WEDworks: Enhancing Participatory Drug Research and Prevention with Resources of the Roma Community. Effective Community‐based Intervention Model and Practice Recommendations

Multiple social determinants e.g. poverty, lower education, unemployment aggravate the health inequities that the Roma population experiences in many European countries. Marginalized Roma communities in Central and Eastern Europe (CEE) face particular societal discrimination and limited access to health/social care, not least due to lacking health insurance. As a consequence young Roma suffer adverse health problems, including problematic drug use harms. The WEDworks project (Women, Ethnic Minorities, Drug-help Services) implemented a qualitative drug study among 123 Roma young people, 44 Roma parents and 23 local experts in Bulgaria, Latvia, Romania and the Slovak Republic. Based on its results gender-sensitive and needs-driven prevention actions were piloted. The interventions combined comprehensive setting-based approach on individual, family, and community levels with participatory behavior-change methods (popular-opinion-leader, peer drama and life-skills trainings) for prevention of drug use, HIV/STI and sexual health promotion. The main results were sensitization and mobilization of Roma community social networks for drug prevention and direct involvement of community young people in the co-shaping of the behavior-change process. Both research and prevention produced community- and resource-building effects and fostered inclusion and empowerment of vulnerable Roma youth. The formulated practice-driven recommendations support successful further roll-out of the piloted community-based model.