Abstract
Objectives: The main objective was to study the influences of gender, ethnicity, and socioeconomic factors on a popular Norwegian outdoor activity: walking in the woods. Design: Data from the large Young in Oslo 2006 (YiO 2006) youth survey is used to investigate the relationship between ethnic and class background and gender in relation to hiking in the woods. In the representative survey sample, 11 529 adolescent respondents aged 16 to 19 were asked how often they participated in hiking in the woods during the season. Results: Analyses show that more girls than boys are active hikers and that fewer descendents from non-western immigrants and working-class youngsters are active compared to ethnic Norwegian and middle-class adolescents, respectively. Furthermore, cultural aspects of class seem to be more important than economic ones. A logistic regression analysis shows that the relationship between country of origin and hiking is significantly reduced when class measures are introduced into the model, which implies that the initial difference between ethnic minorities and ethnic Norwegians to some extent can be considered to be a class phenomenon. Conclusion: Norwegian authorities express great concern over health issues among the large group of non-western descendents in Norway, pointing to the Nordic tradition of outdoor recreation as one means of being physically active. This paper concludes that in the effort to recruit ‘immigrant' youngsters to outdoor activities, one should keep in mind that a large proportion of the minority population also belongs to the working classes.
Highlights
In its ‘Global strategy on diet, physical activity and health, the 57th World Health Organisation Assembly of 2004 urged member states to implement actions to promote increased physical activity (PA)
The increase was especially rapid among MexicanAmerican and non-Hispanic black adolescents
4.2 per cent report that they go for a walk in the woods several times a week, and 7.3 per cent hike about once every week
Summary
In its ‘Global strategy on diet, physical activity and health, the 57th World Health Organisation Assembly of 2004 urged member states to implement actions to promote increased physical activity (PA). According to World Health Report of 2002, the proportion of adults who live a sedentary life ranges from 60 per cent to 85 per cent across the populations studied, and it estimated that less than one-third of young people are sufficiently active to benefit their future health. Ogden et al (2002) have shown that the prevalence of overweight children and adolescents in the U.S increased considerably from 1960 to 1994, and continued to increase by an additional 15 per cent by 2000. Felton et al (2002) have shown the importance of the role of ethnicity, finding that a higher proportion of overweight and a lower level of PA among black than among white girls. Similar findings have been presented in many other countries (e.g., WHO, 1998)
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