July is Ethnic Minority Cancer Awareness Month (EMCAM) in the UK giving us the prefect opportunity to focus on how the black community is affected by cancer and to raise awareness within our community. Overall the black community is slightly less likely to develop cancer than the white population but there are some cancers that are of particular concern. These are:

• Prostate cancer – black men are two times more likely to develop prostate cancer than white men
• Cervical cancer – black women over the age of 65 are more likely to develop cervical cancer than their white counterparts
• Myeloma – the black community is 2-3 times more likely to develop myeloma, develop it at a slightly younger age and have poorer survival rates.
• Breast cancer – black women although less likely to develop breast cancer than white women are more likely to die from it and black women tend to develop breast cancer at a younger age than white women

In addition to this, research over the years has found that awareness of symptoms and uptake of cancer services, such as cancer screening, is lower in the black community. This leads to many black cancer patients being diagnosed at a late stage when their cancer is harder to treat, leading to lower cancer survival rates. We can change this by increasing awareness, taking prompt action if we notice symptoms and taking part in the breast, bowel and cervical cancer screening programmes.

This Year’s Ethnic Minority Cancer Awareness Month (EMCAM)

This year EMCAM is focusing on raising awareness of bowel cancer and the importance of screening. Bowel cancer is the fourth most common cancer in the UK with over 33,000 new cases diagnosed every year and it is more common in people over the age of 50. If caught early this cancer can be treated very successfully therefore screening and being aware of the symptoms is very important.

Bowel Cancer Screening

In the UK, everyone aged 60-74 is invited to take part in the bowel screening programme but participation is very low with only 50-60% of 60-74 year olds taking part. We encourage everyone to take part; it a very simple and straightforward process. Sample collection takes place in the comfort of your own home and you can simply send your samples off in a freepost envelope. For more information on bowel screening please click here.

The Symptoms of Bowel Cancer

The symptoms of bowel cancer are:
• Bleeding from your bottom and/or blood in your faeces
• A change in bowel habit lasting for 3 weeks or more (constipation or diarrhoea)
• Unexplained weight loss
• Unexplained fatigue
• Persistent tummy pain
• A lump in your tummy

If you are experiencing one, some or all of these symptoms and they aren’t going away, don’t panic, your symptoms could be due to a number of reasons, but do visit your doctor to rule out bowel cancer.

Learn More About Bowel Cancer This Month

Bowel Cancer UK, the Department of Health and community groups across the UK are working together to host free bowel cancer information sessions and below are the dates and locations of these events.

Friday 17th July – Age UK – 81 Brigstock Road, Thornton Health, CR7 7JH – 12 noon
Monday 20th July – The Sugar Group
Tuesday 21st July – CVA Resource Centre – 82 London Road, CR0 2TB – 12 noon
Saturday 25th July – Croydon BME forum – 387 London Road, CR0 3PB – 12 noon
Sunday 26th July – BAPS Shri Swaminarayan Temple – 75 Pitmaston Road, Hall Green, Birmingham, B28 9PP – 1pm
Monday 27th July – Pannel Croft Village – Pannel croft Newtown Birmingham B19 2YD – 2pm.
Wednesday 29th July – Wai Yin Chinese Elderly Group

For more information about bowel cancer please visit Bowel Cancer UK’s website.

The British Medical Association (BMA) has recently published a report entitled Food for Thought which aims to provide recommendations on how to promote a healthy diet among children and young people. The report was conducted in recognition of doctors’ increasing concern about the impact of poor diet on the UK’s health with high levels of ill health and premature mortality which all significantly drain the NHS’s resources. The BMA’s report recommends the following:

Overall approach to diet-related ill health

• A strong regulatory framework should be central to the approach to reducing the burden of diet-related ill health in the UK, focused on interventions that limit commercial influences on people’s dietary behaviour and encourage healthy dietary patterns.

Improving attitudes and knowledge

• High-impact and sustained social marketing campaigns should be used to improve attitudes and knowledge about healthy dietary behaviour and the health risks of a poor diet.
• Local authorities should work with schools to achieve the wider implementation of the whole-school approach for promoting healthier diets throughout the UK.
• There should be adequate resources to support all healthcare professionals in addressing dietary behaviour where possible and clinically appropriate.

Restrictions on mass media advertising and other marketing communications

• Regulations should be developed to prohibit the marketing of unhealthy food and drink products to children and young people.
• The marketing of unhealthy food and drink products in schools should be prohibited.

