To what extent does socioeconomic status explain differences in health between Roma and non-Roma adolescents in Slovakia?

Abstract

The Roma make up one of the largest ethnic groups in Europe. The few studies that are available report health among the Roma as considerably worse than that of the majority population, and virtually nothing is known about the health status of Roma adolescents. The purpose of this study was to compare the self-reported health outcomes of Roma adolescents living in Roma settlements with adolescents from the majority population and to assess the impact of socioeconomic status on the results obtained. We conducted a survey among Roma adolescents (N=330, mean age=14.5) and non-Roma adolescents (N=722, mean age=14.9) living in eastern Slovakia. We gathered data on sociodemographic position, self-rated health (using the SF-36), the occurrence of accidents and injuries during the past year, healthcare utilization during the past year, health complaints, mental health and social desirability. Roma adolescents reported poorer self-rated health, more accidents and injuries during the past year and more frequent use of healthcare during the past year, though fewer health complaints. Furthermore, they reported more prosocial behaviour than non-Roma. No differences appeared in total difficulties. Socioeconomic status decreased the association of ethnicity with health outcomes. Adjustment for social desirability had a significant effect on the differences for all outcomes, except for accidents and injuries during the past year.

Birth-Weight Differences of Roma and Non-Roma Neonates - Public Health Implications from a Population-Based Study in Hungary

“…Like these studies, further articles published about Roma living in Europe and especially in Central-Eastern Europe also emphasized these populations' poor health resulting from low socioeconomic status (SES), severe social exclusion, unfavourable behavioural patterns, and the environment, all of which could influence birth outcome (8)(9)(10)(11)(12)(13)(14)(15).…”

Lipoprotein(a) in Children of Asian Indian Descendants and Their Caucasian Neighbors: The Slovak Lipid Community Study

“…Socioeconomic status is a major determinant of health, lifestyle and health-related behaviour, sufficient quantities of food and quality of nutrition, and opportunities for education [11]. In one from a few Asian studies, the socioeconomic status did not have a consistent influence on the Lp(a) levels in evenly earner stratificated ethnic Chinese Taiwan population [24].…”

“…Although the size of the overall Roma population in Slovakia is uncertain today, it is estimated to be around 440,000, which means that they represent 8.1% of the general Slovak population, a 31.2% increase on the 1990 figure [10]. Their poor health status is notorious and stems from long-term bad economic circumstances, a low level of educational attainment, and an unhealthy lifestyle [11].…”

Epidemiological Study of Orofacial Clefts among Population of Eastern Slovakia during the Period 1996-2013

“…In this respect, Roma are well-known for their low socioeconomic status and this may reduce the level of health among Roma (18).…”

“…However, some associations between socioeconomic status and health in non-Roma populations have been found in many studies (23)(24)(25). Genetic, biological, medical, and anthropological analyses of Roma health status focus greatly on infectious diseases or hereditary defects (18,(26)(27)(28). However, due to the socioeconomic conditions, these factors seem to be potential risk factors of incidence of OC in ES.…”