Differential Acculturation and its Impact on Well Being among Bangladeshi Migrants Living at Different Densities in the UK

Migration has a significant effect on social and physical well being across the life course. Migrants generally move expecting improved conditions including access to higher levels of education, employment, public services, and health care. The process of acculturation can play a major role in determining well being, particularly for first-generation migrants. It refers to the means by which a minority population adapts to its host culture to include behaviour (such as language, clothing, and social interactions) and beliefs/attitudes prevalent in daily life (such as religious and national identities). Acculturation is thus a measure reflecting social integration, exposure to discrimination, and cultural transitions. Current census and public health data indicate that migrant Bangladeshis in the UK report higher rates of poor health and long term disabilities relative to white British Europeans, but it is unclear whether these complaints reflect conditions brought from Bangladesh or experienced in the UK perhaps in relation to the migration/acculturation experience.
Our proposed project thus comprises an in-depth comparison of the acculturation experiences of multiple generations of British Bangladeshis settled in Northeast UK (NE UK) and London, and its sequelae for mental and physiological well being. Prior researchers have suggested that migrants embedded in large communities are buffered from those stressors connected to migration and acculturation. This is certainly applicable to London Bangladeshis, but we know little about the comparative experiences of similar migrants living in areas with small ethnic minority concentrations. The purpose of this cross-regional study is therefore to compare acculturation and related well being of migrant Bangladeshis in: 1) a densely settled minority context (London), and 2) a sparsely settled context (NE UK). Through questionnaires, interviews, and focus group discussions we will collate and analyse data regarding migration history, acculturation, perceived discrimination, lifestyle and self-reported well being of these UK British-Bangladeshis. Data will be supplemented by salivary biomarkers of stress (cortisol) and health (C-reactive protein).
The combined use of these in-depth qualitative and quantitative data is novel in migrant studies, and will assist us in better assessing how migrant groups integrate into their new host country. Through identifying facilitators and/or barriers to acculturation and how these shape the relationships between cultural adaptation, integration and well being over time for Bangladeshi migrants in two disparate regions of the UK, our Project ultimately aims to provide specific recommendations to relevant professionals for the provision of better directed local and national services to migrant populations.
This work expands successful research programmes (led by Profs Bentley and Curtis) examining the impact of migration on physiology, behaviour and well being in the UK Bangladeshi population. To complete the project proposed here, a team of researchers will spend three years conducting extensive fieldwork and data analyses. We will develop collaborations with academic and non-academic partners linked to public health, and will engage with local authorities (reflecting the existing ethos of our prior studies) to direct our findings toward appropriate modifications to local community structure and service provision. In sum, our long term aim is to ensure migration translates into optimal welfare and social integration. This represents a move toward attenuating social inequalities for which ethnic groups appear most vulnerable. Overall the project findings will have applicability for contexts relating to local, national and international migration particularly among South Asians in the UK. This work is novel and significant in comparing two very different UK regions and in integrating both qualitative and quantitative data.

Beneficiaries of the research include health and social policy makers from local authorities, strategic health authorities and health care providers plus third sector intermediaries between the former organisations and community users. All of these will benefit from accessing more detailed information than currently exists concerning regional patterns of acculturation and well being for which Bangladeshi migrants may seek help, or be urged to seek help. More broadly, the NHS will benefit from having collated information about regional differences in health between NE UK and London and how these differences relate to overall variations and inequalities in health across the UK. Our work may also help in designing early interventions to prevent later health issues from arising.
We can no longer accept that poor physical and mental health is an uncontrollable consequence of migration. Equally we cannot assume that all populations adapt to variations in environments at similar speeds. We must ensure that service providers account for cultural and regional variations in public health knowledge, access to health and social services, and beliefs and health behaviours of different populations. Furthermore we cannot assume individuals in our diverse society fully understand UK health and social infrastructures. Liaison with local policy makers at an early stage will ensure our research makes a difference. We will seek their views and establish what changes have already taken place and discuss their efficacy. The economic and social implications of this research will include the long term gains made in alleviating pressures on public health and social services whose resources are already stretched. Our findings about integration and acculturation can also help policy makers who are influential in determining political and social agendas in relation to ethnic minorities and migrants, and social workers who are interested in potential interventions to improve health. Above all, beneficiaries will include Bangladeshi communities in the UK since the project will serve to provide us with regional information about the impact of migration on health and stress and seeks to involve their input as the work progresses.
Finally, we plan to disseminate our work to Bangladeshis still living in Sylhet from where most future migrants are likely to originate. There appear to be many misconceptions about life in Britain following migration, primarily because remittances from the UK and other countries provide the bulk of economic income to Sylhet. It will undoubtedly be helpful for potential future migrants to appreciate the real economic, social and health problems that can face them when they anticipate making this challenging transition.
Our experience has shown that valid results from research can take time to realise and are likely to have maximum impact when we begin to analyse data that have been collected. Benefits are likely to be realised during the third and final years of the Project and thereafter. However, we do have earlier data from our prior projects that we can already translate into health messages to the local Bangladeshi community that can provide some early benefits. This will also help us to cement relationships with community organizations as we develop connections in NE UK.
Staff working on the project will receive thorough training (via Durham University HR or external courses, or directly from the PIs) and will have the opportunity to develop skills in the following areas: communication, teamwork, leadership, time management, ethnographic fieldwork, anthropometrics, laboratory work for the analyses of salivary biomarkers, qualitative and quantitative analyses including the use of Nvivo and statistics, data management, community education, presentations, publications, web design, media work and liaison with multidisciplinary service delivery groups.