ABSTRACT
This chapter aims to examine how ethnic minority families, using South Asian (SA) families as an example, transmit and absorb health messages on physical activity (PA) and sedentary time (ST) and will make recommendations for how future health promotion, policies and interventions can benefit from understanding and incorporating these lessons into their development. It focuses specifically on social and cultural determinants of PA and ST in ethnic minority groups (EMG) families. Just as social support has an influence on PA and ST, social networks in which this support takes place can have a positive or negative effect on activity. Aspects of culture can include language, diet, religious beliefs, attitudes and family traditions. In fact Bangladeshis and Pakistanis account for 17 per cent of Muslim community in UK. These groups have been reported to be most socio-economically deprived of the SA groups and one of the most deprived populations in UK, having high rates of unemployment and low rates of education.
