Roma Attitudes to health and interventions program in Roma

ROMA ATTITUDES TO HEALTH AND
INTERVENTIV PROGRAMM
Asist.mag.Erika
Zelko,dr.med.spec.
EFPC Istanbul, 9-10.9.2013
PURPOSE
Identify the attitudes and Roma health needs
 Create one intervention program for promoting
healthy lifestyle in Roma settlements
 Analysed the outcome data after intervention.

PROJECT TEAM AND INTERVENTION
PROGRAMM
Project team
Medical Students
 General praktitioners
 Community health
nurses
 Roma
 Local authority

Intervention programm
Workshops
 Written material
 Website
 Radio and TV shows

METHODS
prospective intervention case - control study
 combined the quantitative and qualitative
research methodology
 25 interviews – non random selection
 650 Roma to answer a survey questionnaire
(befor and after the intervention, 400 Roma
included in the study)- random selection
 intervention group and a control group
 questionnaire was performed from validated
EuroQol and EUROPREV questionnaires with
added issue of knowledge about normal values of
blood pressures, blood sugar, body temperature
and cholesterol

ANALYSE
Data were analysed with a computer ATLAS program
for qualitative with help from two independent
researchers
 Computer program SPSS 20.0 for quantitative data.

SOME FINDINGS
21/25 interviewed Roma think that everybody is
responsible for his own health
 21/25 did not have problems with discriminations at
the health institutions
 the Roma gave us some very good tips for Roma health
improvement

Table 1: Changes in risk factor knowledge in the control and intervention groups
Total
Control group
n = 254
n = 148
p*
Intervention group
Knowing the meaning
of a specific risk factor
n = 106
Blood pressure
n
+50
%
+19.7
n
+39
%
+36.8
n
+11
%
+7.4
< 0.001
Blood sugar
+26
+10.2
+21
+19.8
+5
+3.4
< 0.001
Cholesterol
+10
+3.9
+9
+8.5
+1
+0.7
< 0.002
Body temperature
+55
+21.7
+36
+34.0
+19
+12.8
< 0.001
Table 2: Effect of intervention on views about changing smoking habits
Total
Control group
n = 254
n = 148
Intervention group
Views on planned changes to smoking
n = 106
habits
n
%
n
%
n
%
Unnecessary because I don’t smoke
110
43.3
39 (+0)
36.8 (+0.0)
71 (+0)
48.0 (+0.0)
Don’t plan to change in the next 6 months
29
11.4
6 (−5)
5.7 (−4.7)
23 (+7)
15.5 (+4.7)
Don’t know
69
27.2
35 (−9)
33.0 (−8.5)
34 (−5)
23.0 (−3.4)
Yes, plan to change in the next 6 months
28
11.0
16 (+8)
15.1 (+7.6)
12 (+1)
8.1 (0.7)
Yes, plan to change in the next month
10
3.9
9 (+8)
8.5 (+7.6)
1 (−3)
0.7 (−2.0)
Already changing
8
3.1
1 (−2)
0.9 (−1.9)
7 (+0)
4.7 (+0.0)
Table 3: Attitudes regarding the importance of health protection and promotion measures
attitudes
Total
Control group
Intervention group
n = 254
p*
n = 148
n = 106
Specific preventive measures
n
%
n
%
n
%
a) Improve diet
143
56.3
67 (+8)
63.2 (+7.5)
76 (−3)
51.4 (−2.0)
0.073
b) Increase physical activity*
129
51.2
57 (+5)
53.8 (+4.7)
72 (−6)
48.6 (−4.1)
0.447
c) Normalize body weight
140
55.1
56 (+8)
52.8 (+7.5)
84 (−1)
56.8 (−0.6)
0.609
d) Stop smoking**
87
60.4
45 (+3)
67.2 (+4.5)
42 (+1)
54.5 (+1.3)
0.129
e) Reduce alcohol intake
82
32.3
38 (+5)
35.8 (+4.7)
44 (+1)
29.7 (+0.6)
0.342
f) Measure cholesterol levels
173
68.1
75 (−1)
70.8 (−0.3)
98 (+9)
66.2 (+6.1)
0.496
g) Measure blood sugar
175
68.9
74 (−6)
69.8 (−5.7)
101 (+11)
68.2 (+7.4)
0.891
h) Measure blood pressure
176
69.3
73 (−12)
68.9 (−11.3)
103 (+9)
69.6 (+6.1)
1.000
i) Get a flu vaccine
88
34.6
39 (−4)
36.8 (−3.8)
49 (−4)
33.1 (−2.7)
0.593
j) Take a PAP-test***
116
76.8
51 (+1)
79.7 (+1.6)
65 (+10)
74.7 (+11.5)
0.560
k) Have a mammogram***
104
68.9
42 (+2)
65.6 (+3.1)
62 (+12)
71.3 (+13.8)
0.481
IMPORTANT OUTCOMES




The 3-month health education intervention project
showed changes in the Roma knowledge of risk
factors and disease symptoms
the change in knowledge did not affect the change of
attitudes that influence health promotion and
protection
I predict that the intervention program had to take
longer
The Roma must be included in the process of creating
and implementing the aktivitis at the settlementes

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