A Comparative Health Survey of the Inhabitants of Roma Settlements in Hungary

Abstract

Kósa et al. | Peer Reviewed | Research and Practice | 853 RESEARCH AND PRACTICE  Objectives. We compared the health of people living in Roma settlements with that of the general population in Hungary.Methods. We performed comparative health interview surveys in 2003 to 2004 in representative samples of the Hungarian population and inhabitants of Roma settlements.Results. In persons older than 44 years, 10% more of those living in Roma settlements reported their health as bad or very bad than did those in the lowest income quartile of the general population. Of those who used any health services, 35% of the Roma inhabitants and 4.4% of the general population experienced some discrimination. In Roma settlements, the proportion of persons who thought that they could do much for their own health was 13% to 15% lower, and heavy smoking and unhealthy diet were 1.5 to 3 times more prevalent, than in the lowest income quartile of the general population.Conclusions. People living in Roma settlements experience severe social exclusion, which profoundly affects their health. Besides tackling the socioeconomic roots of the poor health of Roma people, specific public health interventions, including health education and health promotion programs, are needed. (Am J Public Health.

Betegjogok etnikai metszetben

“…A kutatások azt mutatják, hogy amíg az alapellátás területén általában a roma páciensek és a háziorvosok, vé-dőnők viszonya jó -hiszen közös érdekük, hogy jó kapcsolatot ápoljanak -, a szakellátás területén a cigány származású betegek gyakran tapasztalnak lekezelő hozzáállást, előítéletességet az egészségügyi dolgozók részé-ről [3,4,12,30,31,38]. A kutatások arra is rávilágíta-nak, hogy a cigány származású betegek szakrendelésre történő utalása jóval alacsonyabb, mint a többségi lakosságé, s a romák a kórházi kezeléseken, szanatóriumi gyógykezeléseken is alulreprezentáltak [13].…”

“…Várható élettartamuk át-lagosan 10-15 évvel rövidebb a többségi társadalomhoz viszonyítva, magasabb körükben a csecsemőhalandóság, gyakoribbak a koraszülések, a kis súlyú születések. A lá-táskárosodás, a vashiányos anaemia, valamint a szív-és érrendszeri megbetegedések előfordulása többszörösen felülreprezentált körükben a többségi társadalomhoz ké-EREDETI KÖZLEMÉNY pest [2][3][4][5][6][7][8][9][10][11][12][13][14][15][16][17]. Fontos hangsúlyozni, hogy a roma népes-ség egészségügyi helyzetét illetően az etnikai dimenzió szorosan, elválaszthatatlanul összefonódik szociális helyzetükkel.…”

Multiple struggles in fighting violence against women: implications among Romani women leaders in Spain

“…However, wherever they reside, Roma populations are more exposed to social exclusion processes than the general population are. These social exclusion processes negatively influence access to resources, social opportunities and the exercise of basic rights, resulting in poorer outcomes in terms of health and well-being [4,5]. Compared to the general population, the health of the Roma population is disproportionately affected by social determinants including low levels of school attendance and exposure to unsuitable living conditions [6].…”

“…More controversial issues have also been highlighted, such as forced sterilization, early marriage, forced prostitution and VAW [12–15]. To do so, Romani women have had to face different struggles related to the intersection of different axes of discrimination such as sexism, racism and classism [4]. …”

“…They may be oppressed for being female, for being Roma and for being poor. In addition, the Roma community in Europe is composed of several sub-communities differentiated by settlement model, culture and religion, legal status, language and period of migration [4]. There are also differences within these groups based on the political and cultural context of their place of residence.…”