An evaluation of asthma education project targeting the Traveller and Roma community

Objective: The aim of this evaluation was to determine the cultural and educational appropriateness of a pilot asthma education programme developed for the Traveller and Roma community in Ireland. Design: A participatory multi-stakeholder and qualitative approach. Setting: Prevalence and inadequate control of asthma have been found to be high among members of the Traveller and Roma community. Barriers to health care among these groups have been reported. A train-the-trainer approach was undertaken to build capacity among Traveller Community Health Workers around specialist asthma knowledge. Method: A total of 29 Traveller community health care workers completed and graduated successfully with a certificate of attendance. Interviews were undertaken with key stakeholders (n=8) and focus groups (n=24) with participants. Results: The train-the-trainer approach was shown to be an effective, transferable and cost effective strategy to building capacity to outreach specialist asthma education to a wider population. There was a very positive response to the programme among the stakeholders, facilitators and the participants generally. Participants felt confident in their ability to teach other health care workers about what they had learned during the programme. Conclusion: The cascade provided by the pilot work offers an economical approach to building capacity and outreach specialist asthma knowledge to Community Health Workers and to families affected by asthma in the Traveller community. The use of energisers and the approach to local evaluation should be adapted to respond to the requirements of the group. It is recommended that regular evaluation and reporting of outcome indicators be undertaken.