Birmingham Culturally Intelligent Approach to Chronic Headaches and Migraines in Pakistani Communities (BCIAHP)
The Birmingham Culturally Intelligent Approach to Headache disorder in Pakistani Communities (BCIAHP) is a project by Birmingham City Council Public Health Division, supported by an external grant from Pfizer Limited. The project explores the prevalence and impact of chronic headaches and migraines within Birmingham’s Pakistani communities.
Through clinical data collection, community-led research and participant surveys, the project aims to understand the barriers individual’s face in accessing diagnosis and treatment, the cultural perceptions surrounding headaches and migraines and their impact on individuals.
The project is working with the community to co-produce information resources for individuals and healthcare providers to improve awareness, support prevention and self-management options, and help people understand when, and how, to seek professional support.
Why is this project working with Pakistani communities?
Birmingham has the largest Pakistani community of any local authority in England, 195,853 people and accounting for 17% of our residents in 2021.
There is limited data on the prevalence of headache and migraine in the Pakistani community in Birmingham. Due to a lack of understanding of the barriers to treatment, there is also a lack of information that specifically addresses the communities’ cultural needs. We want to enable preventative approaches, appropriate presentation and effective communication of symptoms of headaches and migraine to enable prompt diagnosis and effective treatment within this population. This project aims to address this need.
The project started in January 2024, and has four main phases up to completion in September 2025:
- Phase 1: Data collection and analysis
- Phase 2: Co-design of resources
- Phase 3: Implementation of resources
- Phase 4: Evaluation of project
Page last updated: 23 April 2025
