By Glen Munro From The Voice

PhD student wants to understand why African Caribbeans are disproportionately affected by certain diseases

A 36-YEAR-OLD doctoral student from north London is spearheading pioneering research to address the prevalence of diseases like prostate cancer and diabetes within Britain’s African Caribbean community.

Natalie Creary-Aninakwa, who is studying a PhD in public health, psychology and sociology at the University of East London, launched the Blue Project after her studies revealed significant gaps in the understanding of black people’s health and physical activity.

A number of statistics show that African Caribbeans who live in the UK are more likely than people from other cultures and ethnic backgrounds to have certain health conditions such as high blood pressure (hypertension), diabetes and prostate cancer.

This is also the case for some mixed-race people of African or African Caribbean descent.

Experts are not sure why these conditions are more common in people of African and Caribbean origin, but they think it may be linked to diet, lifestyle and different ways of storing fat in the body. People from African Caribbean communities are also more likely to be admitted to hospital for mental illness. The same is also true for mixed race people.

IMPACT

Everyday life has a big impact on mental health, and black communities in the UK are still more likely than others to face issues such as bad housing, unemployment, stress and racism, all of which can make people ill.

Coming from a professional background in increasing participation in physical activity at a local council level, Creary-Aninakwa wanted to undertake the study in a bid to understand some of the reasons behind these statistics and also what might be preventing people from these communities adopting a healthier lifestyle.

Commenting on the greater prevalence of certain diseases within the community Creary-Aninakwa said: “It’s not a secret that the black community experience poorer health than their white counterparts, the statistics tell us so. If you are African or Caribbean you are more likely to die from certain illnesses and live longer in poor health. But it doesn’t need to be this way. What we need is more research. It’s easy to say ‘this is the problem’ and hand out a leaflet. My study seeks to understand what shapes people’s lives, their experience of health and wellbeing and to identify solutions to improve the health outcomes of the community.”

DISEASE

The launch of the Blue Project comes in the wake of a recent survey published by Prostate Cancer UK, which revealed that one in 12 Black men will die from the disease.

Despite the risk posed by Prostate Cancer 86 per-cent of black men are unaware of the predicament they could face in the future.

It is unclear why the risk is greater but genes are thought to play a part. 48,000 men a year in the UK are diagnosed with prostate cancer.

QUESTIONS

Other key questions Creary-Aninakwa is hoping to examine include whether or not concerns among black women about their hair are preventing them from participating in sport.

She also wants to examine the view that black children are being kept away from outdoor exercise because their parents are worried about them being involved in street crime.

There is also evidence to suggest that children of mixed parentage/dual heritage participate in physical activity at higher rates than both the black community and white British children.

The Blue Project is expected to receive feedback from hundreds of respondents from an online survey, while scores of others will be interviewed in the London area.

The findings of the research project will be given to service providers, including local authorities and private sector organisations that design programmes that address diseases like diabetes and obesity.

■ If would like to find out more or get involved in the project you can e-mail Natalie on [email protected] or go to www.blueproject.co.uk

IMAGE: NEW RESEARCH: Natalie Creary-Aninakwa (Pic: Ewen Laycock)

For more on this story go to: http://www.voice-online.co.uk/article/study-black-peoples-health-launched