'get on your HORSE and SAY that...'
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Anyone reading the HIV press would think that exercise
is a thing only gay men worry about. Yet in many ways it's an even more
crucial issue for the diverse communities I work with and belong to.
Recent research shows that Africans, Afro-Caribbeans and Asians have a
higher rate of liver disease, diabetes and high blood pressure. Lack of
exercise and good health are major contributors to these maladies.
These in turn lead to depression, low self-esteem, alcoholism and ill
health. One recent survey found alarming levels of alcoholism in the Asian
community, for instance.
The majority of people I work with are asylum seekers, who are not familiar
with the services in this country. There are language problems, high unemployment
levels, poor housing conditions. Some are victims of
torture; most are on low income and work long hours, many
live in isolation.
People are reluctant to access leisure centres or carry out routine healthy
exercise. They often have pressing needs and therefore do not consider
routine exercising a priority. Fitness classes tend to be expensive and
therefore unaffordable. Even when you make a sacrifice to meet the costs
you are told there is a waiting list to join.
People are reluctant to access leisure centres or carry out routine healthy
exercise. They often have pressing needs and therefore do not consider
routine exercising a priority. Fitness classes tend to be expensive and
therefore unaffordable. Even when you make a sacrifice to meet the costs
you are told there is a waiting list to join.
It aims to improve social support for people, particularly asylum seekers,
who suffer from isolation;
to provide a holistic approach to improving health; to provide culturally appropriate services;
