A team from a UK-based university has collaborated with experts in India to produce a Hindi video to raise awareness among non-English speaking people of South Asian origin about increased heart disease risks associated with their ethnicity, stated a report in PTI.

Meri Sehat, Mere Rules (My Health, My Rules) follows Indian-origin scientist Dr Kanta Kumar led research which found that patients of South Asian origin living with rheumatoid arthritis (RA) had limited knowledge about the increased risk of cardiovascular disease (CVD) that they face.

The interactive video released this week spells out the risks and attempts to educate RA patients to minimise the impact of CVD on them.

"Patient education has a significant role to play in reducing the risk of CVD for patients living with RA," said Dr Kumar, project leader from the University of Birmingham.

There needs to be more interventions that are culturally centred to target the needs of the diverse population, he said, adding the biggest challenge is how to translate intent into action.

"We believe that our video will help inform the CVD risk and to overcome the cultural barriers that are preventing South Asian patients with RA from learning about the risks posed by CVD encouraging them to take steps to protect their health," he said, as stated in the PTI report.

The video is now available to watch on the UK's National Rheumatoid Arthritis Society (NRAS) Apni Jung (Our Battle) web pages, a dedicated online resource for people of South Asian origin.

The interdisciplinary team comprised experts from the University of Birmingham; Bellevue Medical Centre, Birmingham; Sanjay Gandhi Postgraduate Institute of Medical Sciences, Lucknow; Dudley Group of Hospitals NHS Trust, Dudley; and National Rheumatoid Arthritis Society, UK.