Promoting health and wellbeing in the female diaspora

This Monday 9 September, near Burgess Park, marks the start of a 12-week cycle in which immigrant women will receive tools and knowledge to support their long-term physical and mental health. A programme on weight management and healthy habits aims to educate and empower them to make informed decisions about their lives.

General studies indicate that obesity and unhealthy habits are directly related to a range of health problems, including heart disease, type 2 diabetes and mobility problems.

For Latin Americans living in the UK, these problems are exacerbated by economic factors and language and cultural barriers that hinder access to appropriate health information and services.

This is what Maria Noel Gennè, Outreach and Development Coordinator – Southwark, Latin American Women’s Rights Service (LAWRS), an organisation that identified a critical need in the Latin American community in London, says. “A high percentage of women in our community face weight-related health problems and lack of access to information about healthy habits. We believe that, with support, women can improve their quality of life and that of their families,” explains Noel.

This is why LAWRS decided to implement the Weight Control and Healthy Habits Programme, whose purpose is to promote health and wellbeing among migrant women, providing them with tools and knowledge to maintain a healthy weight and adopt lifestyle habits that favour their long-term physical and mental health.

The programme involves one session per week for 3 months, which includes physical exercise activities adapted for people who have not exercised in a long time or who have never exercised before, educational sessions on nutrition and personalised counselling for each participant.

“In addition,” Noel adds, “we offer free resources that women can take home to help them implement the suggested changes in their daily lives. This programme is free of charge, and all sessions are conducted in Spanish”.

The initiative is aimed at women from the Latin American community who reside, work or are registered with a general practitioner (GP) in the Southwark borough, especially those who may be at risk of being overweight, obesity or related health conditions. “We aim to reach women of all ages and backgrounds within the community. That’s why we also have a mobility-impaired group”’ she says.

LAWRS coordinates and manages the programme, ensuring that the needs of Latin American women are comprehensively addressed. They also monitor the implementation of the activities and evaluate the results.

But they do not work alone. They work in collaboration with the Southwark Council and Everyone Health, which provides – through experts in physical education and nutrition – the sessions and resources to ensure that the programme is effective and the changes are sustainable over time.

This project is a challenge for LAWRS, because they have not carried out specific weight control programmes, although they have developed others related to the health and wellbeing of the Latin American community.

“In the past”’ says Noel, “we implemented workshops on mental and physical health, and received a positive response, with high levels of participation and noticeable improvements in the health and wellbeing of participants. In addition, during the pandemic, we ran an NHS access project and promoted vaccination against Covid-19”.

“Our goal is to educate and empower women to make informed decisions about their health and that of their families,” she concludes.