All Ireland Traveller Health Study Our Geels - Department of Health ...

All Ireland Traveller Health Study
Diet
General Summary
Just under half of respondents in ROI reported at least daily fruit or vegetable consumption (45.3%), less
frequently so by men (39.4%) compared with women (49.7%), with little variation by age. In NI, 31.7%
reported eating daily fruit and vegetables, again less frequently for men (27.1%) than women (35.9%)
and again with minimal age variation.
Four in 10 Traveller respondents in ROI (40.3%) and 31.3% in NI reported eating fried food less than once
per week, with just 11.8% in ROI and 12.9% in NI reporting daily consumption. Men were more likely to
consume fried food frequently than women. This pattern was also inversely age related: 17.1% in ROI
and 15.1% in NI of those under-30 years consumed fried food daily, compared with 1.1% of the oldest
respondents
In ROI butter was the most popular spread (56.2%) and was consumed at least most days by both men
(56.9%) and women (55.8%). There was no strong age trend. In NI consumption was more evenly spread
between butter, low fat or vegetable oil spreads. In ROI a majority of respondents either usually (11.7%)
or always (38%) added salt to food at table, men more so than women, and younger respondents more
than older people. In NI, 19.3% usually and 20.5% always added salt to food at table, men more so than
women and with little variation by age.
AITHS respondents hardly ever ate out, particularly in restaurants (62.0% in ROI and 67.5% in NI), and
women ate out less frequently than men. There is a strong inverse pattern, with older respondents less
likely to ever eat out, and rates of fast food and home delivery consumption were higher in the younger
age group in both jurisdictions.
Most respondents saw no problem with trying to eat more healthily (65.4% in ROI and 52.4% in NI),
and by far the most frequently cited barrier was price (29.3% in ROI and 36.8% in NI), followed by family
preferences (16.2% ROI and 20.6% NI). Patterns were similar for men and women and according to age
group.
Commentary
Compared with data from the SLAN 2007 report suggesting that 65% of adults in all social classes
reported eating at least 5 portions of fruit and vegetables per day in the general population (Harrington
et al., 2008), only 45.3% of Travellers in ROI and 31.7% of Travellers in NI report eating daily fruit and
vegetables. When viewed in the context of the comparable populations, Travellers reported more
frequent consumption of fried food (Figure 17). With respect to use of butter, low fat spread and table
salt, patterns of use of Travellers closely resemble those of the SLAN 2002 population(Figure 18), with
lower consumption of those fats in the NI Travellers.
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