Regulating industry practices and changing the retail environment

• The UK health departments should commission a review of how the regulation of sales promotions can be strengthened to ensure they favour healthy options and deliver public health benefits.
• Regulations should be developed that prohibit retailers from displaying and promoting unhealthy food and drink products at checkouts and in queuing areas.

The physical availability of unhealthy and healthy products

• Local authorities should be provided with the power to restrict the future number, clustering and concentration of fast-food outlets locally.

Food in schools

• Legislation should be introduced in England to ensure that mandatory school food standards apply to all academy schools and free schools.
• A free fruit and vegetable scheme should be available to all primary school children throughout the UK five days per week.
• Consideration should be given to extending the provision of free school meals in Northern Ireland and Wales to be universal rather than based on entitlement.

Hospital food standards

• The UK health departments should work together to develop and implement consistent and comprehensive hospital food standards, which should be introduced as a statutory requirement.

Other food available in the hospital environment

• The sale of all unhealthy food and drink products should be phased out in all NHS hospitals, supported by the development and implementation of UK-wide mandatory regulations.

Food standards in social care setting

• Nutritional standards should be developed and implemented for the provision of food in all care homes in the UK, and should be a statutory requirement.

Regulating the nutritional content of processed food and drink products

• A one-year target should be set for manufacturers, retailers and caterers to not produce or sell any food and drink products containing artificial trans fats in the UK.
• All manufacturers, retailers and caterers should prioritise action to systematically reduce salt levels in all food and drink products sold and produced in the UK.
• UK-wide targets, to be achieved by 2020, should be set for manufacturers, retailers and caterers to reduce calorie, fat, saturated fat and added sugar levels for certain product categories

Fiscal measures that favour healthy diets

• A tax should be introduced on all sugar-sweetened beverages, which increases the price by at least 20%.
• Consideration should be given to the introduction of fiscal measures to subsidise the sale of fruit and vegetables.

International cooperation on nutrition

• The UK Government should lobby for, and support the World Health Organization in developing and implementing an international treaty on food and nutrition in the form of a Framework Convention on Healthy Nutrition.

The BMA recognises that these recommendations will not sit well with the government strategy of working with the food industry and this is where organisations like The Lake Foundation can make a difference as we aim to work in the best interest of the public. We support these recommendations as they recognise the importance of making healthy eating more affordable and accessible whilst making unhealthy food less affordable and accessible. We believe this is very important as the black community is disproportionately affected by diet-related diseases such as diabetes and high blood, and thus these recommendations, if implemented, would be of great benefit to our community.

You can download the BMA’s complete report below.

In June, the Basil Skyers Myeloma Foundation officially launched their report ‘Listen Up!  – Multiple Myeloma in Black Communities: An Unequal  Burden’. This was a very interesting report that aimed to provide a comprehensive view of how myeloma (a cancer that starts in the bone marrow) affects the black community.

From their work the authors found that myeloma disproportionately affects the black population with black people being 2-3 times more likely as white people to be diagnosed.  Specifically,  this disease is a challenge for black men with black men having the highest incidence and mortality than any other group.  In addition, black people affected by myeloma are likely to develop it at a slightly younger age and are on average four years younger than white people when diagnosed.  The reason why myeloma is more common in the black community is unknown and the report stresses the importance of further research to fully understand myeloma and its effects on the black community.

The report makes the following recommendations:

1. The improvement of the collection and interpretation of data on myeloma including ethnicity data.
2. Race and ethnicity should be consistently taken into account in clinical research in order to inform the development of clinically and culturally appropriate healthcare services.
3. Studies should be commissioned to understand the differences in diagnosis, survival and mortality between black and white groups, and to understand the efficacy of treatments
4. Wider attention should be given by local authorities, clinical commissioning groups and other public sector partners to the specific  health needs of the black community.

This is an interesting report that clearly highlights how myeloma affects the black community and the steps that need to be taken to start addressing the inequalities that exist in this disease area. The Lake Foundation  will aim to play its part in assisting in addressing some of these issues.

You can read the full report below.

Last Friday, we were absolutely delighted to be back at Croydon Arena for another round of summer cycling sessions.  We started these sessions last summer after teaming up with the Cycling Instructor with support from Croydon Council and as it went so well we decided to run the sessions again this year.

Friday’s session was the first in a series of four sessions which will run once a week throughout the month of July. The aims of the sessions are to improve confidence in cycling, prepare attendees for road cycling, teach basic cycling techniques and introduce people to an enjoyable way to get some exercise.

This first session was great fun and it was nice to see Brian from the Cycling Instructor again, he led the group last year and did a fantastic job so we were happy he was back with us again this year.  We were also really pleased with the turnout, there were ten of us and it was a really mixed group in terms of age, ethnicity and cycling ability, plus everyone was really friendly;  all the right ingredients for an enjoyable session.

