Delivering Exercise Services to Refugees and Asylum Seekers in High-Income Countries

Abstract

ABSTRACT Given the recent unprecedented number of refugees resettled in the United States of America yearly, exercise professionals in high-income countries are increasingly likely to engage with refugees and asylum seekers in their practice. Resettled refugees and asylum seekers often experience an array of stressors, including traumatic experiences associated with forced displacement, postdisplacement challenges, and cultural adjustment. These stressors place refugees and asylum seekers at greater risk of both mental and physical health disparities than people who have not experienced forced displacement. While exercise is associated with improved physical and mental health outcomes, refugees and asylum seekers are at a high risk of inactivity, and they face barriers at interpersonal, structural, and sociocultural levels. This expert commentary outlines strategies to address considerations in working with refugees and asylum seekers, including the impact of the refugee experience, the need to harness the client’s strengths and resources to foster exercise self-efficacy, and the cultural capability of the exercise workforce. The aims are to draw attention to the refugee experience and to equip exercise professionals with guidance to provide quality, person-centered, and strength-based services to refugees and asylum seekers within a safe and culturally sensitive environment.