Contents
- Lifestyle related illnesses and hypertension
- Cancer
- Mental health
- Immunisation
- Maternity services
- Children and young people
- Rough sleepers and homeless community members
- Introduction to the Roma health guide
- Barriers to healthcare for the Roma community
- System barriers
- Language barriers and communication
- Cultural barriers - Common health problems and vulnerable groups:
- Lifestyle related illnesses and hypertension
- Cancer
- Mental health
- Immunisation
- Maternity services
- Children and young people
- Rough sleepers and homeless community members
Immunisation
Even before the Covid-19 pandemic, immunisation uptake [1] was lower for Roma than for non-Roma populations in the UK, with some reports of lower [2] childhood vaccination rates in the community. Lower vaccination rates may be partly due to children born abroad not receiving standard [3] childhood immunisations in their country of origin, and a lack of records on their medical history when they arrive in the UK. Health visitors are not commonly used in a number of East European countries, so parents may be unaware of how to access health visiting services. The traditional Roma “purity period” of up to three months after childbirth for the mother (see the section on maternity care in this guide) also can lead to missing routine vaccination appointments.
Hesitancy about the Covid-19 vaccine has been high in the Roma community, especially in the earlier stages of the pandemic. In one Manchester study [4] from April 2021 of attitudes among Central and Eastern European immigrants including Roma, 40% of respondents said they would not have the COVID-19 vaccine.
From RSG focus groups and a survey [5] of community members in February 2021, unvaccinated people often said they were concerned about risks from side effects of the vaccine, and trusted information from friends and family more than information on the news. Many Roma were getting public health information on COVID-19 from news or social media in community languages from their country of origin, which could differ from official UK messaging. A history of experiencing discrimination or coercion by medical professionals has also created distrust: a fairly recent example is forced sterilisation of Roma women, where this practice continued in the Czech Republic and Slovakia into the 2000s.
Recommendations:
Hesitancy about the Covid-19 vaccine has been high in the Roma community, especially in the earlier stages of the pandemic. In one Manchester study [4] from April 2021 of attitudes among Central and Eastern European immigrants including Roma, 40% of respondents said they would not have the COVID-19 vaccine.
From RSG focus groups and a survey [5] of community members in February 2021, unvaccinated people often said they were concerned about risks from side effects of the vaccine, and trusted information from friends and family more than information on the news. Many Roma were getting public health information on COVID-19 from news or social media in community languages from their country of origin, which could differ from official UK messaging. A history of experiencing discrimination or coercion by medical professionals has also created distrust: a fairly recent example is forced sterilisation of Roma women, where this practice continued in the Czech Republic and Slovakia into the 2000s.
Recommendations:
- Work with multi-agency networks of health professionals, local authorities and trusted partners including existing community groups to deliver in-person public health outreach and digital communications in community languages.
- Provide information in a culturally comfortable setting, reaching people where they are via trusted community members or workers skilled in community languages (see the Redbridge Health Visitors Project).
- Build a relationship with mothers before offering immunisation for children, eg. via Q&A sessions in the community or giving information via maternity and antenatal care staff.
- Continue to provide other immunisations (eg. the MMR vaccine) and screenings while working to persuade the community that getting the Covid-19 vaccine is safe.
[1] p. 18, European Public Health Alliance: Closing the Life Expectancy Gap of Roma in Europe (2018)
[2] European Commission.(2015). Roma Health Report. Brussels: European Union.
[3] p. 18, European Public Health Alliance: Closing the Life Expectancy Gap of Roma in Europe (2018)
[4] Europia: Central and Eastern European Attitudes to COVID-19 (2021)
[5] Roma Support Group: Lessons learned: Supporting the Roma community through Covid-19 (2021)
[2] European Commission.(2015). Roma Health Report. Brussels: European Union.
[3] p. 18, European Public Health Alliance: Closing the Life Expectancy Gap of Roma in Europe (2018)
[4] Europia: Central and Eastern European Attitudes to COVID-19 (2021)
[5] Roma Support Group: Lessons learned: Supporting the Roma community through Covid-19 (2021)
