On different roads: reconciling Gypsy, Roma and Traveller communities with healthcare provision in the UK

Addressing ongoing health disparities between the UK’s Gypsy, Roma, and Traveller (GRT) communities and the general population is a critical concern for healthcare services. These groups face poorer health outcomes and significant barriers to access, driven by historical discrimination and structural inequalities. In this Comment, we argue that current policy and practice often misinterpret GRT health attitudes and practices as ‘deprivations’ rather than adaptive cultural responses. We propose the application of cultural evolutionary theory to reframe these behaviors as sophisticated adaptations developed within unique environmental and social contexts. We then outline the utility of agent-based modeling as a methodological tool to explore these cultural dynamics and inform more effective, culturally sensitive healthcare interventions, fostering co-enrichment between communities and services.