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Background The prevalence of obesity, as well as use of bariatric surgery, has increased worldwide. The aim of the present study was to investigate the potential differences in the use of bariatric surgery among Swedes and immigrants in Sweden and whether the hypothesized differences remain after adjustment for socioeconomic factors. Methods A closed cohort of all individuals aged 20–64 years was followed during 2001–2010. Further analyses were performed in 2 periods separately (2001–2005 and 2006–2010). Age-standardized cumulative incidence rates (CR) of bariatric surgery were compared between Swedes and immigrants considering individual variables. Cox proportional hazards models were used in univariate and multivariate models for males and females. Results A total of 12,791 Swedes and 2060 immigrants underwent bariatric surgery. The lowest rates of bariatric surgery were found in immigrant men. The largest difference in CR between Swedes and immigrants was observed among low-income individuals (3.4 and 2.3 per 1000 individuals, respectively). Adjusted hazard ratios (HRs) were lower for all immigrants compared with Swedes in the second period. The highest HRs were observed among immigrants from Chile and Lebanon and the lowest among immigrants from Bosnia. Except for Nordic countries, immigrants from all other European countries had a lower HR compared with Swedes. Conclusions Men in general and some immigrant groups had a lower HR of bariatric surgery. Moreover, the difference between Swedes and immigrants was more pronounced in individuals with low socioeconomic status (income). It is unclear if underlying barriers to receive bariatric surgery are due to patients' preferences/lack of knowledge or healthcare structures. Future studies are needed to examine potential causes behind these differences.

Purpose To examine whether neighborhood deprivation increases the odds of hospital registration for childhood and adolescent epilepsy, after accounting for family- and individual-level sociodemographic characteristics. Methods An open cohort of all children aged 2–17 years was followed between January 1, 2000 and December 31, 2010. Children's residential addresses were geocoded and classified according to neighborhood deprivation. Data were analyzed by multilevel logistic regression, with family- and individual-level characteristics at the first level and level of neighborhood deprivation at the second level. Results During the study period, among a total of 1,020,766 children, 9309 (0.9%) were registered with childhood and adolescent epilepsy. Age-adjusted cumulative hospital rates of childhood and adolescent epilepsy increased with increasing neighborhood-level deprivation across all family- and individual-level sociodemographic categories. The odds ratio (OR) for hospital registration for childhood and adolescent epilepsy for those living in high-deprivation neighborhoods versus those living in low-deprivation neighborhoods was 1.15. High level deprivation remained significantly associated with higher odds of childhood and adolescent epilepsy after adjustment for family- and individual-level sociodemographic characteristics (OR=1.12, 95% CI=1.04–1.21, p =0.003). Conclusions Our results suggest that neighborhood characteristics modestly affect the odds of hospital registration for childhood and adolescent epilepsy independently of family- and individual-level sociodemographic characteristics.