Experience of Discrimination is Associated with both Material and Socio-cultural Variables in the All Ireland Traveller Health Census Study of Seven Thousand Families
Indigenous minority peoples globally experience similar health and wellbeing challenges, including exposure to discrimination. Our objectives in this analysis were to identify what material and socio-cultural factors, if any, were associated with reported discrimination in Irish travellers, an indigenous, minority and traditionally nomadic population in Ireland.
METHODS:
We employed data from the 2008 archived census survey of 7042 Traveller families, which had an 80% response rate and employed a novel-oral visual questionnaire and peer interviewers. Variables related to material circumstances (e.g. resident in a house or caravan, transport, literacy, amenities and services) and socio-cultural factors (age, sex, education, employment, cultural identity variables) in relation to ever reported experience of discrimination, (EOD) categorised dichotomously into never and rarely versus sometimes, often and very often. We employed categorical chi-square, uni-variate and multivariate adjusted logistic regression analysis, using stepwise backward Likelihood ratio-method.
RESULTS:
At uni-variate level almost all variables considered were significantly associated with EOD. Of those in conventional housing 62.6% reported EOD compared to 75.6% of those not, 59.2% of those employed reported EOD, compared to 68.0% of unemployed and 66.3% of homemakers and others. Those with no formal education were more likely to report EOD (73.2%), compared to primary school-educated (66.0%) or higher (60.7%) (all p<0.001). In the final age and sex adjusted logistic model, factors including living in house versus a trailer/mobile home (OR 0.77, 95%CI 0.63-0.95), high importance of Traveller identity (OR 2.19, 95%CI 1.79-2.68); frequent travelling (OR 3.05, 95%CI 2.19-4.26) low literacy (OR 1.72, 95%CI 1.46–2.02); higher education (OR 0.76, 95%CI 0.61-0.95) and unemployment (OR 1.21, 95%CI 1.03–1.42) all remained significant.
CONCLUSIONS:
EOD is strongly socially and culturally patterned, even within this highly disadvantaged community and those who bridged most successfully to the wider community through education and employment were less likely to report EOD.