South Asian Health Foundation wins BMJ “Diabetes team of the year” award

Innovative Education Project Has Measurably Improved Care In Diabetes Through Better Engagement With Patients and Carers

The South Asian Health Foundation (SAHF) has been named ‘Diabetes Team of the Year’ at the prestigious 2015 BMJ Awards. SAHF was praised during the judging process for their innovative community education programme that has helped to break down cultural barriers in South Asian communities which have historically held back self-management of the condition and engagement with NHS services by those directly affected by diabetes.

The judges commented:

This impressive project targeted a high risk population in seven major cities in the UK and is breaking down cultural barriers by taking important diabetes education out into the communities – to schools, community centers and places of worship, embedding health ambassadors in schools and recruiting local pharmacists as champions. They are achieving powerful attitudinal changes in areas of significant educational need

Funded by an educational grant from Novo Nordisk, a global leader in diabetes care, the project targeted all the main cultures across the South Asian community. Some 11 events were hosted by SAHF and local organisations in community centres, temples and GP practices, from Glasgow down to London. The events aimed to address issues of awareness and understanding of diabetes across the ‘at risk’ populations in South Asian communities in the UK. The events saw 400 people of South Asian origin with type 2 diabetes attend, and a post-project report was launched in Parliament with supporting speeches from Secretary of State for Health Jeremy Hunt and National Clinical Director for Obesity and Diabetes at NHS England, Professor Jonathan Valabhji.

Dr Kiran Patel, Consultant Cardiologist & NHS England Area Team Medical Director and Chair of Trustees, SAHF said:

We are thrilled to have been named as Diabetes Team of the Year as part of the prestigious BMJ Awards. The feedback from the judges was fantastic, and we are proud to see our efforts being celebrated in this way. The shift in attitude and understanding of diabetes brought about by this community education programme is encouraging; it has made a real difference to the lives of South Asians living with diabetes, as well as their families

“We are proud to have supported the South Asian Health Foundation in this important initiative,” said Klaus Henning Jensen, Novo Nordisk’s Head of Clinical, Medical and Regulatory Affairs for UK and Ireland. “The project met a clear need in the South Asian community and was successful in using educational intervention to break down barriers and expose myths around self-management and treatment that exist in this setting”.

About the report ‘South Asian community health education and empowerment in diabetes’

Using data from the 2011 census, the SAHF Education & Empowerment in Diabetes report launched in Parliament estimated that, of the 3 million South Asians live in the UK, around 388,000 South Asians are living with type 2 diabetes. South Asians are six times more likely to develop Type 2 diabetes when compared to white Europeans and, more importantly, tend to present with diabetes at an earlier age with an associated increase in the risk of disease-related complications. Importantly, the challenges facing this community are compounded by cultural factors that are seen to impact on disease management, including self-care and willingness to engage with NHS treatment options.

The report includes detailed summaries of each of the events hosted by SAHF and brings together some of the key lessons learned that will influence future diabetes education programmes in the South Asian community. Some 228 people across the main South Asians communities completed a questionnaire at the beginning of each event, with questions designed to identify levels of awareness of diabetes, including perceptions specific to South Asian culture. The report identified the need for specific effort and targeting in key areas, including:

Commissioning more education: SAHF’s 2012 programme showed the need for culturally appropriate education that addresses the specific and diverse needs of the South Asian community. This year’s programme demonstrates that this gap remains, and that the educational interventions can improve the lives of those with diabetes while simultaneously reducing the costs of their condition to the NHS. Commissioners are urged to do more to tap into this opportunity by providing more tailored education.

Targeting younger people: more needs to be done to educate young South Asians generally about diabetes. However, arguably the most significant reactions across this year’s events were in relation to the risks to children of cultural habits around diet and lifestyle. HCPs and others working in this area should focus on how positive interventions in diet and lifestyle introduced by parents can significantly reduce the chances of their children being diagnosed with diabetes later in life.

Targeting gestational diabetes: There is a clear need for culturally appropriate information targeted at South Asian women with gestational diabetes, alongside educating midwives about the risk factors for South Asian women so that they can provide more diet and lifestyle information as well as more specialised help at the right time.

Tailoring dietary messaging: the role of sugar in the diet should continue to feature but we need to look for change beyond this, from reducing alcohol consumption in some communities to the wider promotion of diet management during fasting.

About SAHF

The South Asian Health Foundation (SAHF) was founded to raise awareness of ethnic health issues, catalyse research into ethnic health and act as an advocacy group. The main goals are to promote health campaigns, catalyse healthcare research in South Asians and act as an advocacy group to ensure appropriate and equitable health service provision for the South Asian population.