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Innovative health project will help bring communities together

Tuesday 7 April 2009

The University of East London (UEL) has been awarded a share of nearly £125,000 by the Leverhulme Trust jointly with Queen Mary, University of London to fund a two-year project on the health of immigrants living in London.

The film called ‘Place, culture and film: an investigation of migrants’ health making practices’ will involve UEL’s Dr Marta Rabikowska, Senior Lecturer in Media and Advertising and Professor Isabel Dyck of the Department of Geography at Queen Mary University.

Dr Rabikowska will study the health care knowledge and practices of different ethnic minority groups living in the borough of Greenwich including the Indian, Nigerian and Polish communities.

The study uses film to document how migrants from the three countries keep healthy and treat illness, including how traditional knowledge and practices may have changed since they first arrived in the in the UK.

Dr Rabikowska said: “Health is a vital part of any culture and it can be difficult for people from different backgrounds to integrate and adapt their health practices and needs when they arrive in another country. We are hoping this film will help break down those barriers so that everyone’s needs are taken into account.”

The research includes interviews with migrants and the film will feature different locations in the community that people consider important to their health. It will also look at interactions among different groups in building health knowledge and adapting long-held health practices.

Dr Rabikowska and Professor Dyck hope the findings will help doctors and other health care professionals to recognise the importance of place as well as culture in the use of health knowledge when they treat minority groups.

Professor Dyke said: “The film should stimulate dialogue among academics, community organisations, and policy makers around migrants’ health needs.”

Ends.

UEL Press office contact: 0208 223 6239 or 07595 056245

Notes to Editors

The University of East London (UEL) is a global learning community with over 28,000 students from over 120 countries world-wide. Our vision is to achieve recognition, both nationally and internationally, as a successful and inclusive regional university proud of its diversity, committed to new modes of learning which focus on students and enhance their employability, and renowned for our contribution to social, cultural and economic development, especially through our research and scholarship. We have a strong track-record in widening participation and working with industry.

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