Cardiovascular health in the Irish Traveller community

Irish Travellers are a minority group exposed to a range of social and health inequalities. Traveller men and women live 9.9 and 11.9 years less, respectively, than men and women in the general population. One of the major causes of death is cardiovascular disease (CVD). Information concerning CVD risk factor assessment in this population is lacking. Our pilot study assesses the point prevalence of diabetes, pre-diabetes and the metabolic syndrome in a sample population of Irish Travellers living along the Irish Atlantic seaboard. To date, 187 Travellers have completed the study. The prevalence of diabetes was found to be 2.7%, pre-diabetes 11.2 % and metabolic syndrome 40% compared with 4.3%, 6.4% and 21.0% respectively in the background population. Targeted screening for glucose abnormalities and traditional CVD risk factors is needed in this minority group. Appropriate culturally sensitive interventions to reduce CVD risk factors are expected to lower morbidity and increase life expectancy.