Search

Background: The Roma minority, Europe's largest ethnic minority, experiences significant disparities in living conditions and health outcomes compared to the non-Roma populations across the continent. Despite extensive documentation of the socio-economic challenges faced by the Roma, there is a notable lack of comparative research., Methods: This study aims to fill this gap by examining the differences in socio-economic characteristics, living conditions, and self-reported health status between Roma (R) and non-Roma (nR) women in in Hungary (HU), Romania (RO), and Slovakia (SK), providing a cross-country comparative analysis. Utilizing simple and multiple binary logistic models, our research analysed data collected from September 2020 to March 2022, involving 322 Roma and 294 non-Roma women in Hungary, 258 Roma and 183 non-Roma women in Romania, and 146 Roma and 163 non-Roma women in Slovakia., Results: Findings indicate significant associations between increased age (R:OR = 1.04[1.02,1.06], p < 0.001), (nR:OR = 1.04[1.02,1.05], p < 0.001) lower financial situation (R:OR = 2.05[1.01,4.18], p = 0.048) (nR:OR = 1.67[1.01,2.77], p = 0.047), and basic education level (R:OR = 3.60[1.29,10.08], p = 0.015) (nR:OR = 3.64[1.77,7.51], p < 0.001) with the likelihood of poor health status across both groups in Hungary. In Romania, increased age (OR = 1.04[1.02,1.06], p < 0.001) and basic education level (OR = 5.24[2.29,11.99], p < 0.001) were particularly predictive of poor health among non-Roma, while in Slovakia, age (OR = 1.05[1.02,1.07], p < 0.001) was a significant factor for Roma, and intermediate education level (OR = 2.68[1.16,6.20], p = 0.021) was for non-Roma. The study also found that a higher number of children (HU:OR = 1.35[1.12,1.63], p = 0.002), (RO:OR = 1.57[1.25,1.96], p < 0.001) and problems with housing comfort (RO:OR = 4.83[2.19,10.62], p = 0.015) and wall conditions (RO:OR = 2.81[1.22,6.46], p < 0.001) significantly impacted the health status of non-Roma women in Hungary and Romania. Conversely, an increase in household size was associated with a better health status among Roma women in Hungary (OR = 0.88[0.79,0.99]) and Slovakia (OR = 0.78[0.61,0.99])., Conclusion: By offering a novel comparative analysis, this study highlights the critical need for focused attention on the health disparities faced by Roma women, particularly those in a multiply disadvantaged situation due to their ethnic and socio-economic status., Competing Interests: The authors declare that the research was conducted in the absence of any commercial or financial relationships that could be construed as a potential conflict of interest., (Copyright © 2024 Mózes, Takács, Ungvari and Feith.)

The Roma populations in Central and Eastern Europe are two to three times more likely to have unmet health needs compared to non-Roma residents. The aim of the present study was to investigate the disparity in screening attendance between Hungarian-speaking Roma (R) and non-Roma (nR) women in Hungary (HU-R:322; nR:294), Romania (RO-R:258; nR:183), and Slovakia (SK-R:146; nR:163), while also identifying the factors that influence attendance at any kind of screening tests in both populations. In order to examine these factors, a multiple binary logistic regression was conducted. The findings revealed significant associations between attendance at any kind of screening tests and certain factors among different groups. Among Hungarian Roma women, it was found that having a chronic disease and smoking were linked to attendance at any kind of screening tests ( p  = 0.009). Specifically, having a chronic disease increased the odds of attendance (OR = 1.71 [1.01, 2.90]), while smoking decreased the odds (OR = 0.57[0.365, 0.91]). In Romania, the study found that not having health insurance decreased the odds of attendance among Roma women (OR = 0.50 [0.27, 0.91]), whereas having a chronic disease increased the odds (OR = 2.87 [1.44, 5.72]) ( p  = 0.006). Among non-Roma women in Romania, physical inactivity was associated with a decreased likelihood of attendance at any kind of screening tests (OR = 0.48 [0.25, 0.95]). Among Slovakian Roma women, not having health insurance (OR = 0.09[0.02, 0.36]) and smoking (OR = 0.25[0.11, 0.61]) were found to decrease the odds of attendance ( p  < 0.001). On the other hand, non-Roma women in Slovakia with chronic diseases were more likely to attend at any kind of screening tests (OR = 2.52[1.12, 5.66]). Our research emphasizes the impact of lacking health insurance on screening attendance, particularly among the Roma population. It also highlights the significance of health-related behaviours such as smoking and physical inactivity in relation to missed screening tests, which in turn contribute to the development of non-communicable diseases. Therefore, promoting targeted screening programs for the Roma community is crucial to ensure their access to screening tests, especially in cases of chronic illnesses., Competing Interests: The authors declare that the research was conducted in the absence of any commercial or financial relationships that could be construed as a potential conflict of interest., (Copyright © 2023 Mózes, Takács, Ungvari and Feith.)

Introduction: The perception of health and sickness are culturally determined and, therefore, ethnic and religious socialization forms attitudes toward the medical system. During everyday practice, patients' rights and obligations, which are based on the norms of the major society, confront Roma minority norms., Aim: The aim of the authors was to explore the main interferences of patients' rights and obligations during the medical care of the Roma., Method: The authors analyzed the results of medical anthropology, health sociology, and the experience obtained from more than 40 courses about patients' rights., Results: Cultural determinants, effects of the lower socioeconomic status and social-psychological mechanism equally form the situations of healthcare and the observance of patients' rights and obligations., Conclusions: Most of the misunderstandings between healthcare workers and Roma patients stem from the lack of knowledge about cultural differences. Therefore, transcultural approach and Romani studies should be significant part of graduate and postgraduate courses in the field of medical education.