Review of Barriers to Engaging Black and Minority Ethnic Groups in Physical Activity in the United Kingdom

Abstract

Introduction and Objective: The lower physical activity levels in Black and Minority Ethnic (BME) groups as compared with general population in the United Kingdom (UK) could relate to barriers to engaging these groups in physical activity. Hence, the aim to conduct a review to examine UK primary studies reporting barriers to engaging BME groups in physical activity. Method: This is a narrative review of literature from 1970 to 2008. The search looked for English literature from five bibliographic databases (MEDLINE, Embase, CINAHL, PsyINFO, Ethnicity and Health). Broad search terms 'physical activity and minority' were used and views from BME groups were considered in this review.Results & Conclusion: The search yielded 391 studies and 18 were finally included in the review. Our review identified 20 barriers clustered among four broad themes of: (a) perceived personal barriers; (b) socio-economic barriers; (c) cultural barriers; and (d) environmental barriers. Overcoming these barriers in these broad areas is important in development of sensitive multicultural health promotion addressing physical inequalities.

Punjabi Sikh Patients’ Perceived Barriers to Engaging in Physical Exercise Following Myocardial Infarction

“…The findings drawn from this study shed light on Punjabi Sikh Canadians’ perceived barriers to engaging in physical activity post‐MI. Our findings support as well as extend upon previous work with South Asian sub‐groups with CHD in the United Kingdom (Chauhan, Baker, Lester & Edwards, ; Koshoedo et al., ; Sriskantharajah & Kai, ). To our knowledge this is the first in‐depth enquiry that has focused on the barriers to engaging in physical activity in a sample of South Asian individuals in North America.…”

“…Compared to 'white' patients, South Asian individuals had a greater increase in maximal achieved metabolic equivalents (METS) at exercise testing after completion of the 6-month program and were more likely to reach 85% of their target heart rate (Banerjee et al, 2007). Yet, emerging evidence from the United Kingdom suggests that individuals of South Asian ancestry are less likely than those of European descent to participate in either recreational physical activities or physical exercise offered through CR programs (Fischbacher, Hunt & Alexander, 2004;Hayes et al, 2002;Johnson, 2000;Koshoedo, Simkhada & van Teijlingen, 2009;Williams et al, 2011;Yates et al, 2010). This lack of physical exercise has recently been shown to explain >20% of the excess CHD mortality in the U.K. South Asian population (Williams et al, 2011).…”

Older people's perspectives on participation in physical activity: a systematic review and thematic synthesis of qualitative literature

“…A strength of our review is the breadth and comprehensiveness of our results, which are relevant to the general older population and to a range of physical activities. We have included 132 qualitative studies which is a considerably larger number than the four previous systematic reviews with narrower research questions (n=38,12 n=11,13 n=1814 and n=2415). In addition, we included articles in Spanish and Portuguese as well as English.…”

Diets of minority ethnic groups in the UK: influence on chronic disease risk and implications for prevention

“…Thus, assessing physical activity using self‐reported methods may be problematic, particularly among those individuals who are not fluent in the English language. Koshoedo et al . (2009) reviewed the barriers to physical activity for minority ethnic groups, which include personal factors such as lack of motivation, socio‐cultural barriers that are associated with lack of family support, as well as religious, language and cultural issues ( e.g.…”

“…Thus, assessing physical activity using selfreported methods may be problematic, particularly among those individuals who are not fluent in the English language. Koshoedo et al (2009) reviewed the barriers to physical activity for minority ethnic groups, which include personal factors such as lack of motivation, socio-cultural barriers that are associated with lack of family support, as well as religious, language and cultural issues (e.g. inappropriate dress codes and negative perceptions of exercise) and environmental factors, including lack of information and access because of limited availability of women-only facilities, high cost of participation and insufficient time.…”