British Residents Research Articles

Mismatch: a comparative study of vitamin D status in British-Bangladeshi migrants.

Background and objectivesLow levels of vitamin D among dark-skinned migrants to northern latitudes and increased risks for associated pathologies illustrate an evolutionary mismatch between an environment of high ultraviolet (UV) radiation to which such migrants are adapted and the low UV environment to which they migrate. Recently, low levels of vitamin D have also been associated with higher risks for contracting COVID-19. South Asians in the UK have higher risk for low vitamin D levels. In this study, we assessed vitamin D status of British-Bangladeshi migrants compared with white British residents and Bangladeshis still living in Bangladesh (‘sedentees’).MethodologyThe cross-sectional study compared serum vitamin D levels among 149 women aged 35–59, comprising British-Bangladeshi migrants (n = 50), white British neighbors (n = 54) and Bangladeshi sedentees (n = 45). Analyses comprised multivariate models to assess serum levels of 25-hydroxyvitamin D (25(OH)D), and associations with anthropometric, lifestyle, health and migration factors.ResultsVitamin D levels in Bangladeshi migrants were very low: mean 25(OH)D = 32.2 nmol/L ± 13.0, with 29% of migrants classified as deficient (<25 nmol/L) and 94% deficient or insufficient (≤50 nmol/L). Mean levels of vitamin D were significantly lower among British-Bangladeshis compared with Bangladeshi sedentees (50.9 nmol/L ± 13.3, P < 0.001) and were also lower than in white British women (55.3 nmol/L ± 20.9). Lower levels of vitamin D were associated with increased body mass index and low iron status.Conclusions and implicationsWe conclude that lower exposure to sunlight in the UK reduces vitamin D levels in Bangladeshi migrants. Recommending supplements could prevent potentially adverse health outcomes associated with vitamin D deficiency.Lay SummaryVitamin D deficiency is one example of mismatch between an evolved trait and novel environments. Here we compare vitamin D status of dark-skinned British-Bangladeshi migrants in the UK to Bangladeshis in Bangladesh and white British individuals. Migrants had lower levels of vitamin D and are at risk for associated pathologies.

Uncertain sunset lives: British migrants facing Brexit in Spain

One of the most concerned groups potentially impacted by the approval of Brexit in 2016 is that of the so-called “Brexpats”. This group of people is composed by at least 784,900 British citizens who are living in the European Union (EU), among which those settling in Spain are the most prominent. Spanish Brexpats are the largest British population outside the borders of the UK, except for in the Commonwealth territories. They have some peculiar characteristics, such as an advanced average age compared to other EU destinations; a large number of people living off the radar; geographical concentration within coastal areas; and a certain social isolation. In this context, the succession of news and potential scenarios that the Brexit process generated in the media and official sources has created a feeling of insecurity about citizenship rights and freedom of movement in this group; rights that, after the withdrawal agreement seem to have disappeared. However, there are still many details that need to be finalised, especially with regard to trade agreements, which may affect in one way or another the group of British residents, not only in Spain but also in other EU nations. The following text analyses the possible changes and challenges that this group will have to face with the new reality beginning in 2021.

Estimated salt intake and risk of atrial fibrillation in a prospective community-based cohort.

IntroductionHypertension predisposes to atrial fibrillation (AF) – a major risk factor for ischaemic stroke. Since a high dietary salt consumption is associated with hypertension, we investigated the association between urinary sodium excretion as a marker for dietary sodium intake and risk of new‐onset AF in community‐dwelling adults.MethodThe UK Biobank includes 40‐ to 69‐year‐old British residents recruited 2006–2010. Participants were divided into sex‐specific quintiles according to 24‐hour sodium excretion estimated based on spot samples with the Kawasaki equation. We excluded participants with AF at baseline. Cox regression adjusted for cardiovascular risk factors was used to assess associations with risk of AF, using the third quintile as reference.ResultsA total of 257 545 women and 215 535 men were included. During up to 10 years' follow‐up, 2221 women and 3751 men were diagnosed with AF. There was a tendency for an increased risk of AF in the lowest and highest quintiles of estimated daily salt intake in both women and men. In the fully adjusted model, significant associations were seen amongst men in the lowest and highest quintiles of sodium excretion (hazard ratio, HRQv1, 1.20; 95% CI, 1.08–1.32, P < 0.001, and HRQv5 1.15, 95% CI, 1.03–1.27, P = 0.011).ConclusionWe found evidence for a U‐shaped association between estimated daily salt intake and AF risk amongst men. A suggestive J‐shaped association in women was not statistically confirmed, but analyses were likely underpowered. Our results suggest that above a certain physiological minimum level progressively higher salt intake is associated with increasing risk of AF.

