Project:
Eastern European Communities Smoking and Alcohol Use

The issue:
Sandwell has a growing Eastern European population and smoking and alcohol use is much higher in these populations than is normally experienced by the wider Sandwell population. This has the potential to put pressure on health and social care provision in the future.

The Brief:

Sandwell Council commissioned Siskin to find a way to engage with the Eastern European communities and design an approach aimed at reducing the level of smoking and alcohol use.

Our Approach:

Siskin engaged directly with the relevant at-risk population to understand the cultural beliefs and needs that drive the behaviours to drink and smoke. We worked with a Sandwell-based Eastern European community organisation to understand attitudes, behaviours, barriers and motivators across this audience.

Siskin delivered a range of insight sessions and qualitative and quantitative research to better understand the community’s beliefs and needs. Drawing on nudge theory we co-created:

• An insight-led intervention
• Key messages, which were used across a range of resources
• Written material in a range of appropriate languages
• Assets for printed and digital marketing

A full evaluation report was also presented, with suggested interventions and recommendations, to support Sandwell Metropolitan Borough Council in engaging further with the Eastern European communities in the future.

And as a result:

Through our approach we built a co-created intervention and relationships with local community groups that are now being further developed by the Council and other key stakeholders for future work.