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Health help for Sikh men in
Coventry
WSN Network
A six-week
healthy lifestyle programme for Sikh men has started in
Coventry
which is being organised by the city council and includes
presentations and physical activity. It is being carried out at the
Gurdwara Guru Nanak Prakash, Harnall Lane East, from 10am to noon
each Friday.
Health
development officer Shashi Carter said: "Men are more likely than
women to die prematurely, twice as likely to develop heart disease a
nd more likely to die from cancers, for instance bowel cancer,
because of a reluctance to seek help early.
"The health
programme is to target the Sikh men and is part of a wider scheme of
health development and interventions already conducted by the Health
Development Unit to improve public health whilst raising awareness
of issues associated with men's health.
"We are
particularly targeting this group, as research shows that men from
minority ethnic communities face specific health problems and
disproportionate levels of inequality in accessing services compared
with the general population."
The project will
be externally evaluated and will include:
Men's current
understanding of health behaviour and the reduction of health risks;
The effects of
health promotion interventions on men's knowledge;
Their intentions
to seek help and attitudes to health promotion in the workplace;
Levels of
awareness and uptake of the different health promotion
interventions;
The workplace as
a setting for promoting men's health.
Shashi said: "We
have consultants and other professionals covering the health related
topics, followed by 20 to 30 minutes of physical activity for six
weeks.
"At the end of
the six weeks, 10 to 12 men will be asked if they intend to change
even a fraction of their behaviour and will be signed up for a
follow-up at three, and then six months. The last day will include
giving out certificates to everyone who attended."
19 November
2008
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