Demographics of British Bangladeshis - Health

Health

Bangladeshis have the highest rates of illnesses in the UK, as of 2001. They were more likely to suffer from medical conditions, fevers or headaches than any other ethnic group. The men were three times as likely to visit their doctor than men in the general population. The age standardized rates for both genders of Bangladeshis were twice as larger than the White British. And taking account of the different structures of age groups, Bangladeshis also had the highest rates of people with disabilities.

Smoking was another serious health issue which was raised amongst the Bangladeshi community. They were most likely to smoke cigarettes at a rate of 44% in 1999 in England than any other people. The smoking was very common amongst the men, but a very a few women smoked cigarettes compared to men, however 26% were to have chewed tobacco. Tobacco was mainly used as conjunction with the cigarettes. Bangladeshis, have the highest amounts of gender difference in terms of smoking, it is believed to be because of cultural or religious customs because of these differences. Smoking amongst Bangladeshis was also part of the socio-economic problems facing the people, which explained why many men do smoke.

The women of the community is found to suffer from a medical condition termed as the Begum Syndrome. Many women would had to visit the doctors for an analysis, the symptoms as said by the women was all related to pain inside the body. The researchers finally concluded it was not a serious medical condition, in fact it was just a talk of pain, it was all a form of somatisation, an internalisation of the women’s depleted types of resources and cramped dwellings of which they lived in.