Members of the Travelling Community suffer a disproportionate burden of certain illnesses such as asthma, bronchitis and tuberculosis than the rest of the population, research has shown.
A scoping review carried out by researchers at Trinity College Dublin said there is a significant disparity between the health status of Travellers and that of the general population in Ireland.
Lead researcher Dr Julie Broderick, Head of Discipline of Physiotherapy, School of Medicine at TCD, said the prevalence of a number of respiratory and cardiac conditions was two to three times higher in Travellers.
The review brought together for the first time all available evidence across published reports and peer-reviewed journals on the physical health conditions of Irish Travellers up to 4 April 2023.
The study also showed there was a higher rate of "international injuries" and a lower rate of "unintentional injuries" in Travellers aged under 65 compared to the general population.
Travellers aged over 65 had higher rates of injury.
Speaking on RTÉ's Morning Ireland, Dr Broderick said that suicide rates among Travellers are up to six-fold higher than the general population.
She said the review showed that "providers of care for Travellers should be aware of the unique and disproportionate burden of physical health conditions experienced by this group.'’
She said that Travellers having many physical health conditions is not an accident and is influenced by complex interconnecting factors, but social determinants such as a lack of accommodation, education, health and functional literacy levels, as well as poverty, influenced the pattern of health profile among Travellers.
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