Daniela Filakovska Bobakova

Pavol Jozef Šafárik University in Košice · Department of Health Psychology and Rasearch Methodology

Background Removing health system barriers to childhood vaccination is an urgent matter in the migrant community in Greece, the Turkish and Moroccan communities in the Netherlands, the Ukrainian minority in Poland, and the marginalized Roma community in Slovakia. The objective of this study was to select and adapt potentially transferable evidence-...

Background Marginalized Roma communities (MRCs) are among underserved groups facing limited access to vaccination services and presumably low HPV vaccination rates. The most significant health system barriers to HPV vaccination include financial costs, lack of appropriate information and restricted capacities of healthcare providers. Two interventi...

Background The period of early childhood bears significant importance from the lifespan perspective. Children from marginalized Roma communities face several risk factors that endanger their early development. Based on the gaps in available evidence, the aim of the RomaREACH research project (Research on Early Childhood in marginalized Roma communi...

Background: Vaccination is a cost-effective tool of public health if it is accessible to all population groups. Migrants and ethnic minority populations face multiple health system barriers to vaccination [1], such as lack of culturally sensitive information in their native language, lack of awareness raising initiatives about vaccine preventable d...

Background Intestinal parasitic infections remain a significant global health issue, particularly affecting poor and marginalised populations. These infections significantly contribute to children’s diseases, malnutrition, poor school performance, cognitive disorders, and future economic losses. This study aimed to explore and compare the occurrenc...

This study aimed to explore the effect of socioeconomic disadvantage accumulated in marginalised Roma communities (MRCs) on early childhood development and to assess the role of selected socioeconomic indicators in the association between belonging to MRCs vs. the majority and early childhood development. We obtained cross-sectional data from 232 m...

Background Infant mortality rates are reliable indices of the child and general population health status and health care delivery. The most critical factors affecting infant mortality are socioeconomic status and ethnicity. The aim of this study was to assess the association between socioeconomic disadvantage, ethnicity, and perinatal, neonatal, an...

Background Roma living in marginalized communities often face poor living conditions and material deprivation, which may negatively impact parenting. Our aim is to compare the parenting behavior (support, harsh discipline, and stimulation) of mothers from marginalized Roma communities and the majority population in Slovakia. We also examine the rol...

Objectives This study aims to compare selected early childhood health risks and health outcomes of children from marginalized Roma communities (MRCs) in Slovakia with those of the majority. Methods We obtained cross-sectional data from mother-child dyads from the majority (N = 109) and MRCs (N = 143) via questionnaires and from medical records. So...

Objectives: This study aims to compare the early childhood mental health of children from marginalized Roma communities (MRCs) in Slovakia with that of the majority and explore possible mediating pathways of mothers’ perceived stress and harsh discipline practices. Methods: We used data from the first wave of the longitudinal RomaREACH study collec...

Background Emotional and behavioural problems (EBP) are the most common mental health issues during adolescence, and their incidence has increased in recent years. The system of care for adolescents with EBP is known to have several problems, making the provision of care less than optimal, and attention needs to be given to potential improvements....

Dnes sú to už celé generácie odopierania príležitostí pre napĺňanie potenciálu a storočia diskriminácie, ktoré oberajú deti v marginalizovaných komunitách o detstvo tak ako ho poznáme my ostatní, ktorí sme mali viac „šťastia“. Tak, ako sa generácie ľudí v marginalizovaných komunitách točia v kruhu chudoby, z ktorého niet ľahkej cesty, tak sa aj my...

Introduction Limited access to healthcare services leads to lower vaccination rates in marginalized Roma communities (MRCs). This study aimed to explore health system barriers to HPV vaccination faced by people from MRCs from multiple perspectives. Methods The qualitative study was conducted in Slovakia in 2021/22 with 43 community members and hea...

Background Roma living in marginalized communities are among underserved groups facing limited access to vaccination services. The RIVER-EU in Slovakia aims to identify and tailor the intervention to address health system barriers to HPV vaccination faced by people from marginalized Roma communities. Methods Following principles of participatory a...

Background People from marginalized Roma communities often experience poverty, limited access to education, employment, housing, and health care (HC). The aim of the study was to explore the perceptions of people from marginalized Roma communities and health professionals regarding health system (HS) barriers to HPV vaccination. Methods A qualitat...

