High blood pressure is a major challenge for the black community in the UK with 33% of black adults having high blood pressure compared to 16% of white adults. When we look at the actual numbers, to understand the scale of the problem, the black community makes up 3.3% of the UK’s population so a staggering 625,503 black people in the UK are known to have high blood pressure; we have to do something about this.

What is high blood pressure?

Blood pressure is a measure of how much force (pressure) our blood exerts on our blood vessels (our arteries and veins). High blood pressure, medically known as hypertension, occurs when the force our blood exerts on our vessels is consistently higher than what is considered to be a healthy level, which is generally 120/80mmHg.  If a person has several blood pressure measurements, on separate occasions, which are 140/90mmHg or higher then they are considered to have high blood pressure. This is a major concern because it is associated with a number of health complications with people suffering from high blood pressure being twice as likely to have a heart attack or stroke. This is because the high pressure can damage our arteries affecting the blood supply to our heart or brain.

What causes high blood pressure?

The exact cause of high blood pressure is unknown but there are a number of factors that increase a person’s risk of developing high blood pressure and many of these factors are associated with lifestyle and these include: lack of physical activity,  an unhealthy diet (especially a diet high in salt), being overweight or obese, drinking too much alcohol, stress and smoking. Furthermore, your risk of developing high blood pressure increases as you get older, and you’re at a higher risk if you have a family history of high blood pressure, are from the black community and suffer from sleep apnoea. Additionally there are a number of health conditions that increase a person’s risk of developing high blood pressure so for example people who have diabetes, kidney disease and adrenal and thyroid disorders are at increased risk of developing high blood pressure.

Why is the black community at higher risk of developing high blood pressure?

We know that the black community in the UK are twice as likely to develop high blood pressure as their white counterparts and are more likely to develop it at a younger age, but the question is: why?  Research suggests that there may be several reasons for this and here are just four key reasons:

Salt Sensitivity

We now know that people respond to salt differently so some people who consume large amounts of salt will not go on to develop high blood pressure whilst others will.  This has led to a term called salt sensitivity which is a measure of how a person’s blood pressure responds to salt. A person who is salt sensitive is likely to develop high blood pressure from consuming salt whilst a person who is salt resistant is unlikely to develop high blood pressure from consuming salt.

Sodium (salt is sodium chloride), blood pressure and fluid balance are controlled by the renin-angiotensin-aldosterone system in our body. In this system hormones control the absorption of sodium by the blood and therefore control our blood pressure. People who are salt sensitive have genetic variations in some of the genes involved in the renin-angiotensin-aldosterone system which makes them less able to handle salt and maintain a normal blood pressure.

Members of the black community are more likely to be salt sensitive particularly black Americans and black Caribbeans who are thought to have inherited the aforementioned genetic variations.

Salt Intake

Work by the Consensus Action on Salt and Health has found that:

“The majority of salt consumed by people of black African descent is from salt added in cooking and/or at the table. This is in contrast to the rest of the UK population (and indeed the Western world) where 75% of salt intake comes from processed foods. A health survey in England found that 83% of black men and 85% of black women added salt in cooking. Over a quarter (28%) of the same population add salt at the table. Salted meats and fish like salt-fish and salt-beef, and heavily seasoned meats such as fried chicken, stews and curries can contain a lot of salt.”

 This suggests that the black people may consume more salt than their white counterparts and when this is coupled with the salt sensitivity phenomena this is a recipe for disaster when it comes to high blood pressure.

Increased Risk of Diabetes

Diabetes is a key risk factor for high blood pressure with about 80% of type 2 diabetics suffering from high blood pressure.  When we look at how diabetes affects the black community data suggests that the black community is three times more likely to develop diabetes than their white counterparts, and this will mean that as a result of diabetes black people will be more likely to develop high blood pressure. Again, if we put this into numbers, to understand the scale of the problem, it is estimated that 5.3% of the UK’s black population have type two diabetes compared to 1.7% of the white population which means that  50,000  black people in the UK are affected by diabetes and hence are at a higher risk of developing high blood pressure.

Lifestyle

We also know that the black community are at increased risk of high blood pressure due to other lifestyle factors, for example black African women in the UK have been found to have the highest prevalence of obesity and obesity is a risk factor for high blood pressure. Additionally, the black community are less likely to be physical active with  NICE reporting  that:

“African-Caribbeans aged 16 to 74 years, 62 per cent of men and three quarters of women do not participate in enough physical  activity to benefit their health* (HEA 1995a), compared with the general population (59 per cent of men and 68 per cent of women (HEA 1995b).”

Physical inactivity is a key risk factor for high blood pressure and the above shows that many black people are not achieving their recommended level of physical activity putting us at a higher risk of developing high blood pressure.

