Co-designing an accessible route to exercise knowledge to improve wellbeing and health in ethnic minority women (Connect-Well)

Regular physical activity is widely recognised as essential for health. It helps prevent illness, supports independence, and enhances quality of life. However, strength-building exercises -crucial for maintaining muscle and bone health – are often overlooked.

Research shows that South Asian women are less likely to engage in regular physical activity, with only half regularly active, and just 1 in 3 doing any kind of strength-building exercises. This gap not only affects physical health, but also impacts mental wellbeing and life satisfaction: South Asian women who are less active often feel less satisfied with life, and less connected to a sense of purpose than South Asian men.

In a previous research study, we identified several barriers to physical activity among South Asian women, including cultural expectations, traditional gender roles, lack of family encouragement, and a lack of accessible, trustworthy information.

These findings underscored the need for culturally relevant, community-driven resources to promote strength-building.

Project aims

Connect Well is a research initiative focused on improving physical and mental wellbeing through strength-building activities, particularly within South Asian communities.

As part of this study, funded by the British Medical Association Foundation, we teamed up with 25 South Asian women to co-create a short animated video that explains why muscle strength matters and how to build it in everyday life.

The Connect Well team

• Dr Jonathan Quinlan, Assistant Professor in Exercise Physiology and Muscle Health, University of Birmingham
• Dr Kanta Kumar, Assosciate Professor of Health inequalities in Rheumatology practice, University of Birmingham
• Vanshika Agarwal, Research Associate, University of Birmingham

Academic steering committee

• Professor Afroditi Stathi, University of Birmingham
• Dr Sally Fenton, University of Birmingham

PPI steering committee

• Dr Fatima Zakia
• Mrs Smita Honap
• Mrs Shila Patel

Contact details

To discover more about the Connect Well project, please contact the research team via email below:

• Dr Jonny Quinlan: j.quinlan@bham.ac.uk
• Dr Kanta Kumar: k.kumar@bham.ac.uk