Contents           - Long term/chronic illness or disability
           - Lifestyle related illnesses and hypertension
           - Cancer
           - Mental health
           - Immunisation
           - Maternity services
           - Children and young people
           - Rough sleepers and homeless community members

Lifestyle related illnesses and hypertension

From local health needs assessments (HNAs), common health conditions in the Roma community which are often lifestyle-related include cardiovascular disease, diabetes, obstructive airways disease (COPD), pneumonia and lung cancer. The contributory factors [1] include smoking and poor diet, with a greater than average proportion of Roma people in several studies estimated to smoke [2] and have unhealthy eating habits, for example by consuming sugary soft drinks. In one Sheffield HNA (2016), a greater proportion of Roma men and women between ages 18-55 had an obesity diagnosis than their counterparts in the non-Roma practice population. Side effects of obesity will manifest as diabetes, hypertension and coronary heart disease at a much earlier age than normally observed.

Recommendations:

  • Work with GPs, community groups, school nurses and health workers to improve basic public health awareness through workshops on eg. nutrition and fast food or smoking cessation.​
  • Appoint a Roma or culturally sensitive bilingual health advocate/mediator to support better access to healthcare and health literacy. For an example, see the Pacesetters programme.
[1] NHS Barking and Dagenham: Health and Social Care Needs Assessment of Eastern European (including Roma) individuals living in Barking and Dagenham (2010) 

[2] A Sheffield study confirms that smoking was more prevalent amongst Roma than non-Roma population in 2016: Sheffield City Council: Slovak Roma Health Needs Assessment (2016)
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