South Asian Community Health Education and Empowerment (SACHE) programme for Diabetes Prevention

Background
Approximately 6% of the UK population are registered with diabetes and this number continues to rise. South Asians have a significantly greater risk of developing Type 2 diabetes, in comparison to the European white population and over 400,000 South Asians suffer with Type 2 diabetes in the UK. South Asians also have an earlier age of onset with an increased risk of disease related complications with cultural factors providing significant barriers to effective management.
The South Asian Community Health Education and Empowerment (SACHE) programme for diabetes is a public health initiative created and implemented by the South Asian Health Foundation (SAHF) to improve understanding and awareness of diabetes within these communities.
Aims
The main aims of the SACHE programme are as follows:
 To engage with South Asian communities at local community centres and places of worship.
 To deliver culturally appropriate education to improve awareness of the prevention and management of diabetes.
 To utilise various educational tools including film, literature and presentations through understanding specific cultural needs and ideas.
 To formulate insights and explore beliefs regarding the challenges in self-management of diabetes.
Method & Evaluation
SAHF delivered 11 events across the UK at community centres, mosques, gurdwaras and temples targeting an audience of newly diagnosed diabetics, carers and healthcare professionals. Events were delivered in collaboration between local doctors, nurses, pharmacists, dieticians and community leaders. Each event followed a structure beginning with an introductory session outlining the symptoms, complications and early warning signs of diabetes. Screening and diagnostics services offered by the NHS were also covered. A short comedy film titled “Meethi Baathein (Sweet Talk)” was then shown either in English or Hindi and demonstrated the importance of healthy lifestyle and positive self-management. Feedback from the film was positive and free copies of the DVD were distributed at each event. The session concluded with questions and answers leading to useful discussions clarifying issues such as safe fasting and gave opportunity to share experiences of the condition.
A questionnaire tool was designed to evaluate the educational value of the programme. Individuals were required to agree or disagree with eight statements before and after each event. Questionnaire completion levels varied and tended to be high before the event but significantly reduced post-event. Subsequently, we are unable to draw scientific conclusions from our evaluation. However, the results provided interesting insights in to current knowledge and revealed misconceptions, highlighting barriers to effective management of diabetes.
Further Development
The programme was able to engage with hard-to-reach communities and further collaboration with the NHS Health Check programme will continue to empower these vulnerable patient groups. The innovative approach of delivering sessions at favourable times and locations conducive to learning maximises engagement. Additionally, the educational material can be developed to incorporate NHS Health Checks with the use of mixed media, films and literature in multiple languages. It would be of further benefit to address issues such as healthy lifestyle in childhood, gestational diabetes and improving awareness in younger age groups with access to MOT health checks