Differences in alcohol consumption habits between Roma and non-Roma in Northeastern Slovenia

Abstract

Introduction: Slovenia has a high level of alcohol consumption. Comparisons of the alcohol drinking habits of the Roma and non-Roma population have yielded conflicting results. The aim of this research was to compare alcohol consumption habits between Roma and non-Roma in a sample population in Northeastern Slovenia.
 
 Methods: We conducted a cross-sectional study in which we included 100 representatives of Roma and 100 representatives of non-Roma population, aged 18 to 65 years. The questionnaire used included demographic data (gender, age, marital status, education, and employment) and the AUDIT (Alcohol Use Disorders Identification Test) questionnaire. Two logistic regression models (teetotallers/drinkers and non-hazardous drinkers/other drinkers) were used for the comparison of drinking habits. 
 
 Results: Roma scored lower on overall AUDIT score (4.51) than non-Roma (4.56). Roma and non-Roma differ significantly regarding teetotallers (39.0% vs. 16.0%) and non-hazardous drinkers (38.0% vs. 64.0%). Ethnicity was identified to have a statistically significant impact on the studied drinking behaviour: teetotallers (p < 0.001) and non-hazardous drinkers (p = 0.015).
 
 Discussion and conclusion: Our aim was to look at the differences between the two groups rather than obtain representative data on the population. Our research also casts a doubt on whether the AUDIT scale is suitable for measuring alcohol abuse.

Alcohol consumption patterns of the Hungarian general and Roma populations

“…Comparing the alcohol behavior of the Hungarian general and Roma populations in our study suggests that although Roma people consume alcohol at lower frequencies, they experience more alcohol-related harm, even when considering past problems. This is congruent with the findings from Slovenia by Zelko et al which is the only research available on Roma using the AUDIT questionnaire ( 49 ). Furthermore, studies in Europe also indicate that alcohol-related harm affects certain groups disproportionately, with the harm increasing with lower socioeconomic status, though mostly accompanied by lower consumption levels ( 9 ).…”

“…However, gender-specific results were obtained from a preceding study, where young Spanish Roma men were more likely to drink alcohol compared to other young men, whereas among women, alcohol consumption was less frequent among Roma than in the general population ( 48 ). Comparing the alcohol consumption habits of the Roma and non-Roma populations in Slovenia using the Alcohol Use Disorders Identification Test (AUDIT) revealed that although the Roma scored lower overall on the AUDIT and were characterized by a higher proportion of teetotalers, they also had a lower proportion of non-hazardous drinkers ( 49 ).…”

“…The AUDIT (Alcohol Use Disorder Identification Test) tool allows for the collection of information on various aspects of alcohol consumption and thus provides a comprehensive view of different dimensions of alcohol drinking behaviors, including alcohol-related harm, even when past problems are taken into account, which is also important when considering alcohol-related burden ( 54 ). Still, only one study in Slovenia ( 49 ) and none in Hungary collected information on alcohol consumption using the AUDIT, which provides a comprehensive view of different dimensions of alcohol consumption, drinking behaviors, and alcohol-related problems. By considering these, the present study aims to describe alcohol consumption behaviors of the Hungarian general (HG) population from an international point of view and also to compare them to those of the Hungarian Roma (HR) population using the AUDIT screening tool, which could be an important step when examining and addressing inequalities in alcohol-related harm from a national perspective ( 9 ).…”

Taste Preference-Related Genetic Polymorphisms Modify Alcohol Consumption Behavior of the Hungarian General and Roma Populations

“…Alcohol consumption patterns and related harm vary not only across countries but also within the same country among ethnic groups [ 9 ], including the most disadvantaged Roma population of Europe and Hungary [ 10 , 11 , 12 , 13 , 14 , 15 , 16 , 17 , 18 , 19 , 20 , 21 , 22 ]. This minority population is mainly accumulated in Central and Eastern Europe [ 23 ] with a representation of over 5% of the total population [ 24 ] (8.9% of the total population, 876,000 individuals in 2013 in Hungary [ 25 ]) and faces discrimination, several barriers when seeking healthcare services, and poorer health outcomes compared to mainstream populations [ 26 , 27 , 28 , 29 , 30 , 31 , 32 , 33 ].…”