The Bath & North East Somerset Faith Foundation teamed up with MacMillan in July to raise awareness of cancer amongst ethnic minority communities.

July is annually recognised across the UK as Ethnic Minority Cancer Awareness Month.

The aim is to highlight and raise awareness of cancer, screening and what services are available for ethnic minority communities.

Many different factors can cause cancer, such as family history, diet and lifestyle.

Faith Foundation Director, Nathan Hartley, said:

“An individual’s ethnicity can indicate if someone has a lower or higher risk factor of developing certain cancers.

In general, Black and Minority Ethnic (BME) groups have a lower risk of developing cancer than people from a White/Caucasian background. For instance, in England, white women have a 60-80% higher risk of getting lung cancer than Black and Asian women. But there are some exceptions - such as mouth cancer being more predominate in the South Asian communities, and Black men are twice as likely to develop prostate cancer than White men in the UK.”

Research shows that cancer awareness and use of cancer support services tend to be lower in ethnic minority communities. 

“The stigma of having cancer and a language barrier can often prevent people seeking advice from a medical practitioner, and thus obtaining an early diagnosis,” added Nathan, “We are supporting Macmillan in the need to raise awareness and support people from ethnic groups to check possible signs and symptoms, to seek help from GPs and to uptake cancer support services.”

Changes in lifestyle can help prevent people being diagnosed with cancer. These include:

  • Decreasing smoking and alcohol intake
  • Eating a nutritious balanced diet
  • Being a healthy weight
  • Exercising regularly
  • Being careful in the sun
  • Understanding your body and looking out for any unusual changes
  • Attending screening check-ups 

Macmillan also offers a wide range of translated cancer information. Visit their website to find more about cancer among BME communities: www.macmillan.org.uk

The B&NES Faith Foundation was established to:

  • Support, encourage, and strengthen the work of faith groups across the district.
  • Act as a conduit between faith groups and public bodies in ensuring they have a voice and have representation on issues that matter to them.
  • Carry out research into socio-religious trends in Bath, Somerset and the wider area.
  • Run community engagement projects with faith (and non-faith) groups
  • Organise events that promote social inclusion, learning and understanding

For more details, email the B&NES Faith Foundation: [email protected]