Black and minority ethnic (BME) groups

This section is about caring for people from black and minority ethnic (BME) groups who have diabetes: 

Introduction

People from black and minority ethnic (BME) communities are up to five times more likely to develop diabetes than the general population (Department of Health 2006a).  However people from deprived or ethnic communities are less likely to have their body mass index, smoking status, HbA1c level, retinal screening, blood pressure, neuropathy or flu vaccinations recorded (Diabetes UK 2006).
 
Minority ethnic communities are further disadvantaged, due to an earlier age of onset of diabetes, a decade earlier than their white counterparts, and its complications; and greater problems in accessing good quality, culturally and language appropriate diabetes information and services (Hill 2006).

A research study published in PLoS Medicine (Public Library of Science) in 2010 and known as the Child Heart and Health Study in England (CHASE Study) looked at ethnic difference in type 2 diabetes risk factors. The study investigated the patterns of diabetes precursors in nine to 10 year old UK children of white European, South Asian, and black African-Caribbean origin. The findings indicated that ethnic differences in diabetes risk factors “are already present in apparently healthy children before they are 10 years old”  - see: early emergence of ethnic differences in type 2 diabetes precursors in the UK.

There is, therefore, a particular need for sharing of information to better meet the health care needs of people with diabetes from black and minority ethnic communities. Some of the challenges around providing effective care are discussed  in key issues and examples in practice demonstrate a variety of initiatives and services that have been developed to provide more effective and culturally specific care.

References

Full details of the bracketed citations in the text above and, in many cases, links to the actual documents are available in the reference list within this resource. Go to the reference list.