Roma Groups Research Articles

Should I Move? The Benefits and Costs of Spatial Mobility for Different Groups of the Roma Population

Introduction: Moving away can be motivated by a multitude of factors, just as the reasons for not moving away might be different. The individual’s social situation greatly determines the chance of turning their life situation around through moving away. Aims: We investigated the factors that affected the representatives of the three Roma groups researched here (Romungro, Vlach, Boyash) in their moving in the past and in their intentions to move in the future. Methods: A SEM model was developed (N = 570) to analyze the differences between previous movers and non-movers in well-being, socioeconomic status, and social network. We also investigated the effect of the above variables on the intention to move. Data were collected via the “snowball method”. Results: Out of the Vlachs, those who had moved in the past have significantly fewer confidant relatives (p = .021) and also know significantly fewer people pursuing high-prestige vocations (p = .003), moreover, the fewer people pursuing moderate-prestige vocations they know, the more they would like to move away from their present residence (p = .031). Regarding the Boyash, the more favorable their socio-economic situation, the more they would like to move away (p = .007); while regarding the Romungro, the low level of their mental wellbeing (p = .019) and the relatively high number of their confidant relatives constitutes (p = .017) the incentive to change their residence. Conclusions: The spatially mobile Roma who had moved before possess fewer confidant relatives and weak ties. The individual factors connect to the different Roma groups’ moving intentions to various extents.

Governing the “Unmarked” Citizens: Romania’s Roma in the Grip of Socialist Technologies of Power

AbstractWhile many scholarly contributions have documented the socialist state policies deployed toward the Roma from Central and Eastern Europe, less attention was paid to how discourses and policies have aimed to turn the “non-European,” “backward Roma” into reformed and modernized subjects that were supposed to conform to an “European,” sedentary way of life. Thus, I discuss proletarization and sedentarization not as state policies but as programs and technologies of power, specific to a socialist governmentality. The article interrogates the programs, technologies of power and biopolitical regulations that allowed the state authorities to legitimize their intervention in the daily lives of the Roma, with profound depoliticizing effects. I analyze political programs, governmental reports on Roma and ministry regulations as instruments of governmentality through which the governance of the “Roma question” took shape. Special attention is given to data/knowledge production. Finally, the research pinpoints that the micro-scale and the everyday workings of the socialist technologies of power might explain the different trajectories of socio-economic adaptation among Roma groups, which some studies have revealed during post-socialism.

From Croatian Roma to 1000 Genomes: The Story of the CYP2D6 Gene Promoter and Enhancer SNPs.

The CYP2D6 gene encodes an enzyme responsible for the metabolism of ~20% of clinically prescribed drugs. In this study, 18 SNPs from the enhancer and promoter regions of CYP2D6 in 323 Roma from Croatia were genotyped, to find out whether the demographic history of Roma affected the distribution of the studied SNPs and their linkage disequilibrium (LD) values, with the major SNPs defining the CYP2D6 star alleles. No differences were found between the three Roma groups in allele and genotype frequencies. The distribution of LD values of Roma was compared with LD values of European and Asian populations. Regulatory CYP2D6 SNPs (rs5758550, rs28624811, rs1080985 and rs1080983) showed similar distribution and the highest LDs with rs16947 from the gene-coding region in all populations. In the promoter region, a complete LD between rs1080989 and rs28588594, and between rs1080983 and rs28624811, was found in Croatian Roma and investigated populations from 1000 genomes. A high LD was also found between rs1080985 from the promoter and rs5758550 from the enhancer region. SNP rs28735595 from the gene promoter region had the highest LD, with two gene region SNPs, rs1058164 and rs1135840. To conclude, the Croatian Roma population shows an LD pattern of the CYP2D6 gene region similar to the 1000 Genomes European and Asian populations.

Social distance and the Roma: intra-ethnic and regional differences

The Roma are the national minority that experiences the highest level of social distance in Croatia. With aim of better understanding the social structure of the parts of Croatia’s that are inhabited by Roma, the level of social distance between Roma and selected groups was investigated using the classic Bogardus scale performed on a sample of 203 members of the Roma community from Međimurje County, the City of Zagreb, and Primorje-Gorski Kotar County. The results of the research indicate significant differences in the level of social distance among different sub-ethnic Roma groups in Croatia. There are large regional differences in the level of social distance of Roma living in different parts of Croatia. A significant level of mutual social distance was also observed between the two large subethnic Roma groups in Croatia, the Bayash Roma and Roma who speak the standard Romani language. Great variations were also noted in social distance towards the majority ethnic group in the Republic of Croatia: Croats.

