Somali Perspectives on Physical Activity: PhotoVoice to Address Barriers and Resources in San Diego

Abstract

Background Though many immigrants enter the U.S. with a healthy body weight, this health advantage disappears the longer they reside in the U.S. To better understand the complexities of obesity change within a cultural framework, a community-based participatory research (CBPR) approach, Photovoice, was utilized focusing on physical activity among Muslim Somali women. Objectives The CBPR partnership was formed to identify barriers and resources to engaging in physical activity with goals of advocacy and program development. Methods Muslim Somali women (n = 8) were recruited to participate, trained and provided cameras, and engaged in group discussions about the scenes they photographed. Results Participants identified several barriers, including safety concerns, minimal culturally appropriate resources, and financial constraints. Strengths included public resources and a community support system. The CBPR process identified opportunities and challenges to collaboration and dissemination processes. Conclusions The findings laid the framework for subsequent program development and community engagement.

A Scoping Review of the Health of African Immigrant and Refugee Children

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Using Photovoice to Examine Physical Activity in the Urban Context and Generate Policy Recommendations: The Heart Healthy Hoods Study

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"We didn't know": An Examination of Health and Nutrition Knowledge, Behaviors and Clinical Risk Factors to Guide a Pilot Health Education Intervention for Refugees from Burma

“…The use of photography reduces potential cultural, language, or literacy barriers (common in groups new to the US) to data collection and/or participation in research (Martin, Garcia and Leipert 2010). Photovoice has been used to examine the diets of immigrants to the United States, low-income families, and obese individuals varying in age (Van Oss et al 2014;Heidelberger & Smith 2015;Murray et al 2015;Turk, Fapohunda, and Zoucha 2014;Watts et al 2015). Its use across a variety of age groups and populations has reduced barriers and allowed researchers to collect lifestyle-related data.…”