Health data to support local communities

Abstract

The Robert Emmet Community Development Project (CDP) highlighted community concerns with health problems among residents of Oliver Bond House, work done to describe building issues, and difficulties in having these issues addressed. Health data, to accompany other data and community concern was identified as potentially useful in advocating for action. A group including CDP, TCD and health service staff scoped options to address this gap. The group worked with the main local general practice to facilitate the practice in summarising data on asthma by area of residence and sharing this with the community, and reviewed literature to identify links between the local housing conditions and health. Among residents of Oliver Bond House, 18% had evidence for asthma in their GP record compared to 8% among those not living at Oliver Bond House. Literature review identified evidence that reversing housing conditions described by Oliver Bond House residents can decrease respiratory illness. These data and evidence from published literature were shared with the local community through the Robert Emmet CDP and used for advocacy. The project shows how collaborations between local communities and health service providers can identify environmental determinants of health and the presence of marked health disparities even within local communities.