The black community in the UK has a number of health challenges which need to be addressed. 5.3% of the UK’s black population have type two diabetes (versus 1.7% of the white population), 33% suffer from high blood pressure, (compared to 16% of white adults), black African women have been found to have the highest prevalence of obesity; the black community is twice as likely to suffer from a stroke, is twice as likely to develop prostate cancer, is 2-3 times more likely to develop fibroids and as a result of their increased risk of diabetes are at increased risk of developing heart disease.
One of the key lifestyle factors that ties these conditions together is physical activity. Research has shown that the risk of developing these conditions can be reduced significantly by being more physically active, but unfortunately studies have shown that over half of people from BME (black and ethnic minority) groups do not take part in sports nor do any physical activity.
By increasing the number of BME people taking part in sports or physical activity we can begin to address some of the health challenges that plague the black community. We need to create opportunities for the black community to get and keep active. To successfully achieve this we need to present the community with fun, engaging, practical and easily accessible activities and so far we have aimed to achieve this through our Keep Active Programme which has included a cycling club and our AfroFit pilot.