Beliefs, Perceptions, and Behaviors Regarding Chronic Respiratory Diseases of Roma in Crete, Greece: A Qualitative FRESH AIR Study.

BackgroundThe global burden of chronic respiratory diseases (CRDs) disproportionally affects Roma populations. Health interventions addressing CRD among Roma or other vulnerable groups often fail to be effective, as their implementation strategy misaligns with the local context. To design context-driven strategies, we studied CRD-related beliefs, perceptions, and behaviors among a Greek Roma population, focussing on asthma and COPD.MethodsFor this qualitative study in Crete, Greece, we used a Rapid Assessment Process. We conducted interviews and focus groups with purposively selected Roma community members (CMs), key informants (KIs) and healthcare professionals (HPs) serving the population. Data were triangulated using observations of households and clinical consultations. Key themes were identified using Thematic Content Analysis. The Health Belief Model, the Explanatory Model of Illness, and the Theory of Planned Behavior that are complementary is some aspects, guided our methodology with the several variables from them to be integrated to better understand CRD risk preventative behavior.ResultsWe conducted six focus groups, seven interviews and 13 observations among 15 CMs, four KIs, and three HPs. Five themes emerged: (1) Poor CRD-awareness (smoking and household air pollution were perceived as harmful, but almost exclusively associated with acute rather than chronic symptoms); (2) Low perceived susceptibility to CRD (and CMs tended to ignore respiratory symptoms); (3) High risk exposure (smoking was common, and air pollution was perceived inevitable due to financial constraints); (4) Healthcare seeking (healthcare was sought only for persistent, severe symptoms, daily needs were a priority); (5) Perceived barriers/facilitators to care (health illiteracy, perceived discrimination and financial constraints were main barriers; established trust the main facilitator).ConclusionThese five themes highlight that strategies to tackle CRD in the studied Roma setting require a multilevel approach: bridging awareness gaps at the population level, providing resources to enhance the adoption of healthy behaviors, and fighting discrimination at the societal level, whilst establishing trusted relationships at the local level. Similar methodologies to address local context may strengthen the implementation of effective interventions for similarly vulnerable and/or low-resource populations.

Untangling SNP Variations within CYP2D6 Gene in Croatian Roma.

CYP2D6 is a highly polymorphic gene whose variations affect its enzyme activity. To assess whether the specific population history of Roma, characterized by constant migrations and endogamy, influenced the distribution of alleles and thus phenotypes, the CYP2D6 gene was sequenced using NGS (Next Generation Sequencing) method-targeted sequencing in three groups of Croatian Roma (N = 323) and results were compared to European and Asian populations. Identified single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) were used to reconstruct haplotypes, which were translated into the star-allele nomenclature and later into phenotypes. A total of 43 polymorphic SNPs were identified. The three Roma groups differed significantly in the frequency of alleles of polymorphisms 6769 A > G, 6089 G > A, and 5264 A > G (p < 0.01), as well as in the prevalence of the five most represented star alleles: *1, *2, *4, *10, and *41 (p < 0.0001). Croatian Roma differ from the European and Asian populations in the accumulation of globally rare SNPs (6089 G > A, 4589 C > T, 4622 G > C, 7490 T > C). Our results also show that demographic history influences SNP variations in the Roma population. The three socio-culturally different Roma groups studied differ significantly in the distribution of star alleles, which confirms the importance of a separate study of different Roma groups.

From dietary adaptation in the past to drug metabolism of today: An example of NAT genes in the Croatian Roma

