The evaluation of the British Islamic Medical Association (BIMA) intervention for bowel cancer screening in Muslim communities in the East of England. Dissemination event and stakeholder forum report.

The British Islamic Medical Association (BIMA) has developed a culturally adapted, “faith-placed” educational intervention aimed at increasing the uptake of bowel cancer screening in Muslim communities. Our feasibility study explored the acceptability and accessibility of the intervention along with its impact on screening uptake. This report gives an overview of the project and its findings along with recommendations for future research projects involving Muslim communities. Our results suggest that the intervention was more effective than conventional cancer screening campaigns in conveying the health message – immediately after a session, participants demonstrated an improved understanding of bowel cancer screening and its purpose. The intervention also has the potential to influence health behaviour long term as, within two years following intervention sessions, participants were more likely to take part in screening compared to individuals who did not attend the intervention.