What can we do?

In order to tackle this problem we clearly need to make some changes to our diet and lifestyle.  We can make a significant difference by looking at our salt intake. The government recommends that adults consume no more than 6g of salt a day. To achieve this we have to:

• Avoid adding salt to our food and use herbs and spices to season our food
• Avoid processed foods
• Ask restaurants to  prepare low-salt versions of the dishes on their menu

For some great tips on how to reduce your salt intake visit Consensus Action on Salt and Health’s website

Additionally we have to get more active and aim to do 30 minutes of physical activity every day and we have to tackle diabetes. We can reduce our risk of developing diabetes through lifestyle changes, – a healthy diet, being active and maintaing a healthy weight.

Finally, there needs to be collaboration between the government, the food industry, the public and charities to ensure that it is easy for all of us to achieve a healthy lifestyle or else this problem of high blood pressure will not go away.

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References

1. Ageymang C & Bhopal R. Is the blood pressure of people from African origin adults in the UK higher or lower than that in European origin white people? A review of cross-sectional data. Journal of Human Hypertension. 2003; 17(8). 523-534
2. Blood Pressure UK.
3. D Lane, D G Beevers and G Y H Lip. Ethnic differences in blood pressure and the prevalence of hypertension in England Journal of Human Hypertension (2002) 16, 267-273. DOI: 10.1038/sj/jhh/1001371
4. Diabetes UK. Diabetes: Facts and Stats (2014)
5. Diabetes UK. Diabetes in the UK 2011/2012: Key Statistics on Diabetes. Diabetes UK, 2011
6. Fuchs FD. Why Do Black Americans Have Higher Prevalence of Hypertension? An Enigma Still Unsolved. Hypertension.2011; 57: 379-380
7. Gatineau M, Mathrani S. Obesity and Ethnicity. Oxford:  National Obesity Observatory, 2011
8. NICE. Promoting Physical Activity Among Black and Minority Ethnic Groups
9. Scarborough P, Bhatnagar P, Kaur A, Smolina K, Wickramasinghe K and Raynew M.Ethnic Differences in Cardiovascular Disease. Oxford:  University of Oxford/British Heart Foundation, 2010
10. Sullivan JM.1991. Salt sensitivity. Definition, conception, methodology, and long-term issues. Hypertension. 17(1 Suppl):I61-8. PMID:1987013.
11.  The Stroke Association. Stroke in African Caribbean People. London: The Stroke Association, 2012
12. 2011 UK Census

Last week, Diabetes UK reported that the number of people living with diabetes has risen by a staggering 60% over the past 10 years.  They stated that 3.3 million people in the UK have some form of the condition which is up from 2.1 million in 2005.

About  90% of diabetes cases are type II which is strongly linked to lifestyle  (diet and obesity) therefore we can reverse this trend by encouraging the UK’s population to change their lifestyle and adopt a healthy lifestyle.

The black community is three times more likely to develop diabetes and hence it is important that we take note of these statistics and make a concerted effort to do something about this.

As a community we have to look at our diet, make changes and get more active in order to beat this condition.

On Wednesday 5^th August we were delighted to take part in TWYLYTE VIP’s Creative Arts, Entertainment and Networking Summer Event.  This was an excellent event that brought together representatives from the music, film, fashion and media industries and gave us the prefect opportunity to raise awareness of a very important health issue, cervical cancer.

The event was hosted by Jaye of TWYLYTE PR and recording artist Kele Leroc who started the night’s proceedings with live interviews featuring actor Femi Oyeniran (Kidulthood and Anuvahood); Emmanuel Anyiam-Osigwe, the director of the British Urban Film Festival; Nadine Woodley and Dani Mosely writers of the stage play The Forty Elephants; and Martina Barnett from Inside Out.

After the inspirational and informative live interviews we moved on to the ‘FASHION Meets AWARENESS’ Magnetic Fashion Show.  FASHION Meets AWARENESS is the brain child of Celena of Magnetic Fashion Connections and it aims to showcase creative designers whilst highlighting important health issues – an excellent idea. The fashion show featured a collection of creations from a new wave of fashion designers that included Erwin Michalec, Sonia Funnell and Dee Naturals. Following the fashion show we delivered the awareness part of FASHION Meets AWARENESS  with a short presentation on cervical cancer covering what is cervical cancer, what causes it, risk factors, screening, the HPV vaccination and the symptoms.

This was a really fun event and we were very grateful to be given the opportunity to raise awareness of cervical cancer and we’d like to say a big thank you to Celena from Magnetic Fashion Connections for inviting us to take part in this event.

Kinetic Root Services is running three two-hour monthly workshops on difficult issues in women’s lives.  The workshops aim to empower women ensuring that they can move on from any difficult situation they encounter.

