Technical Report - Donegal Traveller's Project

Health Survey FindingsThe review body also considered the issues of Traveller health and as with the earlier report, noted thatlife expectancy for Travellers appeared to be considerably shorter than for the population as a whole.It was noted that Traveller families were larger than the national average and that the age profile wasexceptionally young. It recommended ‘the regular and systematic collection of data on the health status ofIrish Travellers’.The Travellers’ Health Status Study 1986 & 1987The publication of the ‘Travellers’ Health Status Study - Census of Travelling People 1986’ (Barry and Daly,1988) and ‘The Travellers’ Health Status Study - Vital Statistics of the Travelling People 1987’ (Barry et al.,1989) gave rise to considerable concern about the health status of the Traveller community. The mainfindings reported at that time were:• Traveller fertility rate. The fertility rate of Travellers in 1987 was 34.9 per 1,000 - more than double thenational average and the highest in the European Union.• Health of the Traveller mother and baby. Travellers had more than double the national rate ofstillbirths, and the IMR was three times higher than the national rate.• Traveller mortality. Traveller men lived on average 10 years less than settled men, and Travellerwomen lived on average 12 years less than their settled peers. Travellers were only then reaching thelife expectancy that settled people had reached in the 1940s, and Travellers of all ages had very highmortality rates compared to the general Irish population.• Traveller Health. Travellers had higher rates of morbidity than the general Irish population. TheReport of the Task Force on the Travelling Community (1995) presents a comprehensive rangeof strategies to address the situation of the Travelling community. Such as the following generalrecommendations:• That the distinct culture and identity of the Traveller community be recognised and taken intoaccount• Provision of increased resources to Traveller organisations• Promoted a partnership approach to working with TravellersThe 1995 Task Force ReportAs background information for the 1995 Task Force Report, a study on the uptake and utilisation ofhealth services was performed (O’Donovan, et al., 1995). This study examined interviews with 200Travellers in Dublin and Galway and Service Providers in all Health Board Areas in order to establishthe main issues in relation to Traveller access to the health services. The questionnaire was designedin collaboration with Travellers, Traveller support groups and medical personnel. Questionnaireadministration posed logistical challenges in this study, due to both respondents’ literacy and accessto families, facilitated by assistance of Peer Researcher support. The questionnaire examined family sizeand composition, accommodation status, as well as a range of questions related to personal and familyhealth status, lifestyle, health beliefs, access to GMS services, use of preventative medicine and childhealth services, hospital services, women’s health, health education and their views on the existinghealth services.15