A mountain of cancer prevention advice - published at last for Bangladeshis.

Upturn has enabled Oldham to reach the summit of healthcare once again - after the borough became the first community in Britain to offer cancer advice in the Bengali language.
Written by World Cancer Research and promoted by the University of Chester and ourselves, the “Five Simple Steps to a Healthier You” booklet details the lifestyle choices people can make to shrink their chances of cancer by 40%.
And amongst its first flag wavers is one of the community’s most famous protegees –world-record mountaineer, Akke Rahman.
“I have had family who have both lost their lives to cancer and faced difficult battles fighting leukaemia” said Akke, who conquered Mount Elbrus days after overcoming COVID. “For many reasons, our community has not always connected with health messages, and this has had grave consequences. Just look at the poor uptake of vaccines and the amount of heart problems we have. This booklet is a major step forward and could potentially save lives.”
With support from Upturn, The University of Chester has also been working with older men of Bangladeshi heritage to see what impact their diet has on their life expectancy.
The newly translated leaflet recommends:
• Maintaining a healthy weight
• Moving more
• Eating well
• Limiting junk food intake and,
• Drinking less alcohol
Professor Basma Ellahi, Professor of Public Health Nutrition at the University of Chester (Co-Chair of a Nutrition Society Special Interest Group the Diet and Health of Ethnic Minorities) said: “The initiative shows much more understanding of the challenges of communicating health messages to this community than ever before. Also available in English, this publication is bright, inclusive, and contains simple, easy to understand messages that can be shared across families in both languages, so that people have total clarity and know what is required to self-care and prevent disease. We have been overwhelmed with how positively this resource has been received and embraced by those working with the community.”
The booklet was launched at a recent fundraiser for flood victims in Bangladesh, held at the East Pavilion in Oldham, and was another example of pioneering care aimed at those who need it most – said Anwar Ali OBE, Managing Director of Upturn. “This latest initiative is all about right time, right place and it will be part of the health messages we will be taking out as we visit disadvantaged areas in our campervan – Hope on Wheels.”
Aside from being in Upturn’s canon of information, the booklets will be available free of charge from libraries and other public outlets.