Cultural violence in the aftermath of the Brexit Referendum: manifestations of post-racial xeno-racism

ABSTRACT This paper makes a novel contribution to the academic debate on Brexit and racism. It emphasizes the need to distinguish different manifestations of post-racial xeno-racism in the aftermath of the Brexit Referendum as either direct, structural or cultural violence. This distinction of different types of violence is important for everyday and academic contexts, because it affects the ways in which racist behaviour is identified and addressed. Cultural violence in the form of nationalist defensive, anti-immigration statements is the most common type of racist violence that we found in our analysis. Yet, it also tends to be more readily dismissed as “not racist” by its perpetrators and targets, and contributes to feelings of subdual and powerlessness amongst the latter. Our arguments are based on findings from 15 semi-structured interviews that we conducted in 2017 with British and non-British residents of Great Yarmouth, a seaside borough in East Anglia.

The Archaeological Activities of the Scott-Stevensons in Cyprus, 1878–1883

The early years of the British administration in Cyprus, which began in 1878, were characterised by an approach of casual acquisition towards the island’s ancient material culture. Civilian administrators and military personnel stationed in Cyprus, prompted by the island’s reputation as a rich source of antiquities, took the opportunity to explore ancient tombs and acquire objects to keep as personal souvenirs or to sell, despite official restrictions on excavation. The nascent Cyprus Museum, responsible for the island’s cultural heritage, lacked resources to restrict or closely monitor this activity. Many objects were removed from their context of excavation without proper recording, resulting in the formation of numerous disparate collections across the UK which lack provenance and documentation. This paper seeks to restore contextual information to some objects dispersed in this way through a re-examination of archives and published sources. While this cannot reconstruct a full archaeological provenance, it can add to the knowledge of individual objects and their collection history, and more broadly the ways in which private and public collections of ancient Cypriot objects were formed through social and intellectual networks. It focuses on the archaeological activities of two British residents, Andrew and Esmé Scott-Stevenson, in Cyprus between 1878 and 1883, demonstrating how such research can contribute both to the archaeological record, and to the social history of archaeology in Cyprus, in particular the recovery of seldom-heard women’s voices.

Social Psychological Correlates of Protective Behaviours in the COVID-19 Outbreak: Evidence and Recommendations from a Nationally Representative Sample.

BackgroundA clear picture of people’s adoption of protective behaviours, and a thorough understanding of psychosocial correlates in the context of contagious diseases such as COVID‐19, is essential for the development of communication strategies, and can contribute to the fight against epidemics.MethodsIn this paper, we report a survey on the adoption of the recommended protective behaviours before and during the epidemic. We also assessed demographic correlates, and beliefs (towards COVID‐19 and protective behaviours, towards SARS‐CoV‐2 transmission, social dilemma variables, and perceived external cues) of a representative sample of British residents. Data were collected during the early stage of the COVID‐19 epidemic that spread worldwide in 2020.ResultsResults showed a marked increase in the adoption of protective behaviour. We also identified targets for intervention in variables related to transmission of the virus and social dilemma‐related beliefs. Sex differences in the adoption of protective measures, as well as differences associated with the frequency of social contacts, were associated with differences in beliefs.ConclusionsThese findings suggest changeable determinants, which could be targeted in global communication about COVID‐19, or in interventions targeting specific sub‐groups not following the protective measures.

Thomas Jones’ Neapolitan Kitchen: The Material Cultures of Food on the Grand Tour

Abstract The Welsh painter, Thomas Jones, recorded in minute detail the prices, origin, and types of food and services for each day of his family’s stay in Naples from their arrival from Rome in 1780 to their departure for England in 1783. His “Italian account book” has not been studied before in any depth, except in relation to his activities as an artist. However, this “time-capsule” of a Grand Tour household provides an extraordinarily vivid entry into the material world of urban provisioning in one of the largest cities in eighteenth-century Europe, by linking the economy of the street to wider networks of provisioning from outside of the city. It also provides a better understanding of the extent of acculturation of British residents in Italy. Space, time, and the interconnectedness between the home and the street are central themes in this material culture analysis of food on the Grand Tour.

