Does socioeconomic status fully mediate the effect of ethnicity on the health of Roma people in Hungary?

Vokó, Zoltán; Csépe, Péter; Németh, Renáta; Kósa, Karolina; Kósa, Zsigmond; Széles, György; Ádány, Róza

doi:10.1136/jech.2008.079715

Cited by 104 publications

(89 citation statements)

References 28 publications

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“…In general, life expectancy in Roma men and women is 10-15 years shorter than in their non-Roma counterparts from the same region, they have a higher prevalence of different diseases such as coronary artery disease, obesity, hyperlipidaemia, and diabetes mellitus compared with the majority population, and experience more frequent occurrence of health problems/complaints (4,(17)(18)(19)(20). Published studies on the health of Roma are often fragmentary and burdened with methodological problems (3,21,22). According to the European Foundation for the Improvement of Living and Working Conditions, living in housing of poor quality has also a negative impact on Roma health: they have an increased risk of disability, chronic illness and being overweight.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Socioeconomic Characteristics of the Population Living in Roma Settlements and Their Association with Health and Health-Related Behaviour

Gecková¹,

Babinská²,

Bobakova³

et al. 2014

Cent Eur J Public Health

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SUMMARYBackground: The aim of this study was to compare socioeconomic characteristics of the Roma population living in Roma settlements with the majority population. Moreover, it was aimed to assess socioeconomic differences in health and health-related behaviour within the population living in Roma settlements.Methods: Data from the cross-sectional HepaMeta study conducted in Slovakia in 2011 were used. The sample consisted of 452 Roma (mean age = 34.7; 35.2% men) and 403 non-Roma (mean age = 33.5; 45.9% men) respondents. Roma in selected settlements were recruited by local Roma community workers. Respondents from the major population were randomly selected from a list of patients from general practitioners. Data were collected via questionnaire, anthropometric measures and analysed blood samples. Differences in socioeconomic characteristics between the population living in Roma settlements and the majority population were tested using the chi-square test. The contribution of selected socioeconomic characteristics on health and health-related behaviour of the population living in Roma settlements was assessed by logistic regression models adjusted for age and gender.Results: The population living in Roma settlements is characterised by significantly lower socioeconomic standards, and the living conditions are significantly worse compared with the majority. With few exceptions, the study did not confirm any significant association between socioeconomic indicators and health and health-related behaviour within the population living in Roma settlements.Conclusions: The deteriorating effect of living in Roma settlement on health and health-related behaviour seems to be immense regardless differences in socioeconomic characteristics or living condition within the settlement population.

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Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Socioeconomic Characteristics of the Population Living in Roma Settlements and Their Association with Health and Health-Related Behaviour

Gecková¹,

Babinská²,

Bobakova³

et al. 2014

Cent Eur J Public Health

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“…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).…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

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

Balázs¹,

Rákóczi²,

Grenczer³

et al. 2014

Cent Eur J Public Health

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SUMMARYObjective: This study analyses the role of ethnicity-based birth weight differences at term (37-42 weeks) between neonates of Roma and nonRoma populations in Hungary, controlling for socio-demographic and biological characteristics of the mothers.Methods: A cross-sectional survey among 9,040 mothers coupled with biometric data of the neonates was conducted in 2010. Inclusion criteria were: at term (37-42 weeks gestation) non-pathological pregnancies, and self-reported ethnicity. Birth weight was based on mothers' ethnicity, age, body mass index, education, marital and employment status, poverty level, household amenities, dietary and smoking habits using multiple linear regression.Results: The mean difference between Roma and non-Roma neonates measured without controlling for possible confounding factors was −288.7 gram (p < 0.001, 95% CI = −313.4-263.9). In the linear regression model Roma neonates weighed on average 69.67 grams less than nonRoma neonates (p < 0.001, 95% CI = 30.51-108.83). The mother's underweight BMI, low education and smoking during pregnancy (p < 0.001), age under 18 years, no amenities of housing and insufficient consumption of fruits and dairy products also significantly influenced (p < 0.05) the neonates' birth weight.Conclusion: Roma ethnicity was independently correlated with lower birth-weight among at term neonates, controlling for known risk factors. Roma ethnicity may serve as a proxy for other unmeasured social or biological factors and should be considered an important covariate for measurement among neonates.

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“…18 At the other end, one study provided no details on the defi nition or methods used to identify a specifi c and rarely studied ethnic group; the Roma people of Europe. 54 We found that only 19.6% of authors provided any discussion regarding the limits of using an ethnic or racial categorization. Of those mentioned, these limits were related to issues of group aggregation (e.g., Asian), generalization outside a given territory or state, generalization related to generational status, racial or ethnic misclassifi cation by individuals or health-care providers, arbitrary measures of novel concepts (e.g.…”

Section: Transparency In Methods and Limits Of Classifi Cationmentioning

confidence: 87%

Persisting problems related to race and ethnicity in public health and epidemiology research

Moubarac

2013

Rev. Saúde Pública

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Article available from: www.scielo.br/rsp Persisting problems related to race and ethnicity in public health and epidemiology research Problemas persistentes relacionados à raça e etnia na pesquisa em saúde pública e epidemiologia ABSTRACT A recent and comprehensive review of the use of race and ethnicity in research that address health disparities in epidemiology and public health is provided. First it is described the theoretical basis upon which race and ethnicity differ drawing from previous work in anthropology, social science and public health. Second, it is presented a review of 280 articles published in high impacts factor journals in regards to public health and epidemiology from 2009-2011. An analytical grid enabled the examination of conceptual, theoretical and methodological questions related to the use of both concepts. The majority of articles reviewed were grounded in a theoretical framework and provided interpretations from various models. However, key problems identifi ed include a) a failure from researchers to differentiate between the concepts of race and ethnicity; b) an inappropriate use of racial categories to ascribe ethnicity; c) a lack of transparency in the methods used to assess both concepts; and d) failure to address limits associated with the construction of racial or ethnic taxonomies and their use. In conclusion, future studies examining health disparities should clearly establish the distinction between race and ethnicity, develop theoretically driven research and address specifi c questions about the relationships between race, ethnicity and health. One argue that one way to think about ethnicity, race and health is to dichotomize research into two sets of questions about the relationship between human diversity and health. A universal epidemiological fact is that health and disease are unevenly distributed across groups of populations, regardless of the way these are characterized either on the basis of race, ethnicity, nationality, religious affi liation, socioeconomic level, gender, and so on. Racial and ethnic disparities are reported in the United States for virtually all physical and mental health conditions, health-related risk factors, as well as in the use and quality of health care services. 19 The real public health challenge is to explain how and why these disparities exist in order to properly inform policies and the development of programs aimed at reducing them. DESCRIPTORS: 31,50The methods of classifying groups of populations have a direct impact on the ways health disparities are examined and interpreted. The theory and methods used to study racial and ethnic disparities have been the subject of important criticisms over the last decades in regards to public health and epidemiology. 5,6,10,13,14,16,22,27,28,30,35,38 Four comprehensive reviews have examined the use of race and ethnicity concepts in the fi elds of epidemiology and public health research. 1,12,25,56 These reviews revealed several key problems including: a) a failure from researchers to differenti...

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Does socioeconomic status fully mediate the effect of ethnicity on the health of Roma people in Hungary?

Cited by 104 publications

References 28 publications

Socioeconomic Characteristics of the Population Living in Roma Settlements and Their Association with Health and Health-Related Behaviour

Socioeconomic Characteristics of the Population Living in Roma Settlements and Their Association with Health and Health-Related Behaviour

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

Persisting problems related to race and ethnicity in public health and epidemiology research

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