OBJECTIVES: The Roma people have been known in Europe for a 1000 years, during which they have usually been the subject of discrimination and oppression leading to isolation, powerlessness and poor health. The objective of this study is to investigate the sense of coherence (SOC) in relation to self-reported health among a group of Roma people in southwest Sweden.

STUDY DESIGN: A cross-sectional, quantitative pilot study.

METHODS: A questionnaire was constructed based on the Short-Form Health Survey (SF-12) and Antonovsky's Sense of Coherence Scale (SOC-13) and was distributed among Roma people in southwest Sweden (n =102). Self-reported health was summarised in a physical score (PCS) and a mental score (MCS). Comparisons were made with a general Swedish majority population and a Sami population.

RESULTS: The health scores were significantly lower among the Roma people compared to Swedes - PCS: Roma 46.0 (Swedes 52.0) and MCS: Roma 47.5 (Swedes 52.6). The SOC score for the Roma people (54.4) was significantly lower than that of the Swedes (65.2) and Sami (65.0).

CONCLUSIONS: The low SOC with the Swedish majority society is a strong indication of the marginalisation and exclusion of the Roma people from mainstream society. Low scores in self-reported health among the Roma people also establishes the serious health risks the Roma people are experiencing through their present life situation.