Routes: New ways to talk about Covid-19 for better health. Focus on Gypsy, Roma and Traveller communities and migrant workers

Abstract

Gypsy, Roma and Traveller communities and migrant workers often experience worse health than the general population, with existing inequalities exacerbated further by the covid-19 pandemic. Understanding health experiences within these communities and co-designing solutions is vital to improve health equity and health services. The project involves participatory research with Gypsy, Roma and Traveller communities, and with migrant workers in precarious jobs, using our ‘[DEPTH]' approach, to identify and address barriers to good health. We work with policymakers, healthcare staff, and communities to generate rigorous evidence and to co-produce research and solutions that are tailored, meaningful, feasible and effective. Our approach involves community members as co-researchers to ensure that we ask the right questions, contextualise the responses properly, and find solutions together. We are exploring real life experiences relevant to Covid-19 risk, prevention and response, and co-producing solutions via dialogues about the findings. By co-producing the research, we will understand the specifics of health experiences and needs and how best to address them. While we are focusing on Covid-19 prevention, we anticipate that our findings will also be transferable to other areas of health.