Workshop on British South Asian narratives of diabetes
On Wednesday 27th June 2018, we jointly hosted a workshop with the University of Oxford at the Leicester Diabetes Centre, and invited 30 individuals to learn from each other about British South Asian experiences of Type 2 diabetes. The group also included faith leaders, and representatives from Diabetes UK and Leicester City Council.
There were discussions around challenges, current research, and how individuals could work together in the future.
The workshop also included presentations from health professionals, researchers and people living with diabetes, which covered how technology such as text messaging could help self-management, in particular when managing diet and taking medications; feelings experienced when first diagnosed, and different kinds of support that was felt to be helpful, including support groups.
Presentations were then followed by a group discussion about what South Asian people living with Type 2 Diabetes would like researchers to explore. Topics included, the differing experiences of diabetes in the various British South Asian communities, including younger people and the impact on families. There was also discussion around the effects of stress on blood sugar levels, and stress management, natural approaches that might help self-management, as well as diabetes and mental health.
The workshop also provided an opportunity to those who attended to hear views and experiences from multiple perspectives.
Overall, those who attended found the workshop to be very insightful, and there was a lot of interest in working together in the future to co-produce new research.
The workshop was organised by Dr Suman Prinjha, a Senior Researcher at the University of Oxford, and Nasima Miah, a Project Support Assistant at the Centre. It was funded by KE Seed Fund, University of Oxford.
