Original scientific paper

Mortality of Roma Population in Serbia, 2002-2005

Dragan Bogdanović ; Public Health Institute Niš, Serbia
Dragana Nikić ; School of Medicine, University of Niš, Serbia
Branislav Petrović ; School of Medicine, University of Niš, Serbia
Biljana Kocić ; School of Medicine, University of Niš, Serbia
Jovica Jovanović ; School of Medicine, University of Niš, Serbia
Maja Nikolić ; Medicinski fakultet Sveučilišta u Nišu, Srbija
Zoran Milošević ; Medicinski fakultet Sveučilišta u Nišu, Srbija

Abstract

Aim To describe and compare mortality and population changes in the Roma and non-Roma population in Serbia in 2002 and 2005.
Methods The number of cases of death were obtained from the 2002 and 2005 Mortality Database and population data from the Population Census 2002. Standardized sex specific rates of non-traumatic and traumatic mortality in 2002 and 2005 were calculated in relation to the European standard population. We presented population pyramid and aging index for both populations in 2002 and compared sex specific standardized traumatic and nontraumatic mortality rates and the average age of death for 2002 and 2005. The causes of death were coded according to the 10th revision of the International
Classification of Diseases (ICD-10) groups, and the proportional
mortalities in the year 2002 and 2005 were compared between the Roma and non-Roma population using χ2 test.
Results Standardized mortality rates were higher in the Roma than in the general population. Non-traumatic mortality rate in Roma men in 2002 was 18.2 per 1000 and in slightly decreased to 18.0 per 1000 in 2005; it was significantly higher than in non-Roma men in both years (11.9 per 1000 in 2002 and 12.5 per 1000 in 2005; P<0.001). Standardized non-traumatic mortality rate in Roma women decreased significantly from 16.78 per 1000 in 2002 to 14.89
per 1000 in 2005 (P=0.014), but it was still significantly higher than in non- Roma women (8.46 per 1000 in 2002 and 8.84 per 1000 in 2005; P<0.001). Morbidity structure indicated that the most common causes of death in the Roma population were cardiovascular diseases, neoplasms, and respiratory system diseases. In relation to the general population respiratory system diseases were denoted as main causes of deaths in significantly higher percent (6% vs 3% in 2002 and 7% vs 4% in 2005; P<0.001) and cardiovascular diseases in
significantly lower percent (44%:55% in 2002 and 46%:57%; <0.001). Conclusions Our data show that mortality rates in the Roma population are significantly higher than in the general population, and morbidity structure of the most common causes of death significantly different from that of general population.

Keywords

Roma; mortality rate in Roma; population

Hrčak ID:

20965

URI

https://hrcak.srce.hr/20965

Publication date:

15.10.2007.

Article data in other languages: croatian

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