Health inequalities persist as a pressing issue across the UK, disproportionately affecting ethnic minority communities. Amongst these, South Asian and Black populations experience significantly higher rates of cardiovascular disease, diabetes and cancer. Many of these disease are largely preventable through community-level intervention and culturally-sensitive education.
In Peterborough, a pioneering community-based initiative is making tangible progress in addressing these health inequalities – the Mosque Health Champions Network, launched in collaboration with Public Health Peterborough and the City Council. One doctor represents each of the city’s major mosques in this network, through which we can arrange and co-ordinate events to tackle health inequalities by meeting our people where they are, within trusted spaces, in their own languages.
Why Community Health Education Matters
The statistics paint a stark picture; South Asians are up to six times more likely to develop diabetes than their white counterparts and have significantly higher mortality from this disease. Cardiovascular disease (CVD), responsible for one-fifth of the life expectancy gap between the most and least deprived communities, hits ethnic minority groups the hardest. Alarmingly, 90% of CVD incidence is attributable to modifiable risk factors and up to 80% of premature deaths are preventable. These same risk factors overlap with those for cancer, dementia and even COVID-19.
When it comes to cancer, disparities are particularly pronounced among Muslims. Breast cancer screening rates are 20% lower than the national average among Muslim women. For cervical cancer, this gap widens to 30%, and bowel cancer screening is 40% lower among Muslim men. It is evident that we have an emergent need for culturally competent, accessible health education in faith-based settings.
A Community-Based Health Education Model That Works
Since 2018, we’ve been delivering voluntary, targeted health awareness campaigns across Peterborough’s Muslim community. These include BIMA’s annual Healthy Ramadan Campaign, CPR, recovery position and choking management courses, as well as cancer screening awareness talks (breast, bowel, cervical). We also conduct talks on organ donation, smoking and shisha, drug and alcohol abuse, childhood immunisations, dementia, diabetes, cardiovascular risk, and COVID-19 vaccinations.
Events are primarily organised through the Mosque Health Champions Network, with each mosque’s representative coordinating directly with mosque leadership. We also deliver programmes in community centres and charity halls. Materials are sourced from reputable national organisations including Cancer Research UK, Diabetes UK, British Heart Foundation and the NHS, often with BIMA’s support.
To promote these events, we design flyers and share them through a robust network involving local councillors, community leaders, charities (like GLADCA and PARCA), Salaam Radio, and the Joint Mosques Council Peterborough, which represents the city’s six largest mosques. Information is shared during Friday sermons and via our local BIMA WhatsApp group, which also helps coordinate volunteer speakers.
Research, Recognition, and Real-World Results
This grassroots approach isn’t just theory – it works. Our collaborative research project on bowel cancer screening awareness, conducted by NHS Improvement, the University of Hertfordshire, and BIMA revealed that faith-based delivery significantly outperforms traditional NHS venues in terms of community impact. The findings, soon to be published in PLOS One, demonstrate that health messages delivered in mosques resonate more deeply, leading to higher levels of engagement and follow-through.
Take our bowel cancer screening campaign as an example. In 2018, uptake among the Muslim population at my practice was just 35%. Following sustained, bilingual educational talks (delivered annually in English and Urdu across three major mosques), this figure rose to 65% in 2024 and reached 80.2% by May 2025. This success was recognised by NHS England and the Care Quality Commission (CQC), for which I received both a Civil Award from the Peterborough City Council and the GP of the Year Award from the East of England Deanery.
Personal Stories that Prove the Impact
Perhaps the most powerful validations come from the people we serve. One woman who attended our CPR and Recovery Position training later used her new skills to save her sister’s life during an epileptic seizure. In another impactful initiative, we collaborated with the local Aspire drug and alcohol team to address substance misuse. This matter was particularly pressing given that Muslims represent around 6.5% of the UK population but account for nearly 18% of the prison population, often due to drug-related offenses. Special sessions targeting shisha, e-cigarettes, and alcohol were held in mosques and youth centres with remarkable turnout and engagement.
A National Model for Health Equity
Our work is now being recognised at the regional and national levels. Findings from our bowel cancer awareness research have been selected for inclusion in the Be Part of Research 2025 campaign by the National Institute for Health and Care Research (NIHR). We will be meeting with NHS commissioners and ICB representatives to discuss how this model can be embedded into national prevention strategies.
The success of our program rests on a simple but powerful principle: building on trust, language, and cultural understanding. We leverage existing community infrastructure (like mosques, radio stations and WhatsApp groups) and combine it with professional healthcare expertise to deliver education that truly connects with people’s values and daily lives.
Scaling the Model Nationally
Replicating this approach across the UK is both feasible and necessary. The process begins by bringing together local healthcare professionals, such as doctors, pharmacists, nurses, therapists, into a WhatsApp or some other coordination platform. Partnering with local councils and public health bodies, a faith-based champions network can then be established. Each mosque, church, gurdwara, temple or community group can appoint a healthcare representative to liaise with organisers.
Once a health event is planned, this network springs into action. Venues are booked, speakers recruited, flyers designed, and community engagement rolled out across multiple platforms. Events are delivered in culturally appropriate formats and languages for maximum participation.
Where Muslim populations are smaller, similar structures can be replicated within churches, temples, community centres, and schools. This model is adaptable, cost-effective, and grounded in the realities of community life.
A Vision for the Future
The Peterborough story demonstrates what’s possible when health education is delivered by the community, for the community. With continued research, funding, and institutional support, this approach could reshape how preventive healthcare is delivered across the UK, reaching the underserved, addressing inequality, and ultimately saving lives.
Dr. Azhar M Chaudhry FRCGP
MBBS,FRCGP,MRCGP,DRCOG,DCRSH,PG Cert Med (Ed)
National award-winning Educator and GP Partner at Thistlemoor Medical Centre, Peterborough.
Chair, Mosque Health Champions Network – Peterborough
Member, British Islamic Medical Association (BIMA)