Globalization and mental distress

We study the effects of import competition on workers' mental distress, using unique longitudinal data on mental health for British residents, coupled with measures of import competition in more than 100 industries over 1995–2007. We find that import competition has a large negative impact on individual mental health. Compared to a worker employed in the industry at the 25th percentile of the import competition distribution, a worker employed in the industry at the 75th percentile would need a yearly monetary compensation of £270 to make up for her greater utility loss. We find import competition to have larger effects on the right tail of the mental distress distribution, thereby increasing inequality in mental health not only across but also within industries. We show that this is consistent with import competition disproportionately hitting specific groups of workers in an industry, such as the youngest or those with a large family, a poor financial condition, a short job tenure, a temporary contract, and a blue-collar or tradable job. Using information on family ties, we find that import competition has negative spillovers to other family members. In particular, women's mental distress increases as a consequence of the import competition faced by their partners. Moreover, paternal import competition leads to reduced investment in child rearing and worsened children's self-esteem and life satisfaction. Finally, we provide evidence that import competition is likely to work through a complex set of channels. These include observable labor market outcomes such as higher likelihood of job displacement and lower wage growth, but also reduced job satisfaction and gloomier expectations about the future.

Tier 3 specialist weight management service and pre-bariatric multicomponent weight management programmes for adults with obesity living in the UK: A systematic review.

SummaryBackgroundNHS England has recommended a multidisciplinary weight management services (MWMS—Tier 3 services) for patients requiring specialized management of obesity, including bariatric surgery, but clinical and measurable health‐related outcomes from these services remains fragmented. We therefore undertook a systematic review to explore the evidence base of effect on body weight loss and comorbidities outcomes of Tier 3 or UK pre‐bariatric MWMPs.MethodsAMED, CINAHL, EMBASE, HMIC, MEDLINE, PsycINFO, PubMed, HDAS search and Google Scholar were searched from January 2000 to September 2017 in a free‐text fashion and crossed‐references of included studies to identify potential illegibility. Inclusion criteria were as follows: (a) published Tier 3 original study abstracts/articles; (b) intervention studies with before and after data; (c) studies that included any sort of MWMPs conducted on British residents with obesity; and (d) studies included T2DM measurements in a MWMPs.ResultsIn total, 19 studies met the inclusion criteria. The total number of participants analysed was N = 11,735. Baseline accumulative average BMI was calculated at 42.54 kg/m2, weight 117.88 kg and waist circumference 126.9 cm. And at 6 months, 40.73 kg/m2, 112.17 kg and 120.3 cm, respectively. Secondary outcome variables were as improved with reduction in HbA1c, fasting blood sugars, insulin usage and blood pressure. Physical activity increased at 3 months then declined after 6 months with no significant changes in cholesterol levels.ConclusionTier 3 and MWMPs have a short to mid‐ranged positive effect on obese patients (BMI ≥30 kg/m2) living in the UK regarding accumulated reduction in weight, glycaemic control, blood pressure and with subtle improvements in physical activity.

Exploring Ethnic and Generational Differences in Gender Role Attitudes among Immigrant Populations in Britain: The Role of Neighborhood Ethnic Composition

Divergent gender role attitudes among ethnic groups in Britain are thought to contribute to ethnic disparities in many socio-economic domains. Using nationally representative data (2010–2011), we investigate how ethnic minority gender role attitudes vary across generations and with neighborhood ethnic composition. The results show that while Pakistanis, Bangladeshis, Indians, and Black Africans have more traditional attitudes than Black Caribbeans, the attitudes of the former groups are more traditional in the first than in the second generation. We also find that the gender role attitudes of Pakistanis, Bangladeshis, and Indians become more traditional as the local share of co-ethnic neighbors increases or the share of White British residents decreases. Importantly, these patterns are more pronounced for second-generation Pakistanis and Bangladeshis, whose gender role attitudes are more sensitive to variations in neighborhood ethnic composition than are those of the first generation. Taken together, these findings indicate that migration researchers must conceptualize and study how immigrants’ cultural values are heterogeneous, fluid, and dynamic characteristics that can vary spatially across host societies.

