Exploring the physical activity of Iranian migrant women in the United Kingdom: a qualitative study

PURPOSE: This article explores the role migration has on the physical activity of Iranian migrant women living in the United Kingdom. METHOD: This qualitative study includes 22 first-generation Iranian migrant women, aged 24–64, residing in London. Data was collected through in-depth, semi-structured, individual interviews and was analyzed thematically. RESULTS: The findings show that for those women from traditional backgrounds, migration corresponds with liberation from social and cultural pressures experienced in Iran and greater motivation to adopt a physically active lifestyle. However, for Iranian women who had arrived in the UK more recently and had a higher social standing in Iran, migration was associated with the loss of their careers, sources of income, and social networks. These issues were compounded by a lack of cohesion in Iranian migrant communities and poor access to local physical activity resources. This resulted in diminishing motivation and the subsequent de-prioritisation of the women’s physical activity, even though they had regularly engaged in physical activity in Iran. CONCLUSION: Despite migration leading to improving physical activity for some Iranian women, for others, migration leads to marginality in Britain. Local authorities and Iranian community organizations need to adopt innovative strategies to reach out to recent Iranian migrant women.