DIFFERENCES IN PHYSICAL ACTIVITY AMONG IMMIGRANT AND NON - IMMIGRANT CHILDREN AND YOUTH

Abstract

Background: The Canadian 24-hour movement guidelines recommend minimum 60 minutes of moderate/vigorous PA daily. Immigrant children and youth are reported to be less physically active, compared to third generation/non-immigrant children. Possible explanations for these differences are multifactorial. Objectives: 1) Examine differences in PA by immigrant generational status; 2) Examine differences in PA between immigrant and non-immigrant children and youth when adjusting for socio-economic and demographic characteristics, including neighbourhood differences, and mental health (MH). Methods: This was a cross-sectional study using Ontario Child Health Study data. A binary cut-off was determined for PA: meeting PA guidelines or not meeting PA guidelines. Descriptive statistics and basic and fully adjusted logistic regression models were conducted. Analyses were divided by age groups: 4–11-year-old and 12-17-year-old. Results: Only complete cases were included, resulting in a final sample size of 8301 participants. Among the 4–11-year-old children, the odds of meeting guidelines were 50% less for first-generation immigrant children, compared to third generation/non-immigrant children (p<0.001) and 37% less for second-generation immigrant children (p=0.001). The odds of meeting guidelines were 30% less for females compared to males (p<0.001), and for each year older, the odds were 9% less (p<0.001). Among youth, the odds of meeting guidelines were 40% less for first-generation immigrant youth compared to third generation/non-immigrant youth (p=0.01). In the fully adjusted model with PMK-reported MH measures, the odds of meeting PA guidelines were 15% higher for each increase in externalizing score (p<0.001) and 7% less for each increase in internalizing score (p=0.001). Similar findings were noted in the models with youth-reported MH measures. In both age groups, the addition of ethnicity had attenuated the OR associated with immigrant generational status and was non-significant. Conclusion: Immigrant children and youth are less likely to meet PA guidelines. Future research should assess for underlying mechanisms that may be driving the observed associations.