Blekinge Centre of Competence, SE-371 81 Karlskrona, Sweden.
BMC Womens Health. 2014 Oct 23;14:129. doi: 10.1186/1472-6874-14-129.
Physical inactivity presents a major public health challenge and is estimated to cause six to ten percent of the major non-communicable diseases. Studies show that immigrants, especially women, have an increased risk of non-communicable diseases compared to ethnic Swedes. Somali immigrant women have increased rates of overweight and obesity, low fitness levels and low levels of cardiorespiratory fitness compared to non-immigrant women. These findings suggest that Somali women are at increased risk of developing lifestyle-related diseases. Few studies explore determinants of physical activity among Somali women. The aim of this study was to explore Somali women's views and experiences of physical activity after migration to Sweden.
A qualitative focused ethnographic approach was used in this study. Four focus groups were conducted with twenty-six Somali women ranging from 17 to 67 years of age. Focus group discussions were recorded, transcribed verbatim and analysed using qualitative content analysis.
The analysis resulted in four main themes and ten categories: Life in Somalia and Life in Sweden, Understanding and enhancing health and Facilitators and barriers to physical activity. Great differences were seen between living in Somalia and in Sweden but also similarities such as finding time to manage housework, the family and the health of the woman. The extended family is non-existent in Sweden, making life more difficult. Health was considered a gift from God but living a healthy life was perceived as the responsibility of the individual. Misconceptions about enhancing health occurred depending on the woman's previous life experience and traditions. There was an awareness of the importance of physical activity among the participants but lack of knowledge of how to enhance activity on an individual basis. Enhancing factors to an active lifestyle were identified as being a safe and comfortable environment.
Some barriers, such as climate, lack of motivation and time are universal barriers to an active lifestyle, but some factors, such as tradition and religion, are distinctive for Somali women. Since traditional Somali life never involves leisure-time physical activity, one cannot expect to compensate for the low daily activity level with leisure-time activity the Swedish way. Immigrant Somali women are a heterogeneous group with individual needs depending on age, education and background. Tailored interventions with respect to Somali traditions are necessary to achieve an actual increase in physical activity among migrant women of Somalian origin.
身体活动不足是一个主要的公共卫生挑战，据估计，它导致了 6%至 10%的主要非传染性疾病。研究表明，与瑞典族裔相比，移民，尤其是女性，患非传染性疾病的风险更高。与非移民女性相比，索马里移民女性超重和肥胖、健康水平低、心肺健康水平低的比例更高。这些发现表明，索马里女性患与生活方式相关疾病的风险增加。很少有研究探讨索马里女性身体活动的决定因素。本研究旨在探讨索马里女性移民到瑞典后对身体活动的看法和体验。
本研究采用定性聚焦民族志方法。对 26 名年龄在 17 岁至 67 岁之间的索马里女性进行了 4 次焦点小组讨论。对焦点小组讨论进行了录音、逐字记录，并使用定性内容分析进行了分析。
分析产生了四个主要主题和十个类别：索马里的生活和瑞典的生活、理解和增进健康以及身体活动的促进因素和障碍。在索马里和瑞典的生活有很大的不同，但也有相似之处，例如找时间管理家务、家庭和妇女的健康。在瑞典，大家庭不复存在，生活更加艰难。健康被认为是上帝的恩赐，但健康的生活被认为是个人的责任。增强健康的观念因妇女的先前生活经历和传统而异。参与者意识到身体活动的重要性，但缺乏如何在个人基础上增强活动的知识。促进积极生活方式的因素包括安全和舒适的环境。
一些障碍，如气候、缺乏动力和时间，是积极生活方式的普遍障碍，但有些因素，如传统和宗教，是索马里妇女特有的。由于传统的索马里生活从不涉及闲暇时间的身体活动，因此不能期望以瑞典人的方式通过闲暇时间的活动来弥补日常活动水平的低下。移民索马里妇女是一个异质群体，个人需求取决于年龄、教育和背景。需要针对索马里传统制定有针对性的干预措施，以实现索马里原籍移民妇女身体活动的实际增加。
