IRISH COMMUNITY HEALTH RESEARCH

Irish Community Health Research



Contents

Abstract3

Description of Case Study3

Strengths and limitations of the case study5

Strengths and Limitations of Community Development6

Health Promotion and Public Policy Discussion7

Conclusion12

Recommendations12

References13

Irish Community Health Research Community Health Research Project

Abstract

In this paper we are going to discuss and highlight the need to reduce inequalities in health by addressing the needs of disadvantaged communities in particular. The Irish community Association organized a series of social and cultural events, as well as liaising with healthcare workers on the management of specific conditions, as well as having a seat in the decision-making processes of Sand well's Local Strategic Partnership.

Description of Case Study

The British government's white paper on public health, 'Saving Lives' (DH,1999) highlights the need to reduce inequalities in health by addressing the needs of disadvantaged communities in particular. It was at an event in Tipton in1998, to discuss the consultation stage of this document, that the Health Authority's CD teams were alerted to the need to do some work with the Irish Community. It was pointed out by participants that Irish people in Sand well experienced much of the disadvantage and ill health seen by their counterparts in other boroughs, and yet were particularly marginalized because there existed no specific statutory provision for Irish people in Sand well.

A multi-disciplinary working group (including some interested Irish professionals from the Council and NHS Trust) was formed, which successfully applied to Sand well Health Authority for funding to apply the community health profiling approach with Irish people. With this research project, the group has been expanded to a wider Steering Group to oversee the implementation of the research and subsequent developments (and has recently included Irish community members identified via the research).

As there has been no systematic means of identifying Irish people in Sand well, the study relied upon encouraging people to volunteer to be interviewed. Publicity for the study was issued in the local media and by means of a flier, pointing out that respondents would automatically be entered for a prize draw for a pair of air tickets to Ireland. This resulted in 235 people over the age of 16 offering to be interviewed, 190 of which resulted in completed interviews. This figure is around 5% of the 3500-4000 estimate for Sand well's Irish population based on what data is available from the 1991 Census (although this may be an underestimate).

With a sample of only 190 however, it is acknowledged that only general trends across the whole Sand well Irish Community could be identified, with little scope for examining subsets of the sample. Apart from the generally positive response to the study, the publicity also generated a small number of concerns about it, from 2 opposing viewpoints. One view expressed by a few people was that, as the Irish community was in their view 'integrated with the English', it was unhelpful to be emphasizing differences that did not really exist. At the other end of the spectrum, a few people, though supportive of the study, declined to be ...