The sessions will be held at The Hub, Lordship Recreation Ground from 7-9pm  on:
Wednesday 26^th August 2015
Wednesday 30^th September 2015
Wednesday 28^th October 2015

For more information please email info@kineticrootservices.org  or call 07746 260 258. Alternatively you can download their flyer below.

The government will soon be launching a campaign aimed at 40-60 year olds encouraging this group to get more sleep. This campaign is part of a government initiative to  encourage middle aged men and women to live a healthier lifestyle and hence reduce their risk of developing a number of conditions.

Research has shown that over a third of the UK’s population get less than six hours of sleep a night and this is putting people at risk of a number of conditions. It is thought that people who get less than 6 hours of sleep a night have a 12% increased risk of early death and are also at a higher risk of developing diabetes, obesity, heart disease and a stroke.

As the black community is at an increased risk of developing diabetes, heart disease and stroke it is important that we do what we can to reduce our risk of developing these diseases and also improve our overall health;  getting more sleep is an easy way to do this. We should all be aiming for  7-8 hours of sleep a night.

For tips on how to get more sleep please visit the Sleep Foundation’s webpage – http://sleepfoundation.org/sleep-tools-tips/healthy-sleep-tips

In this week’s blog we speak to Paul Lowe co-founder of Cycling Instructor, a bikeability organisation that we’ve teamed up with to lead our summer cycling sessions. Our cycling sessions run weekly over the summer months and are open to everyone.

Can you tell us about the Cycling Instructor and why it was started?
Cycling Instructor Ltd was set up by Michael Poole and myself in 2005.  We had both worked for another cycle training provider and thought we could start our own business doing the same thing.

Can you tell us about the work you’re doing with Croydon Council?
We provide Bikeability training in Croydon borough schools, for adults over the age of 16 and various special projects with voluntary sector groups, such as The Lake Foundation.

What has been your favourite cycling project so far?
We really enjoyed the bench opening project with a local school and sustrans.

 How long have you been cycling and what do you enjoy most about cycling?
I have been cycling since I was about 6 and what I love doing is cycle camping or youth hostelling by bike.   After a few days on a trip the world falls away and you enter a ‘bubble’. Also due to the exercise your physiology changes and you can eat as much as you want all the time.

What advice would you give to anyone new to cycling in terms of equipment, technique and building confidence?
Just get a good second hand bike, get a lesson and a map and get going.  You learn about cycling by doing it.

Where can people find out more about the Cycling Instructor
There is lots of information about us on our website:  www.cyclinginstructor.com

Our summer cycling sessions have been running since the beginning of July and we’re now half way through the sessions which will run until the end of August. This year we’ve had a lovely group of people come along to the sessions; all very friendly and eager to build their confidence in cycling and get some exercise.

Friday’s session was excellent. We had ten in the group and were led, once again, by Brian from the Cycling Instructor who was supported by Matthew.

In previous weeks we focused on cycling technique and riding safely on the road and this week it was time to put it all into practice with a ride from Croydon to Catford and back (about 9 miles).

Our journey to Catford took us along Route 21 which is part of the UK’s National Cycle Network  and is a 94 mile route from Greenwich to Crawley and then on to East Bourne via East Grinstead and Heathfield.

We began our journey at the beautiful South Norwood Country Park and joined Route 21 at Elmers End. The cycling path took us through the picturesque green spaces and quiet neighbourhoods of  Beckingham, Sydenham and Lewisham and included riverside cycling along the Waterlink Way.

This session was a lovely experience. The weather was perfect – sunny and mild, and the beauty of route was really impressive.  Many South Londoners, myself included, are certainly missing out on the beauty of our city as the pressures of city life mean we aren’t able to take the time to explore and appreciate the beauty that is right on our doorstep. Cycling really addresses this as it creates endless opportunities to explore the city of London in a fun way.

We encourage everyone to give cycling a try, you’ll be surprised at how fun and relaxing it is and at the journey of discovery you can have; you’ll see your city in a whole new light! And we love it because it provides you with a great way to get some exercise. It’s a win-win.

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Joins us next week Friday at Croydon Arena, all are welcome. For more information visit our events page or email events@thelakefoundation.com

We are delighted to announce the launch of our new fibroids booklet. This booklet was developed in response to our fibroids survey which  showed that:

• There was a general low level of awareness of fibroids amongst participants prior to their diagnosis
• There was a good level of awareness of the main symptoms of fibroids but a low level of awareness of other symptoms.
• Participants were aware that ethnicity was a risk factor for fibroids but less aware of other risk factors.
• 80% of participants stated that they needed information but only 53% said that this was available to them.
• 63% of women said they didn’t feel that they had enough information to make an informed decision about their treatment

In addition to the above some participants stated that their biggest challenge in managing their condition was the lack of information and conflicting information about fibroids. For example, one participant said, “there is not enough information, particularly with regards to surgery alternatives and diet changes.”

