Effects of a lifestyle programme on accelerometer-measured physical activity level and sedentary time on overweight and obese women of Somali background living in Norway

TL;DR

A lifestyle program aimed to increase physical activity and reduce sedentary time in overweight Somali women in Norway, but objective measures showed no improvement, while self-reported data suggested some success.

Contribution

This study evaluates a culturally tailored intervention's effectiveness in improving physical activity among overweight Somali women in Norway using both objective and subjective measures.

Findings

Objective measures showed no significant change in physical activity or sedentary time between groups.

Self-reported data indicated significant increases in vigorous and total physical activity in the intervention group.

High dropout rates and low attendance may have impacted the program's effectiveness.

Abstract

Given the elevated prevalence and impact of overweight and the potential risk of non-communicable diseases among women of Somali background in high-income countries and recognising the potential positive impact of physical activity (PA) on these health conditions, it becomes imperative to focus on understanding the PA behaviour of this specific population. The objectives of this paper were twofold: firstly, to provide a comprehensive description of both objectively and subjectively measured PA level and sedentary time in a group of overweight women of Somali background in Norway, and secondly, to assess the effectiveness of a tailored, culturally sensitive, community-based intervention in increasing PA and reducing sedentary time.

169 overweight women of Somali background in Norway were randomised by borough to either a lifestyle programme or a comparison group. The programme consisted of two sessions per week for 12 weeks, combining classroom discussion with graded group-based PA led by coaches, followed by monthly sessions over nine months. PA was measured objectively using the ActivPAL monitor and subjectively using the international PA questionnaire short form (IPAQ-SF) at baseline and 12 months after baseline.

The women took on average 6804 (SD = 3286) steps per day and were sedentary for 9.1 (SD = 3) hours per day at baseline. There were no differences between groups on any accelerometer measured PA variable at any timepoint. There were significant differences on vigorous intensity PA (25.9 min; 95% CI 7.7, 44.1) and total PA (77.6 min; 95% CI 13.2, 142.1) at the 12-month measurement session between the two groups using the IPAQ-SF.

Despite observing initially low PA levels and high sedentary time at baseline and thus a considerable potential for intervention, the intervention failed in attaining an increase in accelerometer measured PA or reduction in sedentary time compared to the control condition. However, self-reported measures indicated success in these aspects. The potential threats to the programme’s reliability and validity include high drop-out rates possible due to the COVID-19 pandemic, contamination and low attendance rates. These challenges underscore the complexity of interventions in this demographic, emphasising the need for further exploration and refinement of methodologies to effectively enhance PA levels and reduce sedentary time in immigrant women living in high-income countries.

clinicaltrials.gov NCT04578067, registered May 2021.

The online version contains supplementary material available at 10.1186/s12889-025-22475-z.

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