AbstractObjectivesThe evolutionary mechanisms that shape the genetic structure of a population left their mark on genes that metabolize drugs. The Roma are an example of a population in which the migrations, isolation, and multiple founder effects have affected its genetic structure. In this study, we investigated NAT1 and NAT2 genes, members of the xenobiotic‐metabolizing NAT gene family in three Roma groups from Croatia to explore the specificities of the Roma population in relation to other populations.Materials and MethodsSeven SNPs in the NAT1 gene and seven in the NAT2 gene were genotyped in 439 Roma from Croatia, members of three socio‐culturally different and geographically distant groups (two groups of Vlax/Bayash Roma and one Balkan Roma group). Intra‐ and inter‐population variation was assessed in the Roma and 2504 individuals from the 1000 Genomes project database.ResultsThe distribution of haplotypes differed significantly between the Roma groups for NAT2, but not for NAT1. Translation of NAT2 diplotypes into acetylation phenotypes showed significant differences between populations. The Roma from Balkan had the highest frequency of slow acetylators among the studied populations. In the overall worldwide sample, population differentiation was higher for NAT2 than for NAT1 haplotypes consistent with pairwise genetic distances that were smaller for NAT1 than for NAT2. The Ewens–Watterson test results suggest that NAT1 is subjected to directional selection, while NAT2 is evolving neutrally.ConclusionThe distribution of variations within NAT genes in the Croatian Roma population is similar to that in the surrounding European populations. The significantly different distribution of NAT2 gene haplotypes and consequent phenotypes between the three investigated Roma groups is probably the result of genetic drift due to different demographic history and socio‐cultural isolation. The highest frequency of slow acetylators in Balkan Roma compared to the world populations makes them more prone to develop a NAT gene‐related adverse drug reaction than other populations.

Short-term ethnography and women’s voices: insights from fieldwork with Roma communities

ABSTRACT In this paper, we explore the potential of short-term ethnography in a collaborative and participatory research project on experiences with and perceptions of migration from fieldwork with Roma groups in north-western Transylvania. We discuss particularly the challenges we encountered in engaging Roma women in terms of existing cultural and gender norms evident in some Roma communities. We argue that, in the context of working with women in patriarchal communities, short-term ethnography offers researchers a unique opportunity to (a) find and take advantage of safe spaces in which to talk to women and (b) manage sensitively access and rapport. In this study, ethnography gave insights into alternative ways of engagement in the research process based on categorisations that emphasise alternative aspects of social identity (Roma ‘mothers’ vs. Roma ‘women’) as an effective means of breaking down some of the barriers to participation. Finally, we argue that short-term ethnography can be used successfully in collaborative and participatory research projects alongside traditional ethnographic work to explore the perspectives of mobile and vulnerable or marginalised groups including, but not limited to, patriarchal group contexts.

Educational inclusion also involves language: Romané between identity, status and curricula

While considering the developments in valorising multilingualism and promoting interculturality in Europe, the present work converses with Romane, the language of Roma, in the form of a pedagogical reflection that focuses on its use in education. By retracing the gradations of its vitality and recognition, the discussion comes to the efforts to include this minority language – not always recognised as a such – in teaching materials, curricular activities and educational extracurricular programmes. This brings us to the Italian case: given the importance of local experiences, part of the contents, emerged from an empirical study, is dedicated to what has been achieved in the city of Florence in terms of cultural-linguistic promotion of Romane in an intercultural perspective. Thereby, the purpose of the paper is to both document the experience, and contribute to the pedagogical production of operational models responsive to diversity, hence capable of enhancing educational inclusion of minorities, with particular reference to Roma groups, by drawing on their language tool.

On the path of evictions and invisibilization: Poor Roma facing climate vulnerability

This paper joins the growing scholarly concern for the sharpening of social and environmental inequalities in European cities, particularly those generated in Eastern Europe by evictions of poor Roma from inner-city areas and by the invisibilization of their extreme conditions. We argue that these processes – evictions and invisibilizations – create a heightened vulnerability to climate change impacts for these individuals. The paper uses secondary survey data on compact Roma groups in Romania and analyses qualitative and cartographic information collected by the authors (2019) in two mid-sized cities in Romania to flesh out the particular slum ecologies that emerge following evictions. The focus is also on the subtle processes of invisibilization that render displaced Roma vulnerable and rob them of the “right to the city” in terms of climate change adaptation. Our finding is that evicted Roma experience innumerable, “routine” weather-related impacts, such as floods, storms or cold. By exploring Roma's heightened exposure, sensitivity and reduced adaptive capacity, we show how these impacts increase their vulnerability to future extreme weather events. These findings are indicative of a broader process of fragmentation taking place in urban areas throughout Eastern Europe, which render invisible some very real barriers to climate change adaptation.

Preliminary results of ethnic divergence of G1181C (rs2073618) and C290T (rs9525641) OPG gene polymorphisms in groups of postmenopausal Slovak women.

