Lifestyle factors and health promotion

Background information

Patient information (English only)

Patient information (English and other languages)

Other useful resources

Background information

• In the UK there has been a lot of public information through the media, via health campaigns and in schools to raise awareness of lifestyle issues that are important factors in determining health. Most people born here will have received information about issues such as:
  • What is currently considered to constitute a healthy diet
  • The importance of an active lifestyle/exercise
  • The harmful effects of smoking and excessive alcohol intake or substance abuse
• The emphasis placed on health promotion varies between countries globally and some migrants may not have had much if any exposure to messages about the lifestyle choices they might make which can impact on their long-term wellbeing.
• Certain ethnic groups are at higher risk of particular chronic diseases such as diabetes and coronary heart disease.
• Migrants in certain communities may use culturally specific substances e.g. Khat in the Somali community.
• Some imported products e.g. cosmetics used by migrant communities may pose a chemical hazard. 

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Patient information (English only)

Aap Ki Sehat (Our Health) [external link] Asian men's health videos

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Patient information (English and other languages)

NHS smokefree [external link] resources and leaflets for inspiration and encouragement to quit smoking in different languages.

NHS smokefree South Asian tobacco use [external link] information including the NHS Asian Tobacco Helpline, available in Urdu, Punjabi, Hindu, Gujarati, Bengali. 

QUIT (smoking) services for minority ethnic communities [external link] - helplines available in Arabic, Bengali, Gujarati, Hindi, Kurdish, Turkish, Punjabi and Urdu.

DrugScope [external link] information on various substances of abuse in different languages.

Keep Warm, Keep Well: A guide for families (2009 edition) [external link] (Department of Health information leaflet). Available in English, Arabic, Bengali, Chinese, Polish, Punjabi and Urdu.

School fruit and vegetable scheme: information for parents [external link] (Department of Health information leaflet). Available in English, Albanian, Arabic, Bengali, Chinese, Croatian, French, Greek, Gujarati, Hindi, Polish, Punjabi, Somali, Spanish, Turkish, Urdu, Vietnamese.

Living with diabetes: your future and well being [external link] (Department of Health information leaflet). Available in English, Bengali, Chinese, Gujarati, Punjabi, Urdu.

British Heart Foundation South Asian publications [external link]. Available in English, Bengali, Gujarati, Hindi, Punjabi, and Urdu.

Bengali Women's Health Project [external link] leaflets including steps to a healthy life-style, food for diabetes, information on Paan chewing, and others.

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Other useful resources

Eat well, be well [external link] (Food Standards Agency - English and Welsh only)

Live well information [external link] (NHS choices on a range of lifestyle factors - English only)

Cardio Wellness [external link] - aims to tackle health inequality and raises awareness and provides education and support to deprived, hard to reach communities on CHD, diabetes, obesity, exercise & risks of smoking, shisha and tobacco chewing.

South Asian health [external link] (NHS Information pages - English only)

Diabetes Lifestyle [external link], a Diabetes UK newsletter providing information and advice specifically for black and minority ethnic communities.

The Ismaili Nutrition Centre [external link], a joint initiative between the Aga Khan Health Board (UK) and TheIsmaili.org; a guide to traditional foods of African, Central and South Asian, and Middle Eastern origin.

Black health [external link] (NHS Information pages - English only)

NHS smokefree [external link] (NHS Information pages for inspiration and encouragement to quit smoking)

DrugScope [external link] (a charity providing drug information)

Mambo [external link] (the healthier lifestyle magazine for Africans)

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