Movement and Wellbeing

Service Description

The Movement and Wellbeing Programme is a specially designed, culturally sensitive initiative aimed at empowering South Asian women who are at risk of or currently managing diabetes. This 24-week program, funded and referred by GP surgeries, seeks to improve participants' health outcomes and overall quality of life through a comprehensive approach combining education, dietary management, and physical activity. Central to the program is the melding of traditional dietary wisdom with contemporary nutritional science to create diet plans that are not only culturally relevant but also beneficial for diabetes management. Weekly interactive workshops cover crucial top-ics such as understanding diabetes, effective blood sugar management, and the im-portance of regular physical activity. These workshops are complemented by cooking demonstrations that show how to prepare healthy, diabetes-friendly versions of tradi-tional South Asian dishes using accessible ingredients. A significant component of the Movement and Wellbeing Program includes structured fitness and movement sessions tailored to various fitness levels and preferences. These sessions, conducted by culturally aware fitness instructors, are designed to promote regular physical activity, which is essential for effective diabetes manage-ment. The program also integrates a critical tracking element where GP surgeries measure participants' HbA1c levels before and after the program. Monitoring these levels pro-vides a clear, quantitative measure of how participants' blood sugar control has im-proved due to their lifestyle changes, offering both motivation and essential data for health tracking. Weekly body composition scans are another feature of this program, giving partici-pants detailed feedback on how their body composition is changing in response to their new lifestyle habits. These scans help tailor the nutritional and exercise compo-nents of the program more effectively, ensuring that each participant receives per-sonalised care based on their specific health needs. Peer support groups, facilitated by trained community health workers from similar cul-tural backgrounds, form the backbone of the community support structure within the program. These groups offer a platform for participants to share experiences, chal-lenges, and successes, fostering a supportive environment that enhances both emo-tional and physical well-being.

Contact Details

• Irish World Heritage Centre Manchester, 1 Irish Town Way, Cheetham Hill, Manchester M8 0AE, UK