Occidental Encounters and Impressions

The visual and literary chronicles of British Residents and Surveyors comprise a reservoir of information on the historical, social and economic milieus of various territorial regions within the Indian subcontinent. Further, they contain copious documentation on the art and architectural heritage of these regions. Straddling the realms of antiquarianism and archaeology, the concomitant processes of survey and documentation evolved during the seventeenth century and acquired a panoptic character by the nineteenth century. They were essentially products of the interface between the diametrically opposed occidental and oriental cultures and were furthered by the expedients of colonialism. This article is divided into three parts. The first part delves into the relationship between antiquarianism and archaeology. The second part elucidates upon the practices of surveying and documentation in India. The third part elaborates upon the career of Lt. Frederick Charles Maisey and his explorations in central India with special reference to his mid-nineteenth century illustrations of Chanderi’s architectural edifices and structural members. Chanderi, a town of historical importance in Madhya Pradesh, is interspersed with tombs, step-wells, mosques and free-standing gateways of Indo-Islamic affiliation, ascribable largely to the fifteenth century. Some of these edifices are in a bad state of preservation and Maisey’s illustrations have been instrumental in reconstructing their effaced architectonic and decorative details. The illustrations under purview have also contributed towards a holistic understanding of the architectural style at Chanderi, an area which is fairly uncharted.

Determinate or indeterminate growth? Revisiting the growth strategy of sea turtles

Fieldwork was supported by the British Associate of Tortoise Keepers, British Chelonia Group, British High Commission in Cyprus, British Residents Society, Carnegie Trust for the Universities of Scotland, Darwin Initiative, Erwin Warth Foundation, Friends of SPOT, Glasgow Uni versity Court, Kuzey Kibris Turkcell, MEDASSET UK, and Natural Environment Research Council.

Polymorphisms of genes involved in inflammation and blood vessel development influence the risk of varicose veins

Heredity plays an important role in the etiology of varicose veins (VVs). However, the genetic basis underlying this condition remains poorly understood. Our aim was to replicate top association signals from genome-wide association studies (GWASs) for VVs of lower extremities using 2 independent datasets-our sample of ethnic Russian individuals (709 cases and 278 controls) and a large cohort of British residents from UK Biobank (10 861 cases and 397 594 controls). Associations of polymorphisms rs11121615, rs6712038, rs507666, rs966562, rs7111987, rs6062618, and rs6905288 were validated in the UK Biobank individuals at a Bonferroni-corrected significance level. In Russian cohort, only rs11121615 reached a nominal significance level of P < .05. Results of original GWAS and replication studies were combined by a meta-analysis, and polymorphisms listed above as well as rs111434909 and rs4463578 passed a genome-wide significant threshold. Notably, the majority of these polymorphisms were located within or near genes involved in vascular development and remodeling, and regulation of inflammatory response. Our results confirm the role of these polymorphisms in genetic susceptibility to VVs and indicate the revealed genomic regions as good candidates for further fine-mapping studies and functional analysis. Moreover, our findings implicate inflammation and abnormal vascular architecture in VVs pathogenesis.

Contrasting distributions of urban green infrastructure across social and ethno-racial groups

Links between urban green infrastructure (UGI) and public health benefits are becoming well established. Despite this, how UGI is distributed varies widely. Although not a universal finding, sectors of society that are disadvantaged often suffer from poor provision, something which might be due to which UGI are examined. We assess the distribution of street trees and public greenspaces (two types of publicly-owned and accessible UGI) across the city of Bradford, UK which is characterised by high levels of inequality and variation in ethno-racial background. We do this through statistical and spatial analyses. Street tree density was distributed unevenly and was highest in neighbourhoods with a high proportion of Asian/Asian British residents and with lower socio-economic status. Conversely, neighbourhoods with better access to public greenspaces were characterised by high income and/or a high proportion of White households. While the quality of public greenspace was spatially clustered, there were only limited spatial associations with ethno-racial group or socio-economic status. Population density was a key determinant of the distribution of UGI, suggesting understanding UGI distributions should also focus on urban form. Nevertheless, within the same city we show that equitable distribution of UGI differs according to the form and characteristics of UGI. To fully realise the public health benefits of UGI, it is necessary to map provision and understand the causal drivers of unequal distributions. This would facilitate interventions that promote equitable distributions of UGI based on the needs of the target populations.

Sydney Lake: The historical park of KL

In 1888, a first recreational area was created in Kuala Lumpur as a place for the British residents. Now, after more than 120 years this lake area still exists. Reintroducing the Sydney Lake Garden as the historical park is not about enhancing the colonial heritage but more on the history that this area once had. With the used of Greater Kuala Lumpur/Klang Valley (GKL/KV) as one of the main references, this paper will try to relate it on reviving this recreational area as one of new tourist attraction of Kuala Lumpur, the Sydney Lake Historical Park.

Regional variation and predictors of over-registration in English primary care in 2014: a spatial analysis

BackgroundThere are more people registered with a general practice in England than are estimated to be resident in the country. The reasons behind this are not fully understood. We investigated...

