Health and Lifestyles -
Black and Ethnic Minority Groups in England, Second
Survey
Synopsis:
Reducing
inequalities in health is a key aim of the Government’s
public health policy. The Acheson report (1998), proves
evidence to show that social and economic factors affect
health and illness. There are systematic patterns
underlying ill-health: some groups within society
experience poorer health because of their socio-economic
status, gender or ethnicity, since these tend to be
correlated with low income, poorer education and poorer
material environment. The report recommends a broad
range of policies to reduce inequalities, with
particular emphasis on
improving the health of the ‘least well off in society’.
The Government has initiated a number of key policies to
tackle some of the most pressing sources of
inequalities. New national policies on education, the
‘Welfare to Work’ programme, and the introduction of the
national minimum wage, for instance, are but some of the
strategies currently being implemented to improve both
the material conditions and the social capital of the
most disadvantaged groups in British society. In
addition, targeted programmed such as Health Action
Zones, Education Action Zones, Sure Start and the New
Deal for Communities aim to tackle social exclusion in
particularly deprived areas. These programmes are all
expected to have significant positive effects on the
health of the least well off in society and are the
backdrop to the public health strategy, Our Healthier
Nation, which places ,particular emphasis on the healthy
neighbourhood as a focus for action on health
inequalities. They are essential: targeting the
structural factors that underpin inequalities IS crucial
if the present health differentials are to be
eradicated.
Black and ethnic minority groups are at a clear and
unjustifiable disadvantage in terms of their actual
health condition, of their knowledge about health
issues, and of their access to appropriate health
services. They are affected in much larger proportions
than the white population by certain conditions. They
tend to live in poorer material conditions. They
experience stress and often live in fear of racial
harassment. The situation of black and minority
ethnic groups can be significantly improved. The
Government initiatives outlined above area major step
towards this aim. They can make a radical contribution
to improving the social and economic circumstances of
the more deprived communities of this country,
regardless of their ethnic status.
However, unless ethnic minority needs are specifically
targeted, such programmed and initiatives will fad to
alleviate the burden of ill-health experienced by ethnic
minorities. In particular, they will fad to reach those
who cannot speak English, who have limited knowledge
about the nature and value of certain services, who find
the reformation presented to them inappropriate or
irrelevant, who have no means of access to services, or
who are systematically dissatisfied by their experiences
of health services.
In this context, health education has a key role to
play, both with respect to health professionals – in
sensitizing them to the needs of their communities – and
to lay people – in making them more knowledgeable of
risk factors associated with health, in diffusing
culturally relevant information, and in raising
awareness of the provisions available to them.
The HEA research presented here demonstrates that health
messages often fail to reach these groups. Strategies to
improve ethnic health include the development of
specific health promotion policies and strategies at
national, regional and local level and the development
of health messages and health promotion activities for
each community, in line with its own health needs and
culture and with the full involvement of that community.
Hamid Rehman
Head of Ethnic Minority Health
Health Education Authority
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