Schmidt Eva Berthelsen, Elmose-Østerlund Karsten, Ibsen Bjarne
Centre for Sports, Health, and Civil Society, Research Unit for Active Living, Department of Sports Science and Clinical Biomechanics, University of Southern Denmark, Odense, Denmark.
BMC Public Health. 2025 Jan 28;25(1):345. doi: 10.1186/s12889-025-21314-5.
Several studies have found that immigrants and descendants are less physically active than the majority population, particularly within sports clubs. However, most studies do not provide breakdowns by specific ethnic groups or organisational forms. Therefore, our paper analyses the influence of ethnicity, immigrant status, and sociodemographic and -economic characteristics on the physical activity participation of immigrants and descendants in sports clubs, commercial centres and self-organised activities in Denmark.
Data were collected through a survey study conducted in 2020, with responses from approximately 163,000 adults, of whom eight percent had an immigrant or descendant background. We conducted both a descriptive analysis of the dependent and independent variables and multiple logistic regression analyses, one including the entire sample (including citizens of Danish origin) and one including only citizens with an immigrant or descendant background.
Our analysis revealed that immigrants and descendants, particularly those of non-Western origin, were significantly less likely than ethnic Danes to be active within the three organisational forms, with the smallest differences observed regarding participation in commercial centres. The analysis also revealed that besides ethnicity, immigrant status and sociodemographic and -economic characteristics were relevant in explaining differences in physical activity participation.
Our study makes a significant contribution to the literature on physical activity participation among immigrants and descendants from various backgrounds. By utilising a robust sample size and employing statistical analysis, we offer novel insights into participation patterns that have traditionally been explored more qualitatively. Besides the need to study physical activity participation in different organisational forms among different ethnic backgrounds, we also highlight the importance of considering immigrant status and sociodemographic and -economic characteristics in understanding participation behaviours. These findings imply the importance of adopting a holistic and nuanced approach to promoting physical activity participation among immigrant and descendant populations, considering the multifaceted nature of the barriers and facilitators influencing engagement within different organisational settings.
多项研究发现，移民及其后代的身体活动比多数人口少，在体育俱乐部中尤其如此。然而，大多数研究并未按特定种族群体或组织形式进行细分。因此，我们的论文分析了种族、移民身份以及社会人口和经济特征对丹麦移民及其后代在体育俱乐部、商业中心和自发组织活动中的身体活动参与情况的影响。
数据通过2020年进行的一项调查研究收集，约16.3万名成年人参与了调查，其中8%有移民或后代背景。我们对因变量和自变量进行了描述性分析，并进行了多项逻辑回归分析，一项分析包括整个样本（包括丹麦裔公民），另一项分析仅包括有移民或后代背景的公民。
我们的分析表明，移民及其后代，尤其是非西方血统的移民及其后代，在这三种组织形式中参与身体活动的可能性明显低于丹麦族人，在商业中心参与身体活动的差异最小。分析还表明，除了种族外，移民身份以及社会人口和经济特征在解释身体活动参与差异方面也具有相关性。
我们的研究对不同背景的移民及其后代身体活动参与情况的文献做出了重大贡献。通过使用大量样本并进行统计分析，我们对传统上更多采用定性方法探讨的参与模式提供了新的见解。除了需要研究不同种族背景在不同组织形式中的身体活动参与情况外，我们还强调了在理解参与行为时考虑移民身份以及社会人口和经济特征的重要性。这些发现意味着，考虑到影响不同组织环境中参与情况的障碍和促进因素的多面性，采取全面而细致入微的方法来促进移民和后代群体的身体活动参与具有重要意义。
