Caring for your heart
Caring For Your Heart brings together medical and Islamic advice to help improve your lifestyle and strengthen your heart. This project was created by Maslaha, in partnership with Birmingham East and North Primary Care trust and Health Launchpad at the Young Foundation.
Maslaha focused on the Washwood Heath and Bordesley Green area of Birmingham, with an 80 per cent BME community – the majority of which are Pakistani. The PCT has identified significant problems in these areas, including:
Poor quality infrastructure, with many surgeries occupying converted houses poorly suited to their purpose
Home GPs seeing as many as 50 patients in three hours, despite long waiting hours
High unnecessary prescription of antibiotics
A vast proportion of patients do not need to see a GP, but visit because of reasons such as psycho-social problems, free prescriptions, worry, and little knowledge of how to manage own health
The typical vicious circle leads to a combination of poor diet, high salt intake, smoking and a lack of exercise contributing towards weight gain leading to abdominal obesity, which South Asians are particularly prone to.
The website and DVD were produced in partnership with Birmingham East and North Primary Care Trust and Health Launchpad at the Young Foundation. In the website you can find more information about how to maintain a healthy lifestyle through exercise and diet, as well you can find useful information about locally available groups (including women-only groups). You can also watch the films in English, Punjabi or Urdu. The resources were used by Amaanah Surgery, two schools in the local area and through a local youth organisation called Comm:Pact.
If you would like a copy of the Caring for Your Heart DVD, which contains the films, recipes, and all the information above, please email: info@maslaha.org.
