Gender roles and HIV sexual risk vulnerability of Roma (Gypsies) men and women in Bulgaria and Hungary: an ethnographic study.

Roma, the largest ethnic minority group in Central and Eastern Europe, have cultures that are traditional, often closed, and autonomous of majority populations. Roma communities are characterized by pervasive social health problems, widespread poverty, limited educational opportunities, and discrimination. Although some evidence suggests high levels of HIV sexual risk behaviour among Roma, little is known about the cultural and social context in which risk behaviour occurs.

[Attendance of screening by young Gypsy women].

In the study, the authors surveyed young Gipsy women's attendance of screening, as compared to non-Gipsy women of similar age groups. The survey was based on a national representative sample consisting of 1599 persons selected from women belonging to the age group between 18 and 24 years: out of them 4.3%, that is, 69 persons identified themselves as Gipsies.

[Budapest physicians practicing alternative medicine (based on a September 1991 survey)].

Our essay is the first attempt to raise the problems related to the Hungarian alternative medicine and to outline the tendencies in this field. In our research we tried to find answers to the following questions: 1. whether the physicians in disadvantageous position show a greater tendency to start dealing with alternative medicine, in order to make up for their low income; 2.