Careif report: The Health Needs of the Indo-Caribbean Community in the United Kingdom
The Indo-Caribbean community has played a key part in the life of the United Kingdom, but this has not often been recognised. Little is known about this populations’ physical and mental health needs and its experience of health and social services in the UK.
This report, The Health Needs of the Indo-Caribbean Community in the United Kingdom, examines the history of the Indo-Caribbean community in the UK, the prevalence of mental health conditions among the community, barriers to accessing mental health services, and the existing services available.
Jeeda Alhakim, Koravangattu Valsraj Menon, and Rachel Tribe have conducted a scoping review to identify and map the existing literature related to the health needs among the Indo-Caribbean community in the UK. They found a lack of health-related data relating to the health experiences and outcomes of this community in the United Kingdom.
They did find some evidence to suggest that the Indo-Caribbean community may be vulnerable to suicide and substance abuse, and may face unique physical health needs, including higher rates of cardiovascular disease, hypertension, and diabetes in comparison to their Afro-Caribbean counterparts.
“The history of the Indo-Caribbean people is an example of how geopolitics affect people’s lives, the lives of communities, their experience of and migratory histories, countries of residence and may influence their wellbeing.”
The absence of a unique category designating ‘Indo-Caribbean’ as a unique category in the UK Census was identified as a major barrier to obtaining vital epidemiological data on the UK’s Indo-Caribbean population.
The report lists six recommendations including the need for the census and statutory services to utilise the category of Indo-Caribbean, and the need to fill the knowledge void by conducting studies that focus on this community, rather than grouping them together with South Asians.
This is the second Careif report that relates to UK communities that have their ultimate origins in South Asia and follows our 2021 report: Improving the Health Mental of South Asian Populations in the United Kingdom.