In this study, we focused on observation of the genetic polymorphisms of the OPG genes G1181C (rs2073618) and C290T (rs9525641), their interactions with biochemical markers and anthropometric parameters in groups of postmenopausal Slovak women (Roma and non-Roma, n = 311). Genomic DNA was extracted and purified from peripheral blood leukocytes by the kit Ultraclean® Blood non-spin® (Carlsbad, CA, USA) using a standard protocol. Genotyping was performed by the TaqMan SNP genotyping assay. Biochemical markers were measured by the Cobas e411 (Roche Diagnostic, Tokyo, Japan) and Cobas Integra400 plus (Roche Diagnostic, Rotkreuz, Switzerland) analysers. We recorded a higher frequency of the T allele in the C290T polymorphism of the non-Roma control group (53.846%), in Roma groups: control (T - 56.618%) osteoporotic (T - 51.471%). In the G1181C polymorphism, the CC genotype occurred more in the osteoporotic group (34.286%) compared to the control group (27.885%). In the group of postmenopausal Roma women, a statistically significant difference (p<0.05) was found between osteoporotic and control in the biochemical parameters' osteocalcin, C-terminal telopeptide I, and age. Statistically significant differences (p<0.0001) were also found in bone mineral density and T-score. The high odds ratio suggests the association of G1181C with osteoporosis. Aclose relationship was found between haplotypes, BMD, T-score, and IL-6 in control; and BMI, WHR, T-score, and osteocalcin in osteoporotic groups of Roma and non-Roma women. The results point to differences in the occurrence of genotypes and associations of haplotypes with the manifestation of osteoporosis in Roma and non-Roma women. However, a larger number of samples is needed to determine whether or not there are differences between the Roma and non-Roma populations.

Anti-Roma Discourses: The Struggle for Roma Holocaust Recognition, Collective Memory and Identity

"This paper aims to trace and chart the interplay between the struggle for recognition of the Genocide and the Roma civil rights movement, respectively to what extent memory, commemoration, reconciliation play a role and contribute to building a collective identity for the Roma, the Roma narrative – in which persecution, past trauma are important. The paper will also analyze the struggle for recognition and identity as a resistance to the manifestations of Antigypsyism in contemporary society. Furthermore, the paper proposes to analyze the European dimension of the Roma mobilization, respectively to what extent there is a Europe-wide movement for recognition of the Roma Holocaust, given the many Roma groups, different regional histories and the heterogeneous identity of the Roma. Keywords: Roma civil rights movement, Roma genocide, Antigypsyism, Memory, Identity, Recognition, Remembrance"

Roma street-workers in Uppsala: racialised poverty and super precarious housing conditions in Romania and Sweden

Using a combination of a political economy approach for the analysis of housing with a postcolonial approach to mobility patterns of the racialised and impoverished Roma in Europe, we reflect on the relationship between racialisation and the precarious living and housing conditions of the Eastern European Roma who move from the poorer to the richer countries of the European Union. Through a qualitative and multi-sited approach to housing, we reveal the situation of permanent displacement for racialised Romanian Roma groups in both Sweden and Romania. We have followed Roma street-workers who come to Sweden for earning income in order to improve their homes in Romania, but once there, they are exposed to homelessness, harsh weather conditions, racism and discrimination. We found that the super precarious conditions of housing in Romania push the migrant Roma into even worse housing and living conditions in the destination country, completing a vicious circle of forced nomadism in which the lack of right to decent housing and permanent risk of displacement are central aspects. This article merges the interests of urban and housing researchers with those from the postcolonial tradition.

Exposure to and Self-Perceptions of the Risk of Discrimination and Social Exclusion in Access to Public Goods, Media, Healthcare and Employment

This paper examines the dimensions of social exclusion and the elements of self-perception of discrimination in access to public goods, employment, and in the media, which is juxtaposed with the priorities of the Bulgarian National Roma Integration Strategy (NRIS). The findings are based on the "National representative sociological survey for identifying and elaborating profiles of groups and communities most affected by the risk of discrimination, such as the Roma" carried out in 2017 by "BG ASSIST LTD" and a group of scientific researchers commissioned by the Commission for Protection against Discrimination in Bulgaria. The sample consists of 3,600 individuals aged 18 or over. The ethnic distribution of the respondents is as follows: 2,985 persons of Bulgarian ethnicity, 299 of Turkish ethnicity, 246 of Roma ethnicity, and 69 of another ethnicity. The paper shows the contrast between a variety of quality indicators and the priorities of the NRIS. Based on the data obtained, the risk of discrimination among the Roma and other ethnic groups in Bulgaria is tracked in a comparative manner in major public spheres. The survey results demonstrate that the most vulnerable people in the country are those without health insurance, residing in hard-to-reach settlements, low-qualified and unemployed individuals, people with disabilities, multi-member families and single parents; these categories indisputably include a solid share of Roma. Nevertheless, as the results show, not all Roma and arguably not only Roma are the most disadvantaged and marginalized individuals in Bulgarian society. This study's outcomes are related particularly to profiling the groups at risk, allowing critical linkages between the empirical data and ways of improving equal opportunities and non-discrimination policies. On the part of the NRIS, the paper calls for identifying adequate measures and a balanced approach to political engagement with the planning process in the coming years.