What the booklet covers

Our booklet provides much-needed information on all aspects of fibroids from symptoms and risk factors to treatment and prevention. It aims to ensure that women have accurate, reliable information about this condition and importantly discusses the treatment options available. We hope this booklet will be a one-stop-shop for anyone with questions or concerns about fibroids.

We appreciate all those who have helped us

We’re delighted to have had some excellent reviewers work with us. We would like to say a big thank you to Dr Nigel Hacking, Consultant Interventional Radiologist at Southampton University Hospital and Miss Rosol Hamid, Consultant Obstetrician & Gynaecologist and Head of Women Services at Croydon University Hospital for providing very helpful comments and suggestions.

We would also like to thank Celia Osu and Tenequa Wildy for their useful feedback and  our case studies for their willingness to share their experience and raise awareness. Finally, we are grateful to The Brielle Agency for proofreading our work and to Adrinqa for their creativity in designing the booklet.

You can download a pdf below and hard copies will be available soon.

Fibroid_LF_booklet_v0.4

Volunteers are needed for a research project which forms part of a taught Masters degree programme at King’s College London.

This project will look at an important area of study in relation to how people with Sickle Cell Disease (SCD)  make use of complementary and alternative medicines to provide relief and support for their health condition. Such treatments may include but are not limited to osteopathy, yoga, herbal treatments or meditation as well as many others.

The interview will take about an hour at a location most convenient for you. If you are interested and would like further information please contact: stellakemi@blueyonder.co.uk or call 07949 932 850 or 0207 686 0768

The London Assembly’s health committee recently published their report ‘Healthy minds, healthy Londoners: Improving access to mental health services for London’s Black, Asian and minority ethnic population’. This report summarises the committee’s review on mental wellbeing across London and the aims of their review were to:

• Examine the challenges facing people in accessing mental health services in London with a specific focus on young and Black, Asian and Minority Ethnic (BAME) individuals
• Explore and make recommendations on how the Mayor might support improved access to mental health services, particularly for young people and the BAME population in London

They found that over a million Londoners suffer from a mental illness at any one time and this affected their mood, physical health and their ability to work, study and develop and maintain relationships.  They stated that there is evidence to suggest that mental ill-health is more common in London than elsewhere in the UK. Additionally, they reported that mental health is a particular challenge in young people and the BAME community.

They highlighted that a major challenge is access to mental services with there being cultural and practical reasons why both young people and BAME individuals are reluctant to access mental health services in London. The health committee suggest that an effective way of increasing uptake of mental health services, particularly for young people, is for these services to become more integrated.  They state that many services are provided by multiple agencies and this is confusing for young people to navigate.

The health committee also stressed the need for mental health problems to be identified  and addressed as early as possible with a strategy and funding allocated to prevention and early intervention.

Seven recommendations were put forward to address the challenges that exist.

1. The Department of Health should commission a national mental health survey of children and young people at the earliest opportunity to update the 2004 survey. The Department, in response to this report, should set out its timetable for such a survey, and explain how it will address the needs of policy makers and commissioners in London – specifically around young people and Black, Asian and minority ethnic groups.
2. London boroughs and Clinical Commissioning Groups, supported by NHS England London and the Department of Health, should develop a more integrated approach to providing mental health services and support that will enable a shift in focus to early intervention and prevention provision, whilst greater pan-London strategic leadership should seek to facilitate greater cooperation across complex existing structures.
3. London boroughs, working with Clinical Commissioning Groups, should consider giving greater priority to children and young people’s mental health in local Health and Well Being Strategies when they are next refreshed.
4. Local Transformation Plans for Children and Young People’s Mental Health and Wellbeing – being drawn up by Clinical Commissioning Groups and others – must include ways to support the voluntary sector as a provider of mental health services for children and young people.
5. The NHS England Mental Health Task Force must examine ways to develop a sustainable model of community-based advocacy, as a means of improving access to mental health services and support for BME groups, in which the voluntary sector is an essential partner.
6. In response to this report, the London Health Board should set out an express commitment to a continued emphasis on mental health, in the confirmed areas of focus, to be agreed later this year.
7. In response to this report, the Mayor should set out what additional steps he (or a future Mayor) could take to promote good mental health in London, particularly with reference to London’s young people and Black, Asian and minority ethnic groups.

The Lake Foundation welcomes this report and its recommendations as there is an urgent need to address the mental health challenges the black community face.

You can download the full report below.