Exploring the potential impact of health promotion videos as a low cost intervention to reduce health inequalities: a pilot before and after study on Bangladeshis in inner-city London.

Background: Coronary artery disease is the single most common cause of death in the UK. For those born in Bangladesh but dying in England and Wales, coronary artery disease causes 25% of all deaths. Cost-effective solutions are required to address this burden. Several studies have demonstrated the effectiveness of educational video intervention in informing patients in various settings.

Setting: A Bangladeshi women's group in South London.

Questions: The effectiveness of a health educational video in influencing the knowledge and attitudes towards a preventable illness amongst Bangladeshis in London? The scope of videos for health promotion?

Methods: An educational video on the signs, symptoms and prevention of coronary artery disease was played to a Bangladeshi women's group in South London in the Bengali language. Participants ( = 18, mean age = 53.7) completed a fifteen-question survey to assess their baseline knowledge prior to viewing (pre-test). The group then viewed the video and repeated the initial questionnaire, with additional questions to solicit their attitudes and perceptions (post-test).

Results: The intervention significantly improved the basic knowledge of coronary artery disease. There was a statistically significant improvement in the number of correct responses amongst participants with  = 0.0002 (mean change 2.28, 95% CI 1.29-3.27) and in the number of unsure responses  = 0.0042 (mean change 1.83, 95% CI 0.01-3.01). Upon viewing the video, all participants agreed that they wanted to implement the advice from the video into their current lifestyles.

Conclusion/discussion: The educational video significantly improved the knowledge and attitudes pertaining to coronary artery disease amongst British-Bangladeshi individuals in the UK community setting. This project illustrated how commissioners may effectively utilise third-sector organisations through partnerships to implement innovative methods of health screening and promotion. Videos are a novel approach of providing culturally sensitive health education to ethnic minority groups, through screening in clinics and in local media.