East Meets West: Chinese-Canadians' perspectives on health and fitness

Background: Chinese-Canadians comprise one of Canada's largest and fastest-growing ethnocultural groups. This exploratory qualitative study examined how Chinese-Canadians' views of health and fitness, and their understanding of mainstream Western health care and fitness programs, influence their health behaviours, health beliefs, and use of health care services. This issue is explored against the backdrop of immigration and processes of integration to understand how this immigrant population reconciles conceptions of health acquired in their originating cultures with their experiences in Western society. Methods: Semi-structured interviews were conducted with 10 first-generation Chinese-Canadians to elicit their views and experiences with the concepts of health and fitness. Interview transcripts were analyzed using an inductive analytic approach involving constant comparison of emerging themes to the data. Results: The analysis revealed that participants had integrated some Canadian health and fitness practices in their daily lives, particularly in their diet and use of health care services. Nonetheless, Chinese-Canadians retained their view of the superiority of Eastern conceptions of health and health practices. Both positive and negative changes in their health practices attributed to their immigration experiences. Interpretation: The integration of some Western health and fitness practices does not appear to be based on changes in values and beliefs. The evolution and pattern of Chinese-Canadians' practice of health and fitness is complex over the course of immigration and acculturation. The findings of this study suggest the importance of attending to actual practices as a way of understanding how immigration may affect health behaviour and health status.