After a round of introductions it was on to the serious part of the session, technique. We learnt how to check that our bikes are road worthy and then were instructed on the proper way to get on and off a bike, maintaining balance, braking properly,  riding with one hand (preparation for signalling) and cycling slowly (to prepare for cycling in traffic).

We were all given plenty of opportunity to practice all these techniques making this a very informative but practical session, and at the end of the two hours we had cycled several times around the track so we got some good exercise too!

The next session will be on Friday 10^th July at 6pm at Croydon Arena.  Please email events@thelakefoundation.com to register or call 07440 146 645, and you can download our flyer below for more information.

We would like to say a big thank you to the Cycling Instructor and Croydon Council for giving us the opportunity to run this cycling group.

 

This week The Lake Foundation became a member of the Croydon BME Forum and thus will be part of a growing alliance of black community groups working together to improve the lives of the BME community in Croydon.

The Croydon BME Forum is the umbrella organisation for Croydon’s BME voluntary and community sector. It engages with members of the community, building capacity and promoting equality and cohesion. It was established to give the BME community a voice ensuring key issues affecting residents of Croydon are raised with decision makers.

Specifically the forum works to:

• Ensure that they are involved in local policy and decision making; regeneration and neighbourhood renewal.
• Facilitate joint-working among BME communities to develop best practice and provide a unified BME voice within local strategic partnerships.
• Promote networking, collaboration and partnership between the BME voluntary sector and mainstream agencies building their organisational capacities.
• Engage with BME communities in all aspects of Croydon life.
• Encourage good race relations, community cohesion and equality of opportunity for all throughout Croydon.

We’re looking forward to being a part of this forum and are already very impressed with the first event we attended which was a Meet the Funder session with the Big Lottery Fund. This was a very informative session that discussed what makes a good grant application.
For more information on the Croydon BME Forum please visit their website here

A study published in the journal Circulation has estimated the number of global deaths per year that are associated with sugar-sweetened drinks, what diseases sugar-sweetened deaths are linked to and where in the world these deaths are occurring. They estimated that 184,000 deaths per year are associated with consuming sugar-sweetened drinks and when they broke these numbers down by disease area most of the sugar-sweetened drink deaths were associated with diabetes  (133,000 death per year).  Cardiovascular disease was associated with 45,000 of these deaths and cancers 6,450.

The study also found that the majority of sugar-sweetened drink deaths occur in middle-income countries  (71%) whilst 24% of these deaths occur in high-income countries and 5% in low-income countries.

This is a very important study as it yet again provides more evidence of the effect of sugar on our health. It shows the clear need for all of us to reduce our sugar consumption and this is particularly important for the black community who are 3 times more likely to have diabetes and therefore are more likely to be affected by sugar-sweetened drink death.

On 18^th June we were invited by Croydon Council to have a stall at the first annual Croydon Voluntary and Community Fair. This event was organised to allow charities and community groups in Croydon to showcase their work to attendees which included frontline Croydon Council staff, the general public, potential funders and representatives from the private sector.

We had a wonderful time on the day as it gave us the perfect opportunity to meet other charities to learn more about their great work, discuss ideas and get advice on common challenges. We were particularly delighted to meet Fatima Koroma from the Community Food Bank and learn of the work they’re doing to support vulnerable families and individuals. Additionally, it was wonderful to learn about the Mighty Men of Valour and the Ministry of Empowerment who are working to support and empower men and women in Croydon.

Speaking on the day was the mayor of Croydon, Councillor Patricia Hay-Justice who officially launched the fair and Councillor Mathew Kyeremeh, the deputy cabinet member for communities, safety and justice.

This was a really useful day allowing us to raise awareness of our work, connect with some really inspirational people and meet representatives from Croydon Council in person.

We’d like to say a big thank you to Croydon Council for organising this event and also for their generosity in designing and donating pull-up conference banners to every single stallholder. We love our new banner!

This week the National Institute for  Health and Care Excellence updated its suspected cancer GP guidelines and in doing so hopes to provide GPs with clear guidance to facilitate early diagnosis and  therefore a reduction in cancer deaths.

The guidelines use a new approach that focuses on patients’ symptoms rather than a particular cancer.  This means that patients who have  symptoms that relate to multiple cancers will be  investigated more appropriately as their symptoms will be brought together to determine all the potential cancers it could be rather than just looking at one cancer.

