Technical Report - Donegal Traveller's Project

Health Survey FindingsHealth Issues Specific to WomenGeneral SummaryIn the case of ever married Traveller women only, information on family planning was elicited. Overall40.8% in ROI and 50.4% in NI had ever been on the contraceptive pill and this showed a strong agepattern, with the group most likely ever to be on the pill those in the 30 to 44 year age group (53.6% inROI and 51.9% in NI).Those not taking folic acid or multivitamins in the last year were 44.8% in ROI and 40.7% in NI, and thiswas strongly inversely age related. Over a third of those under 30 in ROI (32.8%) reported almost dailyintake compared to 23.0% in NI.Over a quarter of respondents in ROI reported having undergone breast screening with a mammogram(29.5%) and almost a quarter reported cervical cancer screening (23.9%) in the last year (from estimatesfrom the relevant target age groups for such screening). In NI, the small sample size for this item meansthat the findings may not be reliable.A large majority (82.9% in ROI and 76.4% in NI), indicated that a woman having problems with thechange of life would seek help from the GP (85.9% in ROI and 73.1% in NI), a point agreed upon byrespondents of all ages. TCHWs featured as a source of support in a fifth of respondents’ responses andother health professionals were cited by 32.5% of ROI and 54.8% of NI respondents.CommentaryMore women in SLAN 2002 reported having been on the oral contraceptive pill (77.2% of 30-44year-olds in the medical card group, and 72.8% of all 30 to 44-year-old SLAN 2002 participants), thanin the AITHS population. Of the women in SLAN 2007 who were medical card holders, 11.6% hadcervical screening and 13.3% had a mammogram in the previous year. From the Northern IrelandScreening Programme (2006), 72.2% of women in the 25 to 64-year-old age group had accessedcervical screening within the preceding 5 years (and within 5 years of a satisfactory test). Rates of breastscreening in the Traveller women were similar or greater than those in the corresponding age groups inthe SLAN 2007 Medical Card Holder group. Rates of cervical screening were considerably higher (Table262). The sample size is small in the NI group (n=13) and therefore this group is not commented upon.Table 262: Screened or tested in the last year for breast or cervical cancer, in women onlyBreast screening (Mammogram)Cervical screening (Smear test)ROI Travellers SLAN 2007 GMS ROI Travellers SLAN 2007 GMS50-59 year olds 28.4% 28.6% 22.7% 14.2%60+ year olds 23.6% 15.2% 22.2% 7.3%Total (all ages) 25.2% 13.3% 22.7% 11.6%221