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This Article Full Text Full Text (PDF) All Versions of this Article: AJPH.2007.129734v1 98/11/2035    most recent Submit a response View Shopping Cart Alert me when this article is cited Alert me when eLetters are posted Alert me if a correction is posted Services Similar articles in this journal Similar articles in Web of Science Similar articles in PubMed Alert me to new issues of the journal Download to citation manager Citing Articles Citing Articles via Google Scholar Google Scholar Articles by Monasta, L. Articles by Cockcroft, A. Search for Related Content PubMed PubMed Citation Articles by Monasta, L. Articles by Cockcroft, A. Related Collections Community Health Other Child and Adolescent Health Other Race/Ethnicity Qualitative Research Surveillance Other Statistics/Evaluation/Research Minority Children Low-Income Children

Lorenzo Monasta, DSc, Neil Andersson, MD, Robert J. Ledogar, D. Theol and Anne Cockcroft, MD

Lorenzo Monasta is with the Unit for Health Services Research and International Health, Institute for Maternal and Child Health—Istituto di Ricerca e Cura a Carattere Scientifico, Burlo Garofolo, Trieste, Italy. Neil Andersson is with the Centro de Investigación de Enfermedades Tropicales, Universidad Autónoma de Guerrero, Acapulco, México. Robert J. Ledogar is with Community Information and Epidemiological Technologies International, New York, NY. Anne Cockcroft is with Community Information, Empowerment and Transparency Europe, London, England.

Correspondence: Requests for reprints should be sent to Lorenzo Monasta, Unit for Health Services Research and International Health, Institute for Child Health IRCCS Burlo Garofolo, via dell'Istria, 65/1, 34137 Trieste, Italy (e-mail: monasta{at}burlo.trieste.it).

Objective. We sought to test methods for generating epidemiological evidence on health conditions of small, dispersed minority communities.

Methods. We used community-based mixed methods including a cross-sectional survey in 5 purposely selected settlements of Khorakané Romá (Gypsies of Muslim culture) in Italy to study the living conditions and health status of children aged from birth to 5 years.

Results. In the 15 days prior to the survey, 32% of the children had suffered diarrhea and 55% had had a cough. Some 17% had experienced respiratory difficulties during the past year. Risk factors associated with these outcomes included years spent living at the camp, overcrowding, housing conditions, use of wood-burning stoves, presence of rats, and issues related to quality of sanitation and drains. Qualitative information helped define the approach and the design, and in the interpretation and consolidation of quantitative results.

Conclusions. Guided by the priorities expressed by dispersed minority communities, small studies with little resources can provide a solid base to advocate for evidence-based participatory planning. Exact intervals appeared to be robust and conservative enough compared with other intervals, conferring solidity to the results.