Search results

The purpose of this paper is to calculate the rate of suicide in different religious groups in people of South Asian origin in the UK.

A cross-sectional, secondary analysis of a national data set. A name recognition algorithm was used to identify people of South Asian origin and their religion. Standardized mortality ratios (SMRs) were calculated using this data and data from the national census. Setting: a population study of all those who died by suicide in England and Wales in 2001. Participants: all cases of suicide and undetermined intent identified by the Office for National Statistics for England and Wales.

There were 4,848 suicides in the UK in 2001 of which 125 (2.6 percent) were identified as people of South Asian origin by the algorithm. The suicide rate for all people of South Asian origin was 5.50/100,000 compared to 9.31/100,000 for the population of England and Wales. The age SMR for those whose names were of Hindu, Muslim or Sikh origin were 0.88, 0.47 and 0.85, respectively. Female South Asians have lower rates of suicide, than their South Asian male counterparts.

Religious classification by the computerized program does not guarantee religious affiliation. The data set were confined to one year because religion was not collected prior to the 2001 census.

The rates of suicide for South Asian sub-populations in the UK differ by gender and religion.

This paper aims to describe Caribbean traditional medicine and to consider whether and how it could be integrated into health systems in Canada.

This paper employs a literature review and synthesis.

Caribbean traditional healing takes a variety of forms reflecting the diversity of histories of the people of the Caribbean. A number of arguments including quality, equity, cost, and social climate will be important factors in facilitating or hindering the expansion of these complementary therapies. However, linking an expansion of therapies to other policy imperatives such as developing stronger communities and expansion of trade may make success more likely.

This is a narrative and document review. It is an argument which aims to produce discussion rather than empirical research.

Taking a discursive narrative approach to difficult policy issues may help in considering strategies for promoting change.

This is the first study which has attempted to consider traditional Caribbean medicine in the Canadian context. It is also the first to consider the strategies for convincing health systems to adopt this form of complementary medicine.