Afterword: The Infrastructures of Difference

Abstract How might we think about the fluidities of those who live in high variability environments when they butt up against state and disciplinary stabilities? This Afterword explores this question by distinguishing between infrastructures of stability and infrastructures of fluidity. The differences between these – which the paper calls the infrastructures of difference – are not simply conceptual, methodological and epistemological, but also deeply embedded in normative, metaphysical, institutional and material relations. This explains why they are so resilient, and why the infrastructures of stability so powerfully enact the bias against variability of pastoralists, Roma and indigenous groups. However, the Afterword also argues that in practice stabilities and fluidities are entangled, relational, and are never mutually exclusive. Instead they go together fractally, so that stabilities lie within fluidities, and fluidities within stabilities. Finally, the Afterword rehearses the political and intellectual implications of this by touching on the tactics used by those who champion fluidities in the face of powerful stabilities. The lesson here appears paradoxical, but it is not: to be fluid is (also) to include stability.

Sex-biased patterns shaped the genetic history of Roma

The Roma population is a European ethnic minority characterized by recent and multiple dispersals and founder effects. After their origin in South Asia around 1,500 years ago, they migrated West. In Europe, they diverged into ethnolinguistically distinct migrant groups that spread across the continent. Previous genetic studies based on genome-wide data and uniparental markers detected Roma founder events and West-Eurasian gene flow. However, to the best of our knowledge, it has not been assessed whether these demographic processes have equally affected both sexes in the population. The present study uses the largest and most comprehensive dataset of complete mitochondrial and Y chromosome Roma sequences to unravel the sex-biased patterns that have shaped their genetic history. The results show that the Roma maternal genetic pool carries a higher lineage diversity from South Asia, as opposed to a single paternal South Asian lineage. Nonetheless, the European gene flow events mainly occurred through the maternal lineages; however, a signal of this gene flow is also traceable in the paternal lineages. We also detect a higher female migration rate among European Roma groups. Altogether, these results suggest that sociocultural factors influenced the emergence of sex-biased genetic patterns at global and local scales in the Roma population through time.

„A țăndărei-i cigány”: Néhány gondolat a romániai romákkal szembeni előítéletekről és a roma kisebbség csoportista médiareprezentációiról a koronavírus idején

The aim of this paper is to identify a few reasons for the intensifying of “anti-Gypsyism” and scapegoating of the Roma in Romania during the COVID pandemic. Reasons are both economic and social. The need for free movement (essential for economic subsistence of many isolated Roma communities) as well as poor access to basic services are but two reasons, which lead to circulation of prejudices, which depict Roma as “lacking discipline and a sense of self control.” Focusing on the case of Țandarei, this study intends to show that media representations are equally responsible for discourses of scapegoating and culture blame. Reports and articles which name Țandarei as an “ecological bomb” fail to depict internal differences in the local Roma groups. Such representations (together with the process of scapegoating) may well illustrate Brubaker’s theory on groupism: in that media discourse on “the Roma” indiscriminately merges people with different social backgrounds into a homogeneous ethno-racial group.

