Health Inequalities of the Roma in Europe: a Literature Review

Abstract

The Roma are the most populous marginalised community in Europe and have some of the greatest health needs. There is a higher prevalence of communicable and non-communicable diseases within the community and significantly shorter life expectancies than national averages. Efforts by governments across Europe to address these health inequalities have been relatively weak and the Roma suffer poorer access to health care, education and employment in every country that they inhabit in comparison to the majority population. As the socioeconomic determinants of health become better understood over the past decade, it is becoming clear that societies with greater inequalities are less healthy overall. It is important for public health across Central and Eastern Europe that the health needs of the Roma are prioritised by governments concerned. We provide a review of the literature on the health inequalities of the Roma community in Europe.

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).…”

Health within the Leeds Migrant Roma Community; An Exploration of Health Status and Needs within One UK Area

“…In terms of improving health outcomes and promoting the health of UK Roma several recommendations can be made resulting from the research findings of this study, which fit with existing evidence highlighting the importance of targeted interventions [8]. The existence of language barriers indicates the need for provision of language services, support with literacy and the development of appropriate communication tools.…”

“…Common issues highlighted within the literature illustrate suspicion of authority figures within Roma communities, extreme poverty, poor living conditions and generally lower life expectancy than population averages [8]. There is a gap in the academic evidence base here, with published research on the health needs of the Roma population being sparse [10].…”

“…In the UK, Roma are generally located within fixed accommodation yet their cultural lifestyle and dress may result in them being distinguished from the majority population and experiencing discrimination [7]. Despite the lack of formal information pertaining to the health needs of the European and UK Roma population, there is increasing evidence that poverty is more prevalent within Roma communities compared to majority populations [8]. Roma also have considerable health needs [9] [10].…”

La “Roma Response” al Modelo Reproduccionista. La Educación, Nuestra Escalera para la Transformación Social

“…A nivel europeo, el pueblo gitano representa la mayor minoría étnica no migrante del continente. En este sentido, el volumen de población gitana en Europa ronda los 11 millones de personas, representando el 1,35% de la población europea (Parekh & Rose, 2011). En España, no se registra oficialmente la identidad étnica, por consiguiente no podemos hablar de cifras concretas.…”