Wolverhampton City PCT ... Improving the Health of Asylum Seekers and Refugees
Being a refugee or asylum seeker can really damage your health, explains Paul Southon, a public health practitioner with Wolverhampton City PCT.
“Asylum seekers are socially isolated and often feel vulnerable. They may come from societies in which they spent a lot of time outdoors, but now find the weather keeps them indoors. So they get less exercise than in the past. Their nutrition may be poor because they can’t get familiar food. Their financial status may be poor. There is also all the stress of what they have been through in their home country and en route to getting here. They have a lot of needs.”
All these factors begin to explain why the PCT has developed a weight management club aimed particularly at asylum seekers, but open to all. “The health visiting team was running a parenting group in Heath Town Clinic, which is based in the area where many asylum seekers are housed,” explains Mr Southon.
“The nursery nurse had recently lost some weight at a slimming club and there was a discussion about it at the parenting group. People were saying that it was really important to help people to lose weight but slimming clubs were quite expensive. So they decided to set up their own weight management group.”
The Health Visiting team ran a six week programme devised by the PCT. This was extended and has seen considerable success with asylum seekers losing weight and gaining health benefits in terms of lower blood pressure. “They get advice on blood glucose and cholesterol, which can be tested, plus talks on lifestyle and exercise. But, most importantly, they get the chance to have a coffee and a chat to support each other.”