title: Revealing the hidden 'troubles' in Northern Ireland: the role of participatory rapid appraisal.
abstract: Our objectives were to explore the use of rapid participatory appraisal (RPA) in defining the health and social needs of women, and to formulate joint action plans between the residents and service providers. RPA included review of existing data, focus groups and questionnaire. The study was set in the Ardoyne area of North Belfast. A response rate of 85% was obtained. Priorities identified reflected holistic definition of health and included issues relating to physical environment, social supports, as well as traditional epidemiological data. The use of RPA in this study has demonstrated a greater insight into unmet health and social needs in the area. It has exposed the level and extent of poverty, such as poor nursery provision for the under 5s, lack of safe play areas, fuel poverty for the elderly person, high dependence on prescription drugs such as valium and antidepressants, as well as lack of access to specific services due to political boundaries.
authors.affiliation: School of Nursing and Midwifery, Medical Biology Centre, School of Dentistry, Royal Victoria Hospital, Queen's University of Belfast, Belfast BT9 7BL, UK.
authors.forename: A
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Lazenbatt
authors.forename: U
authors.initials: U
authors.lastname: Lynch
authors.forename: E
authors.initials: E
authors.lastname: O'Neill
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D003625:Data Collection; D004194:Disease / Q000145:classification; D005260:Female; D006297:Health Services Accessibility; D006305:Health Status Indicators; D006306:Health Surveys; D006801:Humans; D008019:Life Style; D008603:Mental Health; D008875:Middle Aged; D020380:Needs Assessment; D009660:Northern Ireland / Q000453:epidemiology; D012923:Social Class; D012935:Social Justice; D012944:Social Support; D016387:Women's Health