Roma are the largest and most disadvantaged ethnic minority in Europe often facing generational poverty, and limited access to education, employment, housing, and various types of services. Despite many international and national initiatives, children from marginalized Roma communities face multiple risks and are being disadvantaged as early as fro...

The objective of the present study was to compare the religiosity of the Roma in the 18th century with the present. In 1775 and 1776, Samuel Augustini ab Hortis detailed the way of life of the Roma community in the Austro-Hungarian monarchy in his work "Von dem Heutigen Zustände, Sonderbaren Sitten und Lebensart, Wie Auch von Denen Übrigen Eigensch...

Background This study aims to assess which measures could improve the healthy early childhood development of children from marginalized Roma communities and to identify priority measures. Methods Concept mapping approach was used, using mixed methods. In total 54 professionals, including social workers, educators, health care providers, municipali...

Background Half of the people living in social exclusion in the Czech Republic are of Roma origin. The worse health of Roma could be partly explained by numerous barriers to accessing health care. Therefore, our study aimed to explore the perceptions of various stakeholders and experts who may have an impact on the inclusion of Roma and/or their ac...

Family crisis and positive youth development: the role of gender and hopelessness in early adolescence

In the Czech Republic, a number of strategy papers and policy documents are guiding the direction of Roma inclusion, including in the area of health. The conceptualization of Roma and how mainstream political and public discourse operate with the term “Roma” contribute to a mistakenly homogenous and harmful image of Roma that conforms to negative s...

The aim of this study was to investigate the test–retest reliability of the motives for undertaking physical activity (PA) items from the Health Behavior in School-Aged Children (HBSC) study questionnaire among Slovak and Czech adolescents and to determine whether this reliability differs by gender, age group and country. We obtained data from 580...

The objective of the present study was to compare the social structure and internal establishment of a Roma community in two historical periods: in the 18th century and the present. We analysed Samuel Augustini ab Hortis's work, "Von dem Heutigen Zustände, Sonderbaren Sitten und Lebensart, Wie Auch von Denen Übrigen Eigenschaften und Umständen der...

Vedecká monografia je výstupom projektu Care4Youth, ktorý si kládol za cieľ zmapovať súčasný systém starostlivosti o dospievajúcich s emocionálnymi problémami a problémami v správaní (ďalej len EBP) na Slovensku. Zachytáva aký systém starostlivosti je a aké sú jeho možné nedostatky z pohľadu všetkých, ktorých sa to týka (dospievajúcich s problémami...

Rationale Unequal provision of health care contributes to the poor health status of segregated Roma in Central and Eastern Europe. Studies on the drivers and mechanisms behind this are lacking. Objective We explored what kinds of substandard practices health care frontline professionals engage in regarding segregated Roma and what mechanisms suppo...

Augustini studied Roma and published reports in 1775–1776 on their illnesses and death. Our intention was to compare the features of these two topics described by him in the late 18th century with those in the present time. We studied Augustini’s work on illnesses and death in the past. The present qualitative study was conducted in 2012–2013 in th...

The family is a very important institution that provides relationships and contexts in which adolescents are included and where the trajectory of positive development can be activated. A family crisis can affect family functioning and endanger adolescent development. Therefore, we aimed to explore the association of crisis in the family with positi...

Objectives Large socioeconomic inequalities in health are still present in the Central Europe. The aim was to explore socioeconomic inequalities in mortality in Visegrad countries—the Czech Republic, Hungary, Poland and Slovakia (V4), by three different socioeconomic indicators (unemployment, risk of poverty/social exclusion, education). The study...

Objectives The aim was to explore the associations of family composition, family support and communication with emotional and behavioural problems among adolescents as well as a possible moderating effect of gender on these associations. Methods Data from the Health Behaviour in School-aged Children study conducted in 2014 in Slovakia were used. T...

Youth subculture affiliation (SA) appears to be an important risk factor with regard to adolescents’ problem behavior. Excessive Internet use (EIU) has emerged as a new type of problem behavior; however, it has not yet been studied in adolescents affiliated with youth subcultures. Thus, the aim of this study was to assess the association between SA...

