There is evidence to suggest that BAME demographics have lower overall quality of health when compared with other ethnic groups. On average, 52% of BAME adults in Glasgow were overweight, increasing to over 70% for BAME adults over the age of 35 (NHS Greater Glasgow & Clyde, 2017).
86% of BAME adults in Glasgow exhibited at least one unhealthy behaviour (i.e. smoking, high BMI, lack of physical activity, unhealthy diet, binge drinking), with over half of all BAME adults exhibiting two or more unhealthy behaviours (NHS Greater Glasgow & Clyde, 2017).
71% of BAME adults in Glasgow met recommended physical activity levels (over 150 minutes activity per week). Out of all BAME groups, physical activity was lowest in the Indian ethnic group, with only 40% of all adults in this group meeting recommended physical activity levels.
Recent research has shown that BAME demographics are less likely to access mental health support in primary care (i.e. through their GP) and more likely to end up crisis care as a result (Bignall et al., 2019). Moreover, BAME individuals are more 40% more likely to access mental health services via the criminal justice system than white demographics (Bignall et al., 2019). BAME groups are more likely to suffer from chronic pain than white ethnic groups and this chronic pain was more likely to lead to depression among BAME groups when compared with white ethnic groups (Nicholl et al., 2015). The COVID-19 pandemic has had a notable impact on the mental health of BAME demographics, with a 25% increase in metal distress in Bangladeshi, Indian and Pakistani during the height of the COVID-19 pandemic in April 2020, higher than any other ethnic groups (Proto & Quintana-Domeque, 2021). Furthermore, an average of 7% of the BAME population in Glasgow lived alone, with BAME men being twice as likely to live alone that BAME women (NHS Greater Glasgow & Clyde, 2017). 13% of African people in Glasgow lived alone, the highest percentage out of all BAME groups (NHS Greater Glasgow & Clyde, 2017).
There are a variety of social and economic factors affecting BAME demographics in the Glasgow area. BAME groups are four times as likely to live in overcrowded homes when compared with other ethnic groups in Glasgow (Lyle, 2017). Incidence of poverty is also higher amongst BAME communities, being twice as likely to experience some form of poverty when compared with white communities (Lyle, 2017). BAME individuals face unemployment at double the levels of white communities, with only 2% of the BAME population in Glasgow working with the City Council –despite BAME demographics comprising 12% of the total Glasgow population (Lyle, 2017).
There is also evidence to suggest that barriers to accessing health and wellbeing services are prevalent among BAME communities. Koshoedo et al. outlined in their research that perceived fear of racial or religious discrimination prevented BAME groups from engaging in physical activity in the UK (2015). Moreover, a recent study has demonstrated that BAME groups will refrain from accessing health enabling resources (such as gyms and outdoor exercise facilities) due to the costs associated with access and due to feeling out place in gyms or exercise facilities (Kapilashrami & Marsden, 2018). Club and social group membership among BAME individuals is lower than the average for Glasgow adults (18 % vs. 21%), with membership even lower for specific BAME groups (Glasgow City HSCP, 2020).