These new recommendations hope to ensure that GPs act faster when a patient has specific types of symptoms and give clear steps on what a GP should do to make a prompt diagnosis.
This is good news for patients as it means that GPs will now look at all symptoms together to get a full picture of what’s happening to their patient rather than looking at symptoms in isolation. Ultimately this should mean less visits to the GP, a quick referral and hopefully an early diagnosis.

On Sunday 14^th June we had the pleasure of delivering a black health awareness workshop at the Right Now Jesus Centre in Catford.  It was wonderful to work with such an enthusiastic, friendly and energetic congregation; it was really a fun two hours, despite the serious topic.

During the workshop we covered type two diabetes, high blood pressure, stroke, heart disease, prostate cancer and fibroids. We talked about what these conditions are, their risk factors and why they are more common in the black community. We also asked the congregation to work in groups to discuss these issues and encouraged attendees to  adopt a healthy lifestyle by eating a healthy  diet and getting active. We went into detail on some of the specific changes that people can make to achieve a healthier lifestyle and finished off the workshop by asking attendees to think about three things that they will change as they work towards a adopting a healthy lifestyle.

This was  really good event and we thoroughly enjoyed spending time with such an engaged audience.

“This workshop was beautifully presented!”

“Excellent, I learnt a lot.”

“Very informative.”

Fifty is a pivotal age. It’s a time when many will be at the peak of their careers, their families will be blossoming and there is a greater understanding of self. It’s also a time when many take stock, analyse their life to date, asses their achievements and start to re-prioritise to ensure that they’re focusing their energy on the important areas in their life. At The Lake Foundation we believe it’s extremely important that this assessment that occurs as we enter a new pivotal decade includes a review of our health.

As we get older our risk of developing a number of diseases such as cancer, diabetes and cardiovascular disease increases so as we get older we must make our health more of a priority. It’s true that the habits we cultivated when we were  younger and the way we lived our lives prior to hitting fifty will have shaped our current health but we can take steps today to improve our health and ensure we are in the best shape possible going forward and more importantly, we are happy.

In essence keeping healthy as we get older means being proactive and focusing on three main areas: changing our lifestyle (if we need to), being aware and making sure we’re up-to-date with all our relevant health checks and screening.

Changing your lifestyle can seem daunting but it needn’t be. Small changes can make a big difference.  What we’re looking for is for you to be more active, eat a healthy diet and maintain a healthy weight. All of which will make a significant difference to reducing your risk of a number of diseases.

When it comes to diet if you’re not already receiving advice for an existing condition we would recommend that you:

• Eat at least 5 portions of fruit and vegetables a day
• Reduce your salt, sugar and saturated fat intake
• Reduce your red meat consumption
• Eat more fish – at least two portions of fish a week including one oily fish (salmon, sardines, mackerel etc)
  • Note: Oily fish is a great source of omega-3  fatty acids which research suggests may prevent heart disease
  • Note:  Adults and boys shouldn’t consume more than 4 portions of oily fish a week  whilst women and girls planning to become pregnant in the future shouldn’t consume more than 2 portions of oily fish a week
• Drink less alcohol
• Eat more fibre, it can help to prevent heart disease,  some cancer  and improve digestive health
  • Examples of food that are a good source of fibre include:  brown rice, brown bread, pulses (chickpeas, lentils etc), fruit,vegetables, porridge and bran based cereals

Another aspect of keeping healthy is to get active and this is especially important as we get older.  Being inactive has been linked to a number of health conditions including cancer, diabetes, heart disease and stroke so by being more active you can significantly reduce your risk of developing these conditions. Exercise also has a number of other benefits such as it strengthens our bones, improves our mood and improves our mobility.

The government recommends that  we do 150 minutes of moderate exercise per week and this can be divided up into 30 minutes of exercise 5 days during the week. Additionally, on two or more days a week our exercise session should include some muscle strengthening exercises that work on all muscle groups (legs, hips, back abdomen, chest, shoulders and arms).

Finally, it’s very important to maintain a healthy weight as being overweight or obese is linked to a number of diseases. Losing weight as we get older can be challenging because our metabolism slows down, i.e. the rate at which we burn the calories from the food we eat slows down. This means that if we continue to eat the same quantity of food that we ate 10 or 20 years ago we won’t be burning the calories as effectively and the excess calories will turn into fat. To combat this we have to look at our portion sizes and make sure we control them. In terms of weight we should all be aiming for a body mass index (BMI) of 18.5 to 24.9.

As we get older we must all endeavour to eat healthy, keep active and maintain a healthy weight. This will ensure that we reduce our risk of developing a number of conditions;  we remain fit and mobile;  we improve our mood and wellbeing and ultimately have a better quality of life.