Thread: Children of immigrants inactive, researchers say

Children of immigrants inactive, researchers say

They get even less exercise than U.S.-born peers
Associated Press
Aug. 4, 2008, 10:07PM
CHICAGO — Immigrant children of all backgrounds get even less vigorous exercise than their U.S.-born counterparts, the largest study of its kind suggests.

Plenty of earlier evidence shows that U.S. children are pretty inactive. The new study of nearly 70,000 children simply found even lower levels of activity among immigrants.

Almost 18 percent of foreign-born children with immigrant parents got no vigorous exercise on any days of the week, and 56 percent didn't participate in organized sports.

By contrast, 11 percent of U.S.-born children with American parents got no vigorous exercise, and 41 percent didn't participate in sports.

Given the obesity epidemic and immigrants accounting for about 13 percent of the U.S. population, the authors said it is important to know whether there are ethnic differences in physical activity and sedentary behaviors. They were led by Dr. Gopal Singh, a researcher at the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services' Maternal and Child Health Bureau.

Here's how the researchers explain their results: Immigrant families surveyed were on the whole poorer than non-immigrants and lived in less-safe neighborhoods. That means they likely had less time for exercise and sports, and worse access to places to engage in those activities.

But also, many immigrant parents place emphasis on reading, language lessons, studying and other inactive pursuits.

The new study also found that immigrant children generally watched less TV than U.S.-born kids, although it did not look at obesity levels.

"Many of our American norms are not healthy," said Dr. Sarah Armstrong, a Duke University childhood obesity expert. "Could we just teach them our good habits, and not our bad?"

The study appears in Monday's Archives of Pediatrics and Adolescent Medicine. It is based on 2003-04 telephone interviews with parents of children aged 6 to 17, including white, black, Hispanic and Asian immigrants


http://www.chron.com/disp/story.mpl/nation/5924265.html

Many of our American norms are not healthy," said Dr. Sarah Armstrong, a Duke University childhood obesity expert. "Could we just teach them our good habits, and not our bad?"



They refuse to even learn English, we're supposed to convince them to pick up healthy habits?

Well, if we didn't have to cut so many programs, or have schools so overcrowded, the children might actually get some exercise in school like we used to. PE...etc.

If our streets were safe and you felt like your child could ride a bike with friends and not get abducted, raped, murdered, or ran over by someone drunk or not having a license......they might get out more. If the local park wasn't tagged by some gang, parents might feel safe taking their children out.

If it wasn't so expensive to join, parents might sign their kid up for out of school sports, but many can't afford professional fee's for playtime.

I know where you live depends on this, but around here, unless you have money or are super talented, you don't even stand a chance of getting into anything.

We can’t even get them to learn our language....so it doesn't seem feasible that we can teach them better health habits.

This is very bad news because ultimately we the American tax payers are going to get saddled with their later health care costs…

Bad life style = Heart Disease ( CHD), Diabetes, Various Cancers = The American tax payers screwed again!

It's genetic and cultural! And it's NOT our problem! Cut out the food stamps!

If it wasn't so expensive to join, parents might sign their kid up for out of school sports, but many can't afford professional fee's for playtime.

Here if the kids are on free or reduced lunch they don't have to pay for school sports equipment, fees, school supplies, coats, hats, band instruments etc. They get them for free if they whine or pretend that they're poor as long as they are on the free lunch program! I don't know if that's what happens everywhere but it happens in my town.