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eleven - Migration and nutrition
- Edited by Alan Walker, The University of Sheffield
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- Book:
- The New Dynamics of Ageing Volume 2
- Published by:
- Bristol University Press
- Published online:
- 13 April 2022
- Print publication:
- 25 July 2018, pp 197-216
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Summary
Introduction
The Bangladeshi population is one of the fastest growing ethnic groups within the UK. In 2011 the Bangladeshi population resident in England and Wales was 447,201, or 0.8 per cent of the total UK population; this is an increase of just over 50 per cent from the previous census in 2001 (ONS, 2012). Additionally, this group is reported to be one of the most deprived populations in the UK, having high rates of unemployment, social deprivation and low rates of education (Brice, 2008; Alexander et al, 2010). This group also has poorer self-reported and measured health status indicated by higher rates of disability, centralised obesity and chronic diseases such as type 2 diabetes and cardiovascular disease (Sproston and Mindell, 2006). Older Bangladeshi women are particularly affected as they play a lead role in caretaking for multiple generations within relatively large extended families, and many struggle to cope with the complex challenges of ageing, poverty, racism and social exclusion.
The migration of Bangladeshis to the UK has a long history, with the majority of those migrating originating from the Sylhet region in northeast Bangladesh (Gardner, 2002). Research has been dedicated to understanding how to improve the health of Bangladeshi residents in the UK; however, the majority of this research has concentrated on the Tower Hamlets region of London, limiting the amount of knowledge about those communities living outside of the London area (Brice, 2008). Findings from these studies may not be generalisable to other UK communities, so more research is needed to expand our understanding of this minority ethnic group and how to improve their health and wellbeing and reduce existing health inequalities.
MINA was a three-year project that examined ageing, migration and nutrition across two generations of Bangladeshi women living in Cardiff, UK and Sylhet, Bangladesh. The 2011 Census indicates that the Bangladeshi population living in Cardiff is 4,838, or approximately 45 per cent of the Bangladeshis living in Wales (ONS, 2012). This research builds on the existing literature focusing on migration and ageing among UK Bangladeshis (Gardner, 2002; Phillipson et al, 2003), providing new insights into specifically food, nutrition and their interactions with ageing and migration among UK Bangladeshi families who are living in communities outside of Tower Hamlets, London.
Understanding family, social and health experience patterns in British Bangladeshi families: are people as diverse as they seem?
- Kamila Hawthorne, Rosin Pill, Jasmin Chowdhury, Lindsay Prior
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- Journal:
- Primary Health Care Research & Development / Volume 8 / Issue 4 / October 2007
- Published online by Cambridge University Press:
- 01 October 2007, pp. 333-344
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- Article
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Aim
An exploratory study of the Cardiff Bangladeshi community in a primary care setting, prior to the development of culturally appropriate diabetes health education.
BackgroundBritish Bangladeshis are one of the most economically deprived communities in Britain, with high morbidity and mortality rates from chronic illness. Access and use of their services is perceived by Primary Health Care Teams (PHCTs) to be difficult, due to communication and cultural barriers.
MethodsOne-to-one tape-recorded interviews were held in Sylheti, Bengali or English with an age-stratified sample from the community registered with a practice in central Cardiff. The N*DIST package was used to analyse data, with ongoing discussion of emerging themes. The topics explored in these interviews were family structure and decision making within families, meal patterns, health beliefs, experiences of primary care and barriers to engaging with the outside world.
FindingsFamily structure and social patterns had many similarities with those of the local community, and dietary and health beliefs also followed ‘Western’ concepts. People were anxious to be healthy, but often did not know about core primary care services. The community places value on the opinion and support of primary care professionals. However, a major cross-cutting theme was difficulty in accessing health care (especially for women), and reasons for this are discussed in the paper. With this information, the PHCT can now consider adapting itself to improve access and communication. We suggest that our methodological approach is both relevant and achievable for those working in primary care settings in our increasingly multi-cultural, ethnically mixed communities, and is not purely the province of sociologists or academics (important learning points have been identified and highlighted).