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A group of people sitting on a wall in Nepal
Brighton & Sussex Medical School

Co-REM

Co-REM

Brighton and Sussex Medical School is collaborating with the University of Sussex, University of Surrey, Applied Research Collaboration Kent, Surrey, Sussex (ARC KSS), and community organisations in KSS to develop and implement culturally appropriate resources on COVID-19 to increase health awareness and understanding among older adults from ethnic minority backgrounds.

Co-REM (Co-producing COVID-19 Resources with Ethnic Minorities) is funded by the National Institute of Health Research ARC KSS. 

Watch our COVID-19 information video in Nepalese language below.


Please see the co-produced leaflets in Hindi and Nepalese below, which can be downloaded.

Illustration of two Indian people wearing face masks

About Co-REM

The Co-REM (Co-producing COVID-19 Resources with Ethnic Minorities) study aims to inform the development and implementation of culturally sensitive public health information on COVID-19. Building on the range of strengths and networks in our interdisciplinary team, we are raising awareness and creating new approaches to talking about the preventive public health measures and potential health risks related to COVID-19. 

  1. We are engaging with older adults from ethnic minority communities and their families, and health professionals to identify the health information needs of the communities with regard to COVID-19.
  2. We are co-designing and co-producing culturally, linguistically and age-appropriate health education resources, tailored to the communities’ needs and supported by evidence.
  3. We are working alongside members of ethnic minority communities in implementing and evaluating these resources, and providing wider research reflection on co-production strategies that support ethnic minority communities in achieving their goals.

Feedback on leaflets 

"It has all the information required, very clear and with good pictures" (Community member, Indian, Sussex)

"We've been struggling to find official NHS or government translations in Nepalese so this is really helpful as we have a significant Nepali population locally" (Staff, NHS North East Hampshire & Farnham) 

"Leaflet is clear and comprehensive, cannot wait to share among our communities and circles" (Community Lead, Nepalese, Kent)

"Thank you so much for sharing, these leaflets are fabulous, we have shared then with our ethnic minority staff network" (Staff, NHS Trust Surrey)

"This is excellent work which deserves lots of appreciation" (Staff, NHS Trust Surrey).

Illustration of an Indian man wearing face masks and battling covid cells

Why are we specifically working alongside Ethnic Minority Communities and why particularly Older Asian Adults?

Growing evidence suggests that ethnic minorities in the UK experience disproportionate levels of morbidity and mortality compared to their Caucasian counterparts and this has been magnified during the current COVID-19 crisis. Studies up to date have indicated that ethnic minority groups are more likely to be admitted to critical care unit and die from COVID-19 compared to white patients.  

Older adults from ethnic minority communities are particularly at risk of poor health outcomes from COVID-19 due to age-related vulnerabilities. Among the minority groups, Asian populations have the highest burden of critical illness from COVID-19 (16%). Older adults from South Asian backgrounds are more likely to share living spaces with younger people, and have more co-morbidities such as hypertension, diabetes and cardiovascular disease, making them especially vulnerable to COVID-19. We are focusing on the information needs of older adult minorities (65+ years) from two south Asian communities (Indian and Nepali) in Kent, Surrey and Sussex.

Illustration of a family being protected

Why produce culturally relevant resources?

Research shows that culturally-tailored health communication interventions using cross-cultural messaging is more acceptable, increasing understanding and intervention uptake. The majority of currently available public health guidance around COVID-19 has been in dominant languages, lacking cultural nuance. Appropriate messages may not reach ethnic minority populations who often live in crowded multi-generation homes. We believe providing accessible and understandable information will act to educate and empower, improving COVID-19 related health outcomes in the older adullt minority communities. 

In addition, this project is also building relationships with minority communities that would be helpful to facilitate co-produced approaches to other key public health issues. The information gathered would be relevant in shaping messaging strategies in local health and social service delivery. A similar participatory model could inform future public health projects with other ethnic minority and marginalised groups. 

BACKGROUND IMAGE FOR PANEL

Why use participatory approach and co-production? 

We are using participatory approaches throughout the project, including for proposal design, co-production and implementation of the health information resources. We believe that this process of community engagement encourages a more equal partnership and reinforces the importance of listening to and celebrating the voices of communities to gain deeper understanding of the issues. The resources are being developed through an iterative process and are guided by the personal experiences and needs of older adult minorities and families. 

To download the co-produced leaflets, please click below.

Hindi Leaflet >

Nepalese leaflet >

A group of people outside a building in Nepal

News

The project has been referenced in numerous online platforms:

  • Dr Priya’s interview (in Nepali) about the project and co-production approaches was published on an online news portal at We Nepali. Read it here >
  • Research launched to understand and support BAME communities during the COVID-19 pandemic - Kent Surrey Sussex Academic Health Science Network (kssahsn.net). Read it here >
  • Research findings into impact of COVID-19 - Kent Surrey Sussex Academic Health Science Network (kssahsn.net). Read it here >
  • Research into impact of COVID-19 - Kent Surrey Sussex Academic Health Science Network (kssahsn.net). Read it here >
  • Research launched to understand and support BAME communities during the COVID-19 pandemic (nihr.ac.uk). Read it here > 

publications

We are currently in the writing stages of the report– for updates on the progress, please revisit this site.

Covid vaccine in a bottle

Events

Co-producing COVID-19 health messages with ethnic minorities

Dr Priya Paudyal and Saliha Majeed-Hajaj (Research Fellow) shared the project work in a webinar held on 11 December 2020. Three distinguished guest speakers joined the webinar and shared nuanced perspectives from their line of work: Dilijeet Nota (Community Representative, Guru Nanak Darbar Kent); Dr Kavian Kulasabanathan (Clinical Research Fellow, Emergency Department at Oxford University Hospitals Trust) and Tanya Brown-Griffith Programme Director (Sussex BAME Disparity Response Programme).

ARC digital events 

Dr Priya Paudyal presented at the ARC KSS Digital Event for Social Care with Public Health and Co-production on 6 November 2020. Dr Priya shared key findings from the study to date and reviewed next steps on the research. 

ARC Midland Event 

This project was presented at the ARC East Midlands seminar titled ‘Community Engagement & Inclusion of Under-Represented Groups in Research’. The project lead shared findings of their project, in particular demonstrate areas of good practice of community engagement and inclusion of under-represented groups in research that can help shape future work programmes. 

Contact us

For any further information about this project, contact Dr Priya Paudyal, Senior Lecturer in Public Health at BSMS.

The research team are extremely grateful for those participating in this study: gatekeepers, participants and community organisations. Without their involvement this project would not have been possible. 

Get in touch with Priya here >