{"status":"ok","message-type":"work","message-version":"1.0.0","message":{"indexed":{"date-parts":[[2026,9,30]],"date-time":"2026-09-30T05:15:07Z","timestamp":1790745307540,"version":"4.1.0"},"reference-count":29,"publisher":"BMJ","issue":"9","license":[{"start":{"date-parts":[[2025,9,21]],"date-time":"2025-09-21T00:00:00Z","timestamp":1758412800000},"content-version":"unspecified","delay-in-days":20,"URL":"https:\/\/creativecommons.org\/licenses\/by\/4.0\/"}],"funder":[{"name":"NIHR Applied Research Collaboration","award":["NIHR200173"],"award-info":[{"award-number":["NIHR200173"]}]},{"DOI":"10.13039\/501100024808","name":"Health Innovation North East and North Cumbria","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","id":[{"id":"10.13039\/501100024808","id-type":"DOI","asserted-by":"publisher"}]}],"content-domain":{"domain":["bmj.com"],"crossmark-restriction":true},"short-container-title":["BMJ Open"],"accepted":{"date-parts":[[2025,9,2]]},"published-print":{"date-parts":[[2025,9]]},"abstract":"<jats:sec>\n                  <jats:title>Background<\/jats:title>\n                  <jats:p>The North East of England has the lowest healthy life expectancy and the highest health inequalities of any region in England. The conventional model, whereby we \u2018expect\u2019 individuals to be motivated to attend a \u2018healthcare setting\u2019 to undergo cardiovascular disease (CVD) health checks every 5\u2009years has low levels of uptake, with populations most at risk frequently failing to engage.<\/jats:p>\n               <\/jats:sec>\n               <jats:sec>\n                  <jats:title>Objectives<\/jats:title>\n                  <jats:p>The objective of this study was to gather behavioural insights into the barriers\/challenges that limit engagement with the current NHS CVD Health Checks.<\/jats:p>\n               <\/jats:sec>\n               <jats:sec>\n                  <jats:title>Methods: design, setting, participants and outcomes<\/jats:title>\n                  <jats:p>Drawing on a Behavioural Insight approach, 7 qualitative focus groups with members of ethnic minorities and underserved groups (n=45 participants) were conducted to understand barriers and challenges to uptake of NHS CVD Health Checks in one region in North East England (Middlesbrough). Data were analysed using a Behavioural Insights approach, applied to establish key themes, barriers and enablers.<\/jats:p>\n               <\/jats:sec>\n               <jats:sec>\n                  <jats:title>Results<\/jats:title>\n                  <jats:p>Our findings identified that underserved communities in North East England find engaging with NHS CVD Health Checks challenging due to issues related to access, understanding and attitudes. Communities identified that harnessing relationships with existing community champions would raise awareness and confidence in engaging. Making services accessible where communities gathered, while also increasing understanding and knowledge, was also recognised as key to engagement.<\/jats:p>\n               <\/jats:sec>\n               <jats:sec>\n                  <jats:title>Conclusions<\/jats:title>\n                  <jats:p>Our study suggested that despite there being substantial barriers to engagement with NHS CVD Health Checks, novel methods encouraging uptake may be effective to address the significant health inequalities seen in deprived communities. Ensuring a co-developed and co-delivered approach to CVD risk reduction with underserved communities, together with social marketing campaigns to raise awareness about the importance of CVD, and why reducing its risk is so important, is key to success.<\/jats:p>\n               <\/jats:sec>","DOI":"10.1136\/bmjopen-2024-096500","type":"journal-article","created":{"date-parts":[[2025,9,22]],"date-time":"2025-09-22T02:31:52Z","timestamp":1758508312000},"page":"e096500","update-policy":"https:\/\/doi.org\/10.1136\/crossmarkpolicy","source":"Crossref","is-referenced-by-count":4,"title":["Exploring ethnic minority and underserved groups\u2019 experiences of the National Health Service Cardiovascular Disease Health Check uptake in North East England: applying a behavioural insights, qualitative approach"],"prefix":"10.1136","volume":"15","author":[{"ORCID":"https:\/\/orcid.org\/0000-0003-4297-261X","authenticated-orcid":false,"given":"Sophia Margarita","family":"Brady","sequence":"first","affiliation":[{"name":"NIHR Applied Research Collaboration North East and North Cumbria, Gosforth, UK"},{"name":"Population Health Sciences Institute, Newcastle University Faculty of Medical Sciences, Newcastle upon Tyne, UK"}],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]},{"given":"Joe","family":"Chidanyika","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"Health Innovation North East and North Cumbria, Newcastle upon Tyne, UK"}],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]},{"given":"Karen","family":"Verrill","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"Health Innovation North East and North Cumbria, Newcastle upon Tyne, UK"}],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]},{"given":"Jennie Sofia","family":"Portice","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"NIHR Applied Research Collaboration North East and North Cumbria, Gosforth, UK"},{"name":"Population Health Sciences Institute, Newcastle University Faculty of Medical Sciences, Newcastle upon Tyne, UK"}],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]},{"given":"Steph","family":"Scott","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"NIHR Applied Research Collaboration North East and North Cumbria, Gosforth, UK"},{"name":"Population Health Sciences Institute, Newcastle University Faculty of Medical Sciences, Newcastle upon Tyne, UK"}],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]},{"given":"Julia","family":"Newton","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"Health Innovation North East and North Cumbria, Newcastle upon Tyne, UK"}],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]}],"member":"239","published-online":{"date-parts":[[2025,9,21]]},"reference":[{"key":"2025092119301387000_15.9.e096500.1","unstructured":"Public Health England . 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