Representative data indicate that people with a migration background in Germany are less physically active than people without one, and equitable physical activity promotion requires participatory, target-group-specific interventions together with structural conditions that ease access, as illustrated by the BIG project.
Representative data show that people with a migration background in Germany are less physically active than people without a migration background.
Key barriers to physical activity among people with a migration background include limited financial resources, language barriers, restricted opportunities for physical activity, and cultural factors.
Different forms of social disadvantage, such as those related to gender, socioeconomic status, and migration background, may intersect and reinforce barriers to access.
The BIG project ('Bewegung als Investition in Gesundheit') illustrates that participatory, target-group-specific interventions can reach women with a migration background.
Equitable physical activity promotion requires structural conditions that facilitate access to opportunities for physical activity, in addition to participatory and target-group-specific interventions.
Sustainable implementation and scaling-up of such interventions can contribute to reducing access barriers and promoting health equity.
This article reviews what is known about physical activity among people with a migration background in Germany and how to promote it. Representative data indicate that people with a migration background are less physically active than people without one. Reported reasons include limited money, language difficulties, few places or opportunities to be active, and cultural factors. Disadvantages linked to gender, income or education, and migration background can overlap and make access harder. Using the project "Bewegung als Investition in Gesundheit" (BIG) as an example, the authors show that programs designed together with the people they are meant for, and tailored to their needs, can reach women with a migration background. The abstract does not give numbers on how many were reached or how much activity changed. This research suggests that programs alone may not be enough. Conditions that make it easier to take part, such as accessible facilities and services, also seem to be needed. Keeping such programs going and expanding them could help reduce barriers and support fairer health opportunities. Because this is an overview, it describes the state of research rather than testing a new intervention.
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Upload Your LabsAbu-Omar K, Tcymbal A, Messing S, Gelius P. (2026). [Physical activity and physical activity promotion among people with a migration background in Germany].. Bundesgesundheitsblatt, Gesundheitsforschung, Gesundheitsschutz. https://doi.org/10.1007/s00103-026-04318-3