Health Education Project
National data suggest that Bangladeshis are 1.5 times more likely (than Indian, African, Asian, Chinese and White) to suffer ill health; five times more likely to be diagnosed with diabetes than White people, and 50% more likely to suffer coronary heart disease. Older Bangladeshis (50-74) had the highest percentage of all ethnic groups who described health as poor. Older Bangladeshis visit GPs twice as frequently as the average UK citizen.
An initial assessment carried out by the Imperial College team, and reported in early 2000 suggested that Bangladeshis in North Paddington experience high levels of exclusion and disadvantage, in education, employment, health, housing and other domains; underpinned by a difficulties with English language and literacy skills. However, few concrete data to support this view were available.
The lack of a comprehensive description of the community, its size, condition, development needs and resources has compromised both service planning and design on the part of statutory and voluntary organisations active in the area; and has reduced the potency of the community's efforts to advocate on its own behalf.
In its report of 2002, the Imperial College found that overall, 90% of respondents lived in households with greater than 1.5 persons per bedroom. This compares with 19% for Bangladeshis nationally in the 1991 Census and with 0.05% of the whole population in the same Census.
Many community members described links between crowded and poor housing and other problems: negative effects on children's health, and difficult environment for children's homework and study, and a tendency for young people to hang around on the street.
Interview and focus group participants indicated that women delayed in attending predominantly male GPs, and both men and women relied on other people to act as interpreter (sometimes having children take this role). There was also considerable concern expressed about GPs ability to understand, and patients' ability to explain their problems.
Older women said they were too old to work, had no time to look for work and were prevented from working by family responsibilities. Middle group men reported that family responsibilities and qualifications were their main barriers to getting a job
Older men felt that being too old and being disabled were their main barriers. The "other" barriers mentioned by older men concerned being too ill to work. About one quarter of older men were not working due to ill health. Childcare, training and more information were seen as the types of help needed.
There is evidence that health promotion needs to be delivered in a way that is more appropriate to the Bangladeshi community, and there is a body of experience as to how this might be achieved.
This is why for the past 4 years, we have worked very closely with the Westminster Primary Care Trust, Westminster City Council and other voluntary sector/ community based partners to deliver a range of health promotion services/projects and activities.
Our Health Education Project has facilitated numerous health sessions at the Luncheon Club and The Beethoven Centre. These sessions have focused on range of issues such as Smoking and Smoking Cessation; Diet, Heart disease, Diabetes, Oral health (including tobacco in paan) Asthma, Children's health and more.
These sessions have been very successful, but we believe the message needs to be reiterated over and over again. We have therefore planned more health sessions take place in the coming months. These sessions are designed with the prevailing needs of the community in mind.
Proportions of the sample experiencing specific problems were:
| Around half of Bangladeshi men and women over the age of 45 reported bad health. | |
|---|---|
| Heart problems | (10%) |
| High blood pressure | (18% and 44% in older groups) |
| Stress/Anxiety | (26%; 32% in middle group and 64% in older women) |
| Arthritis | (13%). |
| Walking problems | (24% and 46% in older age groups) |
| Diabetes | (20%) (53% in older age groups) |
| Respiratory/Breathing problems | (13%) |