Background: Reports from schools indicate that adolescents with learning disabilities (LD) frequently show risk-taking behaviour (RTB), but evidence is lacking. The aim of the study was to assess the associations between LD status and RTBs among Slovak adolescents and to explore whether family affluence and family composition have a moderating or...

Lifestyle, music preference, shared values and behaviours of young people can be understood to be components of youth subcultures. Little is known about the association between affiliation with non-mainstream subcultures and problem behaviour. The aim of this study was to assess the association between subculture affiliation and fighting, truancy a...

Aim: Physical and screen-based activity in adolescents plays a crucial role in future health outcomes. Therefore, the aim of the study was to examine the associations of physical activity and screen-based activity with behavioural and psychosocial characteristics of school-aged children. Methods: Data on 11, 13 and 15 years old elementary school...

Background: Evidence shows that adolescents with learning disabilities tend to report multiple risk behaviours. One of these is early sexual experience which has possible immediate and long term health consequences such as an increased likelihood of early pregnancy, feelings of regret, and a higher prevalence of sexually transmitted diseases. Howev...

Objectives: Participation in organized activities is related with a range of positive outcomes, but the way such participation is measured has not been scrutinized. Test-retest reliability as an important indicator of a scale's reliability has been assessed rarely and for "The scale of participation in organized activities" lacks completely. This...

Roma are the most deprived ethnic minority in Slovakia, suffering from discrimination, poverty and social exclusion. Problematic access to good quality health care as result of institutional and interpersonal discrimination affects their health; therefore, factors which affect health care accessibility of Roma are of high importance for public heal...

Better assessment of the reliability of the physical activity and sedentary behaviour items across countries in all WHO regions is highly needed. The aim of the study was to examine the test-retest reliability of selected physical activity and sedentary behaviour items of the HBSC questionnaire in Czech, Slovak and Polish adolescents. We obtained d...

Background: The aim of this study was to compare socioeconomic characteristics of the Roma population living in Roma settlements with the majority population. Moreover, it was aimed to assess socioeconomic differences in health and health-related behaviour within the population living in Roma settlements. Methods: Data from the cross-sectional H...

Objectives: The aim of this study is to determine to what degree antisperm allo-antibodies (ASA), anti-ovarian antibodies (AOA), anti-zona pellucida antibodies (AZPA) and seven anti-phospholipid antibodies (APLA) can explain the failure of assisted reproduction technology (ART) in women. Background: Among the causes of reproductive failure are a...

Objectives To assess the association between subculture affiliation (Hip-hop, Techno-scene, Metal, Punk, Skinheads) and early sexual initiation, and whether gender, family affluence, peer influence, lack of parental bonding and lack of parental monitoring explain this association. Methods We collected data on 15-year-old primary school pupils who p...

Objectives: Roma constitute a large minority in several Central European countries, with a mostly disadvantaged societal and health position. The aim of this study was to assess biological and other cardiovascular diseases (CVD) risk factors in people living in Roma settlements and to compare them with non-Roma. Methods: We used data from the cr...

Objectives: The health of Roma has been found to be poorer than that of the majority population. The aim of this study was to explore the differences between Roma and non-Roma regarding perceived barriers in accessing health services. Furthermore, we aimed to assess the association between self-rated health status and Roma ethnicity and explore to...

Youth subcultures, characterized by a distinctive lifestyle, music preference, shared values and behaviors, are associated with substance use. The aim of this study was to explore whether protective factors such as parental monitoring, parental bonding and parental substance abstinence affect the association between subculture affiliation and adole...

Background: Roma adolescents have been shown to use less alcohol than non-Roma adolescents. This could be due to the protective influences of peers and parents. Objective: The purpose of this study was to explore differences in the levels of peer and parental influence and their effects on drunkenness between Roma and non-Roma adolescents. Desi...

Youth subcultures (hip-hop, punk, skinhead, techno scene, metal) are known for specific lifestyles, music preferences, shared values and behaviours of their members. The aim of this study was to assess the association between subculture affiliation and substance use (tobacco, alcohol and cannabis), and whether gender, family affluence and substance...

BACKGROUND: Sedentary behaviour and an insufficient level of physical activity in children are the key factors leading to physically inactive behaviour in adulthood associated with the growing prevalence of mass non-communicable diseases in the population of the Czech Republic. OBJECTIVES: The aim of this study was to analyze sedentary lifestyle, f...