Thirty eight percent of all 10-11 years old in Bradford are overweight or obese and this has serious consequences for their health and wellbeing as they grow up. Research tells us that South Asian children are more likely than other children to be overweight or obese. BiB has started a new study called Working with Islamic Religious Settings to Prevent Childhood Obesity to explore whether these settings could be a good place for an obesity prevention programme for South Asian children aged 5-11 years old. Most South Asian children in the UK are of Islamic faith. Islamic religious settings (Masajids, Madrassas and Women’s circles) could be a good place to engage parents, the wider family and community in obesity prevention.
In this new project, we will work with Islamic religious leaders, teachers, parents, children and the wider Muslim community to understand whether these settings would like to, and are able to, deliver an obesity prevention programme. If they are, we will apply for funding to develop such a programme and test its effectiveness. This research is funded by an NIHR Programme Development Grant: RP-DG-1215-10002
