Healthier Lives for European Minority Groups: School and Health Care, Lessons from the Roma
Department of Sociology, Autonomous University of Barcelona, Edifici B, Office B3-185, 08193 Bellaterra, Cerdanyola del Vallès, Barcelona, Spain
Int. J. Environ. Res. Public Health 2013, 10(8), 3089-3111; https://doi.org/10.3390/ijerph10083089
Received: 3 June 2013
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Revised: 12 July 2013
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Accepted: 16 July 2013
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Published: 24 July 2013
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Inequalities in Health)
On average, the Roma in Europe can expect to die 10 years earlier than the rest of the population, given the health conditions they experience. EU-funded research has informed on successful actions (SA) that when implemented among the Roma provide them new forms of educational participation which have a direct impact on improving their health status, regardless of their educational level. The findings from this research, unanimously endorsed by the European Parliament, have been included in several European Union recommendations and resolutions as part of the EU strategy on Roma inclusion. To analyze these SA, as well as the conditions that promote them and their impact on reducing health inequalities, communicative fieldwork has been conducted with Roma people from a deprived neighbourhood in the South of Spain, who are participating in the previously identified SA. The analysis reveals that these SA enable Roma people to reinforce and enrich specific strategies like improving family cohesion and strengthening their identity, which allow them to improve their overall health. These findings may inform public policies to improve the health condition of the Roma and other vulnerable groups, one goal of the Europe 2020 strategy for a healthier Europe.
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Keywords:
health inequalities; socioeconomic effects on health; Roma people; educative participation; interactive groups; family education; vulnerable groups
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MDPI and ACS Style
Flecha, A. Healthier Lives for European Minority Groups: School and Health Care, Lessons from the Roma. Int. J. Environ. Res. Public Health 2013, 10, 3089-3111. https://doi.org/10.3390/ijerph10083089
AMA Style
Flecha A. Healthier Lives for European Minority Groups: School and Health Care, Lessons from the Roma. International Journal of Environmental Research and Public Health. 2013; 10(8):3089-3111. https://doi.org/10.3390/ijerph10083089
Chicago/Turabian StyleFlecha, Ainhoa. 2013. "Healthier Lives for European Minority Groups: School and Health Care, Lessons from the Roma" International Journal of Environmental Research and Public Health 10, no. 8: 3089-3111. https://doi.org/10.3390/ijerph10083089
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