A report into patterns of diet and exercise in the Pakistani community of Nottingham City

This qualitative investigation considers dietary and exercise patterns of the Pakistani community residing in Nottingham. This is an important area of inquiry as the evidence suggests that these patterns cause higher rates of CHD among the members of community. This section reports the key findings and the ways of influencing the dietary and exercise patterns of the community. Key Findings The lifestyle choices of the respondents predominately follow the socio-economic and cultural patterns of their home country. In particular, the following three cultural patterns might have been contributing to the increased prevalence of CHD among this community. a. Consumption Culture of consuming fatty and energy dense food b. Decision-Making Complexity in joint decision among family members related to lifestyle factors c. Motivation Lack of motivation and cultural support for healthy physical activities The analysis suggests that all three patterns- consumption, decision-making and motivation- not only symbolise the cultural value system of a particular rural region of Pakistan, they also constitute jointly a lifestyle that is damaging to health. The respondents report that it would be challenging to significantly influence this lifestyle within a short period as it is founded on a particular cultural belief system. Nonetheless, the respondents themselves believe that certain social and cultural interventions may help create the foundations of longer term lifestyle change. This is reported and analysed in the documen