterns of sweetened products is a difficult task because there is no international consensus on how to report and measure dietary sugars contained in foods and drinks (23) .…”

Physical Activity in First Generation South Asian Women Living in Canada: Barriers and Facilitators to Participation

“…Studies in this literature review also examined the existence of ethnic minority clubs and how some minority women left majority clubs to be a part of minority ones because of better understanding and comfort in their own cultural groups. Dogra, Meisner, and Ardern (2010) investigated the variation in mode of PA by ethnicity and time since immigration through a cross-sectional analysis using three cycles of the Canadian Community Health Survey (CCHS) from 2000-2005 with a total of 400,055 participants. The researchers found ethnic minorities as the least likely to engage in endurance activities, recreation activities such as gardening or dancing and sports compared to Whites.…”