Promoting and preserving health in a multicultural society An inquiry on Romà people in Capitanata

Abstract

The research on the health status of the Romà and Sinti populations represents an important contribution for the acquisition of knowledge and data related to the ethnical-linguistic minority, among the most affected by noninstitutional and institutional discriminatory behaviours.
The research hypothesis consists in investigating how and how much the following elements interact and affect each other: the “camp” paradigm in the politics of inclusion of the Romà populations, the public health policies, and the culture of health emergency belonging to the Romà. The specific goals regard the correlation between the healthy/diseased status of the Romà and their living environment, i.e. their social-environmental conditions.
The research structure is composed of three phases. The first phase concerns a theoretical research, related to the study of some aspects of the health sciences: the legislative, social, political, transcultural, medical and pedagogical ones. Instead, the second phase is a field survey concerning the Romà camp of Arpinova (FG), inhabited by Macedon Rom. The following instruments were adopted to carry on the inquiry: questionnaires to be proposed to the representatives of the Romà community of Arpinova, and
to doctors operating the public health services; deep interviews with the chair doctors of the local public health district. The third phase of the research addresses data processing, and involves pedagogical proposal: that of drawing and defining guidelines dedicated to the Romà populations and to those health and welfare professionals who are entrusted with their care.