Published 4 November 2008, doi:10.1136/bmj.a2010
Cite this as: BMJ 2008;337:a2010

Editorials

Preventing diabetes in Bangladeshi people in Britain

Education is the key to empowerment and being able to resist cultural norms

The first 150 words of the full text of this article appear below.

In the linked qualitative study (doi:10.1136/bmj.a1931), Grace and colleagues assess lay beliefs and attitudes, religious teachings, and professional perceptions in relation to the primary prevention of diabetes in socioeconomically deprived British Bangladeshis.¹

Lifestyle changes, in the form of regular exercise and dietary modifications, can prevent 58% of type 2 diabetes in people at high risk.² South Asians in Europe—people from Pakistan, India, Bangladesh, and Sri Lanka—have a four to six times greater risk of developing type 2 diabetes than white Europeans. They also get the disease about 10 years earlier and have higher rates of cardiovascular complications, renal complications, and death. People from Bangladesh are the worst affected,³ so prevention in this group is a public health priority.

Several characteristics of the socioeconomically deprived migrant south Asian community in Europe have been reported, including being a hard group to reach⁴; being "fatalistic"; and often blaming their diabetes . . . [Full text of this article]

¹ Centre for Chronic Disease Control, Initiative for Cardiovascular Health Research in the Developing Countries, New Delhi 110016, India

CiteULike    Complore    Connotea    Del.icio.us    Digg    Reddit    StumbleUpon    Technorati    What's this?

Relevant Articles

Patients are ready for partnership

Fiona Godlee
BMJ 2008 337: a2431. [Extract] [Full Text]

Prevention of type 2 diabetes in British Bangladeshis: qualitative study of community, religious, and professional perspectives

Clare Grace, Reha Begum, Syed Subhani, Peter Kopelman, and Trisha Greenhalgh
BMJ 2008 337: a1931. [Abstract] [Full Text] [PDF]

Preventing diabetes in south Asians

Tahseen A Chowdhury, Clare Grace, and Peter G Kopelman
BMJ 2003 327: 1059-1060. [Extract] [Full Text] [PDF]

Health beliefs and folk models of diabetes in British Bangladeshis: a qualitative study

Trisha Greenhalgh, Cecil Helman, and A Mu'min Chowdhury
BMJ 1998 316: 978-983. [Abstract] [Full Text] [PDF]

Rapid Responses:

Read all Rapid Responses

Lack of vitamin D most likely a contributing factor

Helga M Rhein
bmj.com, 10 Nov 2008 [Full text]

Obama lessons and baked samosas: a quantum leap for better health.

Vivian S Rambihar MD, et al.
bmj.com, 23 Nov 2008 [Full text]

Online poll

Find out more >>