The same or different?—Health promotion in ethnically diverse communities

This chapter looks at how health promotion work can be delivered to meet the needs of ever-changing, diverse population groups. It identifies target communities and discusses how health inequalities impact on these groups. The chapter considers whether ethnic minority health requires the provision of separate, specific services for our ethnically diverse population or if this may in fact widen the gap between ethnic minorities and the general population. It examines evidence of best practice and the resources available to health promoters working with such client groups. This chapter shows that the term black and minority ethnic (BME), which include refugee and asylum-seeking communities. There has long been an acknowledgement of the health inequalities experienced by the BME communities in the UK. The health service has to be flexible, understanding, innovative and fair in the way it deals with these new challenges in order to improve the health of all people.