Comparison of birthweight patterns in rural municipalities with and without a Roma community: a cross-sectional analysis in Slovakia 2009-2013.

Objectives: The health of the Roma population is relatively poor and indicators on municipal level are needed to inform authorities to improve it. The aim of this study was to compare the rate of low birthweights (LBW) and mean birthweight (BW) in municipalities with minor Roma population (MMR) and municipalities with large Roma population (MLR) in Slovakia.

Methods: A population-wide, ecological level, cross-sectional study was conducted using data from 2009-2013. Data on proportions of newborns with LBW, on mean birthweight of newborns and on mean ages of mothers at birth were obtained from the National Health Information Centre of Slovakia. Rates of LBW and mean BW were compared between the MMR and MLR groups. Mean age of mothers and rates of unemployment were considered possible confounders.

Results: The mean BW was by 183 g higher in the MMR group compared to MLR; the rates of LBW were 4.2% and 8.9%, respectively. Increasing proportions of Roma were significantly associated with increasing rates of LBW and decreasing mean BW, one percent increase in the proportion of Roma was associated with an increase in LBW rate of 0.15% and a decrease in mean LBW of -4.9 grams.

Conclusions: Our findings could be used as a proxy for the purposes of policy making, replacing individual level studies with more resource-demanding design.