Abstract
BackgroundLittle is known about the reproductive health of Roma women in Slovenia. The aim of this study is to present the standpoints of Roma women regarding reproductive health, the degree to which primary healthcare services are available to Roma women and the reproductive health circumstances which lead most Roma women to decide to visit a gynaecologist.MethodsA qualitative research study was carried out. Forty-four adult Roma women from the Hudeje/Vejar settlement in the Dolenjska region, Slovenia, took part in the research. The collected material was processed by means of inductive (qualitative) content analysis. The coding procedure was supported by the QDA software Atlas.ti.ResultsEighteen categories and six themes were identified that enable with the relevant codes an understanding of the standpoints of Roma women regarding reproductive health. The research results showed that the cultural needs of Roma women should be taken into account in their comprehensive healthcare treatment. Roma women wish for equal treatment when health is in question, drawing attention to better communication and the problem of ethnic discrimination in medical facilities. Roma women also feel a need to be educated and to receive professional advice, such as appropriate lectures and/or workshops dealing with reproductive health that would ensure them a higher quality of life over time.ConclusionsThe research results call attention to the necessity of recognising both the need to educate Roma women as well as the need for different approaches to the provision of healthcare services in the field of reproductive health with such a sensitive group of female inhabitants. It will be necessary to familiarise them with preventive programmes and to implement such programmes, to inform them of possible diseases and to encourage them in a friendly and easy-to-understand manner to regularly visit their gynaecologist.
Highlights
Little is known about the reproductive health of Roma women in Slovenia
We examined the degree to which Roma women still stick to traditional approaches regarding reproductive healthcare, whether they are acquainted with their healthcare possibilities and the degree to which they make use of the available opportunities to maintain reproductive health in the existing healthcare system
We formed six themes referring to the reproductive health of the Roma women: 1) Roma women’s personal health; 2) dealing with reproductive health in the Roma community; 3) treatment at the gynaecologist; 4) the influence of circumstances on the accessibility of healthcare services; 5) comprehensive treatment and 6) educational programmes on reproductive health for Roma women
Summary
Little is known about the reproductive health of Roma women in Slovenia. The aim of this study is to present the standpoints of Roma women regarding reproductive health, the degree to which primary healthcare services are available to Roma women and the reproductive health circumstances which lead most Roma women to decide to visit a gynaecologist. It includes the right to a satisfying and safe sexual life, free decision-making regarding having children, equal accessibility of the knowledge concerning family planning and the right to medical services which ensure women a safe pregnancy and labour as well as effective prevention and early detection of illnesses [1] Individual ethnic groups, such as the Roma people, have their own specific health cultures, which change under the influence of other cultures [2]; especially in Scientific research studies regarding the reproductive health of Roma women indicate that different obstacles can be encountered in basically all of Central and Eastern Europe (CEE). Roma people are only barely informed or aware of reproductive health issues [16], which could be connected to the poor school enrolment of the Roma population in almost the entire CEE region [11,17,18,19]
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