Negotiating an agentive identity in a British lifestyle migration context: A narrative positioning analysis

This paper presents an analysis of agency and positioning in a context of British migration in the Ariège département of south‐west France. A narrative positioning framework is used to explore the relationship between local discursive positioning and broader social obligations, specifically by integrating data from an online forum for British residents with an interview carried out with two forum users. Although there is thematic coherence across the datasets, particularly in relation to the social obligation to be the ‘right kind’ of migrant, the two speakers in the joint interview represent their actions using conflicting approaches. The analysis of agentive positioning shows the strategic use of both agentive and inagentive language where the narrated actions did not align with those of the ‘right kind’ of migrant constructed by forum members. The study shows how attempts at positive self‐representation can reflect awareness of the ideological context but can nevertheless be interpreted in very different ways. The paper concludes that we should not restrict ourselves to seeking recurrent and stable patterns when exploring indexical links between micro contexts and wider social reality, particularly when the interactional context is overshadowed by a broader moral landscape.

Causes of death after traumatic spinal cord injury-a 70-year British study.

Retrospective and prospective observational. Analyse causes of death after traumatic spinal cord injury (tSCI) in persons surviving the first year post injury, and establish any trend over time. Two spinal centres in Great Britain. The sample consisted of 5483 patients with tSCI admitted to Stoke Mandeville and Southport spinal centres who were injured between 1943 and 2010, survived first year post injury, had residual neurological deficit on discharge and were British residents. Mortality information, including causes of death, was collected up to 31 December 2014. Age-standardised cause-specific mortality rates were calculated for selected causes of death, and included trends over time and comparison with the general population. In total, 2322 persons (42.3% of the sample) died, with 2170 (93.5%) having a reliable cause of death established. The most frequent causes of death were respiratory (29.3% of all certified causes), circulatory, including cardiovascular and cerebrovascular diseases (26.7%), neoplasms (13.9%), urogenital (11.5%), digestive (5.3%) and external causes, including suicides (4.5%). Compared to the general population, age-standardised cause-specific mortality rates were higher for all causes, especially skin, urogenital and respiratory; rates showed improvement over time for suicides, circulatory and urogenital causes, no significant change for neoplasms, and increase for skin and respiratory causes. Leading causes of death after tSCI in persons surviving the first year post injury were respiratory, circulatory, neoplasms and urogenital. Cause-specific mortality rates showed improvement over time for most causes, but were still higher than the general population rates, especially for skin, urinary and respiratory causes.

“Just an Excuse People Are Just Using These Days”: Attending to and Managing Interactional Concerns in Talk on Exclusion of Immigrants

In line with discursive work on the role of constructions of minority groups in social exclusion, we offer an examination of talk on immigrants and its links with employment of British residents, in the U.K. Parliament and interview talk with British residents looking for work, in the context of a financial crisis (2007-2009). Discursive analysis of data shows that parliamentarians treat immigration as problematic for British residents’ employment, whereas interviewees’ responses reject or minimally accept this, while displaying sensitivity to the status of this as a prevalent complaint about immigration. Parliamentarians do so to warrant and challenge or manage challenges to Government’s policies, whereas interviewees do so to manage being seen as discriminatory and work-shy. These findings show that constructions of immigration and its links with employment in the context of the financial crisis, and their use in warrants for exclusion are offered in ways to attend to the situated institutional and interactional relevancies in play for interlocutors.

Awadh under the British Residents

Awadh area was always the centre of power from times immemorial. This importance also had its impact on the policy towards Awadh under the British company also. The political importance was of Awadh forced the British company to keep a watch on the activities of the Nawab. For this purpose they placed a British Resident in Awadh, it was however done on the request of the Nawab. Gradually the position of Resident became an all important post in Awadh and Resident started to control almost all aspects of the administration. The expenses of the office of Resident also increased gradually from about 12000 annually to later partial share in the revenue of Awadh even the Nawab had to surrender few portion of the state to meet the expenses of the office of the Resident. Further to free the company’s regular troops for service elsewhere in India, the company also organized the forces at the ruler’s expense. Later the resident even played the role of appointing the Nawab even overlooking the legal heir for the throne. This weakened the position of Nawab to a very great extent and the Nawab could not even carry out any changes other then the direction given by the Resident. The company despite having control over almost all sections of governance disposed the Nawab on the charges of misgovernance in 1856 ending the rule of Nawab in Awadh. So the system of placing the Resident started with the purpose if liaisoning gradually took indirect control over the administration and later took the direct control over the State.