Organizational Change in the Sphere of Health Protection of the Roma Community in Poland Seen From Different Perspective

Purpose: The intent of this study is to get insight into the different views on Roma health in Poland to improve health, access to healthcare and broaden the understanding of the limitations for the Roma inclusion in the mainstream of organizational behaviour of health and well-being institutions. Design/methodology/approach: The lack of institutional success up to date in the conduct of policies supporting the Roma on the path to an even standard of living, including health, suggests seeking new organizational approaches. To find the answers to these questions “What views do the Roma/Roma experts/Polish society have on Roma health?” qualitative research was done: six semi-structured openended interviews were conducted in the Roma community in Ochotnica Górna village in the Carpathian Mountains (across three generations), one structured and two semi-structured open-ended interviews with experts, observations of the living environments of the Roma interviewees and collection of newspaper articles as well as an analysis of different statistical data. Findings: The main insights that were provided by the views of Roma experts are the differences of approaches to health issues between Roma groups in Poland. The main insights that the newspaper articles give into the views of the society on Roma health are that the denigrating view on the Roma is still present in society, as some statements created a narrative of ‘othering’. This study also shows the change of views in time, as conformation to Romanipen principles is being relaxed among younger generations so their view on health and health care is changing. The policy in Poland that addresses the health issue of Roma is the National Roma Integration Policy 2014–2020, targeted to the whole Polish Roma population, homogeneously, although the target population is rather heterogeneous. This should be changed in the coming years. Research limitations/implications: A serious limitation in the research was the lack of willingness of both of the Roma people and Roma experts to participate in the study, and especially to share their insights on health, the protection of which follows the restrictive tradition of Romanipen. Generally, conducting research only in Ochotnica Gorna narrows the scope of this study to one particular village, even if the organizational solution is similar all over Poland. Originality/value: The value of the obtained results is increased by their uniqueness, as the separate issues of Roma health are not raised in Polish literature.

‘They clip our wings’: studying achievement and racialisation through a Roma perspective

ABSTRACTThis article presents data gathered among Bulgarian Romani communities during a project investigating the educational hardship of Roma people. Major social inequalities affect the educational and life chances of Roma students. Despite European Union political frameworks, the perspectives of Roma themselves remain undocumented. This paper addresses this gap by reporting on data from interviews with Roma parents and students, which reveal practices of discrimination racialising Roma in Bulgarian schools. Reporting on modes of racialisation, the author shows the direct impact of experiences of discrimination on Roma students’ educational and career prospects. The findings are relevant to building knowledge of how racialisation, which has shaped the societal discourse surrounding Roma groups, remains integral in contemporary Europe, reinforcing racialised social hierarchies. This article informs further our understanding of the limitations of concentrated political efforts to bring actual change in the lives of Roma if destructive social constructions, such as racialisation, are not sufficiently addressed.

P292 Inflammatory bowel disease and their implications in Roma ethnicity: A preliminary study

Abstract Background The pathogenesis of inflammatory bowel disease (IBD) is multifactorial and many factors have been involved such as genetic or environmental elements. The characteristics of IBD in different ethnic groups have been investigated to clarify the North-South gradient. We considered that Roma patients seem to have a more aggressive disease than Caucasian patients but no data to support this feeling is published. For this reason, the aim of our study is to analyse clinical characteristics of our cohort of IBD patients comparing Roma and Caucasian ethnicity Methods A retrospective cohort study was realised in both IBD Units to compare Roma and Caucasian groups. IBD patients were identified in the outpatient clinic. Demographical, clinical characteristics, pharmaceutical requirements and surgeries were collected. This group was matched by age, gender, disease and location of IBD with Caucasian patients. Results 24 Roma patients were identified in our cohort. The prevalence of Gypsy ethnic group in our cohort was 1.66%. A percentage of 41.67% were men (n = 10) meanwhile 58.33% (n = 14) were women. The average age of the patients of our cohort was 43.77 years (SD 12.82). Crohn’s disease (CD) was observed in 62.5% (n = 15), ulcerative colitis (UC) in 29.19% (n = 7) and Unclassified IBD in 8.33% (n = 2). A statistic significant difference in family history was observed in the group of Roma patients (50%, n = 12 vs. 8.34%, n = 2) (p =0.001). Regarding to therapy, the Roma group required biological treatment in 58,32% (n = 14) compare to a percentage of 25% (n = 6) (p = 0.019) in the Caucasian group. We also found more hospital admissions (5.18 (SD 4,33) vs. 2,5 (SD 1,93) (p = 0,04)) and surgical procedures (41.66%, n = 10 vs. 12.5%, n = 3) (p = 0,023). Conclusion In our cohort, the Roma IBD patients showed more familial aggregation than the Caucasian group. An aggressive disease was also found in Roma patients and the subsequent increase in biological therapy, hospital admissions and surgical procedures to control the disease. Future studies should be performing to investigate genetic or environmental factors associated with this ethnic group.