Diets of minority ethnic groups in the UK: influence on chronic disease risk and implications for prevention

Abstract

Summary Introduction 1Definitions of ethnic groups and demographics of minority ethnic groups in the UK ○ 1.1 Definitions of ‘ethnic groups’ and ‘ethnicity’ ○ 1.2 Demographics and characteristics of minority ethnic groups in the UK – Countries of origin – Age/sex distribution and life expectancy – Geographical distribution and size of household – Religious beliefs – Education and employment patterns Key points 2Overview of the health profile and dietary habits of minority ethnic groups in the UK ○ 2.1 Available surveys ○ 2.2 Overview of the health profiles among adults from minority ethnic groups – Overall health – Cardiovascular disease (CVD) – Coronary heart disease (CHD) – Stroke – Type 2 diabetes – Obesity ○ 2.3 Possible causes of increased disease risk among minority ethnic groups ○ 2.4 Smoking, drinking and physical activity habits ○ 2.5 Dietary habits and nutritional status ○ 2.6 Overview of the health profiles and dietary and health behaviour patterns of children from minority ethnic groups – Overall health – Diet and health behaviour patterns ○ 2.7 Gaps in data availability Key points 3Factors affecting food choice – Income and socio-economic status – Food availability and access – Awareness of healthy eating – Religious beliefs – Food beliefs – Time and cooking skills – Generation and gender Key points 4Traditional diets of minority ethnic groups ○ 4.1 Overview of traditional diets of minority ethic groups – South Asians – African-Caribbeans – Chinese ○ 4.2 Dietary acculturation ○ 4.3 Nutritional composition of ethnic-style cuisine Key points 5Nutritional interventions and health promotion among minority ethnic groups ○ 5.1 Effective nutritional interventions ○ 5.2 Health promotion interventions to prevent problems associated with fasting ○ 5.3 Priorities for nutritional interventions and health promotion ○ 5.4 Using behaviour change models ○ 5.5 Current community initiatives ○ 5.6 Catering for institutionalised individuals ○ 5.7 Recommendations for future research, policy and practice Key points 6Conclusion • Acknowledgements • References Summary According to the latest census, non-white minority ethnic groups made up 7.9% of the UK's population in 2001. The largest of these groups were South Asians, Black African-Caribbeans and Chinese. Studies have shown that some minority ethnic groups are more likely to experience poorer health outcomes compared with the mainstream population. These include higher rates of cardiovascular disease (CVD), type 2 diabetes and obesity. The differences in health outcomes may reflect interactions between diet and other health behaviours, genetic predisposition and developmental programming, all of which vary across different groups. As is the case for the rest of the population, the dietary habits of minority ethnic groups are affected by a wide variety of factors, but acquiring a better understanding of these can help health professionals and educationalists to recognise the needs of these groups and help them to make healthier food choices. Unfortunately, to date, there have been few tailored, well-designed and evaluated nutritional interventions in the UK targeting minority ethnic population groups. Further needs assessment and better evaluation of nutritional interventions have been recommended to enhance the understanding of the effectiveness of different approaches amongst minority ethnic groups. This briefing paper will provide an overview of the health profile, dietary habits and other health behaviours of the three largest non-white minority ethnic groups in the UK, explore the factors affecting their food choices, provide a summary of their traditional diets and review the evidence base to identify the factors that support successful nutrition interventions in these groups.