Higher incidence of Coronary Heart Disease amongst some ethnic groups
People of South Asian origin (people with ancestry from India, Pakistan, Bangladesh and Sri Lanka), have a higher propensity to CHD than the UK population in general (Wild & McKeigue 1997). Furthermore there are also evidences suggesting a higher prevalence of cardiac risk factors (such as insulin resistance, diabetes and high cholesterol) and cardiac risk prone behaviours (such as, obesity, low physical activity, smoking and high fat diet) among this population. The lower levels of knowledge and understanding of CHD risk factors in these communities compound this problem (Datta 1995).
There is also a lower level of uptake of services within these communities (Mc Keigh & Miller 1998) and compliance with drugs regimes. In particular research shows that the first generation of immigrants have higher levels of mortality attributed to heart disease than other population groups (Balarajan 1996).
Culture & social support and cardiac patients' lifestyle management
Given the problems faced by this minority ethnic group, the purpose of this research has been to gather insights into the way in which social support is provided by friends and relatives to cardiac patients of South Asian origin. In particular we have focused on South Asians of Urdu speaking origin, who are originally from Pakistan. For this research we have also gathered data from other ethnic groups in order to throw into sharper relief how Asian cultural norms may have changed or adapted to the British context.
