Naila, a shop worker from Essex, took part in the Genes & Health study, which is supported by the NIHR. This study is looking at British Pakistani and British Bangladeshi communities to better understand how genetics affect the high rates of heart disease, diabetes and poor health in these groups.
The 52-year-old, who lives with her husband and children in Southend, decided to take part because of a strong family history of various health conditions. Her mother lived with asthma, lupus, and diabetes, and her niece died of breast cancer at a young age.
She found out about the study when she met her local research team at a community health event, and she immediately wanted to get involved.
Genes & Health is the world’s largest community-based study of genetics and health in British Bangladeshis and British Pakistanis. Their goal is to improve the health of these communities by analysing saliva samples from 100,000 volunteers.
All she had to do was provide a saliva (spit) sample which was sent off for testing. This sample will help researchers find out more about how genetics influence health. Naila says:
“I think there needs to be more testing amongst Asian communities to find out more about our genetic health history. I was happy to help in any way I could.”
Spit party
Inspired to get her local community involved in the study and to help raise awareness, Naila held a ‘spit party’ and invited friends and family to her house to take part. She said:
“I feel that if we all tapped into our little bubbles of people, we could reach a bigger community, and we can help with the research.”
Naila is hoping that her experience will inspire others to be part of research. She added:
“We need people to come forward and for them to know that it’s not harmful to themselves to take part.
“If you take part in research, you're helping future generations.”
Watch Naila's story
In this video, Naila shares her experience along with fellow research participant Shelly, and Dr. Elango Sathiyamoorthy, a GP partner based in Luton.
How you can get involved with research
Sign up to Be Part of Research to be contacted about a range of health and care research. Or check out our full list of studies to see if one is right for you.
And if taking part in a study doesn’t feel right at the moment there are other ways to get involved in research.
