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Objective: To examine whether the association between women's origin and early pregnancy overweight and obesity (OW/OB) varies by length of residence in Sweden.Design: This cross-sectional observational study used pooled Swedish population register data from 1992 to 2012. Logistic regression models were run to estimate odds ratios (OR) of early pregnancy OW/OB and 95 % confidence intervals (95 % CI), comparing Swedish-born and immigrants by length-of-residence categories while adjusting for covariates.Setting: Sweden.Participants: In total, 1 771 821 pregnant women, 315 992 of whom were immigrants.Results: With longer residence in Sweden, more immigrant women from various origins exhibited higher odds of experiencing early OW/OB compared with Swedish-born women. Findings specifically showed increased odds of early pregnancy OW/OB with increasing length of residence for women born in Latin America, Europe-27 and Southeast Asia. For example, immigrant women from Latin America residing in Sweden for < 6 years showed similar odds as Swedish-born (OR≤ 5 years 0·92, 95 % CI 0·87, 0·98), while their longer residing counterparts showed higher odds than Swedish-born women (OR6-15 years1·21, 95 % CI 1·14, 1·28 and OR≥ 16 years 1·68, 95 % CI 1·59, 1·78). Mixed results were found for other origins.Conclusions: The current study suggests that host country conditions might play an important role in explaining OW/OB among some groups of immigrant women. Although further studies are needed to disentangle the mechanisms that generate these health inequalities, policy efforts should focus on immigrant reception and early integration to prevent pregnancy-related OW/OB. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper focuses on the residential resettlement decisions of a sample of immigrants from Iran and Turkey living in Sweden between 1968 and 2001. Using the Swedish Longitudinal Immigrant database, we are able to link unique pre- and post-migration data to understand whether region of origin is a better predictor of internal migration decisions than is country of origin, the more often used measure in existing research. More specifically, we test whether living in municipalities with a high number of individuals from the same country of origin is a similar phenomenon as a high number of individuals from the same region of origin. This is relevant, as large immigrant groups come from ethnically, religiously, and linguistically heterogeneous countries of origin where regional characteristics differ according to aforementioned aspects from that of the mainstream population. We indeed find that individuals are less likely to relocate from municipalities in which there is a large presence of other immigrants from the same region of origin. Instead, individuals residing in areas with a large number of individuals from their country of origin are observed with an elevated probability of resettlement. Copyright © 2016 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper investigates the relationship between anticipation that employers may discriminate against certain people (not specified, but not specifically the respondent) according to race, colour of skin, religion or cultural background, and self-rated health, adjusting for social capital in the form of generalised (horizontal) trust in other people. It also investigates ethnic differences in anticipated discrimination in relation to self-rated health. The 2004 Public Health Survey in the Scania region of Sweden is a cross-sectional study. Twenty-seven thousand nine hundred and sixty-three respondents aged 18-80 years answered a postal questionnaire, which represents 59% of the random sample. A logistic regression model was used to assess the association between anticipated discrimination and self-rated health. Multivariate analyses of self-rated health were performed in order to investigate the importance of possible confounders (age, country of origin, education, economic stress, and generalised trust) on this association. Of the men and the women, 28.7 and 33.2%, respectively, rated their health as poor. Of the respondents, 16.0 and 28.7% reported that they anticipated that 'most employers' or 'approximately 50% of employers' would discriminate, respectively. Respondents with high age, born outside Sweden, with low/medium education, economic stress, low horizontal trust, and with anticipation that most or approximately 50% of employers (among men born in Sweden and all women) would discriminate had significantly higher odds ratios of poor self-rated health. Multiple adjustments had a slight effect on the significant relationship between anticipated discrimination and poor self-rated health for both men and women. The introduction of generalised trust in the models reduced the odds ratios to a limited extent. In conclusion, the anticipation that employers may discriminate against certain people (not the respondent) according to race, colour of skin, religion or cultural background is associated with poor self-rated health. However, this is a cross-sectional exploratory study and causality may go in both directions. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Aims : This study investigates the risk of small for gestational age (SGA) in relation to country of origin of the mother. The role of psychosocial resources, socioeconomic and lifestyle factors was examined in different causal models. Methods : Among all pregnant nulliparous women in the city of Malmö, Sweden, who gave birth in 1991-92, 872 (87.7%) women completed a questionnaire during their first antenatal visit. The study was carried out among women whose pregnancies resulted in a singleton live birth ( n =826); 22% ( n =182) of these women were foreign-born. Results : Fifty-five (6.7%) of the infants were classified as SGA, 37 (5.7%) of mothers of Swedish origin and 18 (9.7%) of foreign origin. SGA deliveries were much more prevalent among Middle East- and North Africa-born women (22%) and sub-Saharan-born women (15%). In all, women of foreign origin had increased odds for delivering SGA babies (OR=1.8, 95% CI=1.0,3.2). In a multivariate analysis psychosocial and socioeconomic factors explained 30% and 40%, respectively, of the increased SGA risk. Psychosocial factors seemed to be more prominent risk factors for SGA among mothers of foreign origin. A possible synergistic relation was demonstrated between foreign origin of the mother and low social anchorage. Conclusions : This study showed that psychosocial factors, most probably linked to a disadvantaged social situation, could be the theoretically most important focus for preventing SGA in immigrant women. This could also further support a hypothesis of a link between psychosocial stress and SGA in general. However, this should not exclude the need for intervention in the antenatal care system in terms of specially tailored support and education. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background. The influence of neighbourhood and individual factors on self-reported health was investigated.Methods. The public health survey in Malmö 1994 is a cross-sectional study. A total of 3,602 individuals aged 20–80 living in 75 neighbourhoods answered a postal questionnaire. The participation rate was 71%. A multilevel logistic regression model, with individuals at the first level and neighbourhoods at the second, was performed. We analysed the effect (intra-area correlation, cross-level modification and odds ratios) of neighbourhood on self-reported health after adjustment for individual factors.Results. The neighbourhoods accounted for 2.8% of the crude total variance in self-reported health status. This effect was significantly reduced when individual factors such as country of origin, education and social participation were included in the model. In fact, no significant variance in self-reported health remained after the introduction of the individual factors in the model.Conclusions. In Malmö, the neighbourhood variance in self-reported health is mainly affected by individual factors, especially country of origin, socioeconomic status measured as level of education and individual social participation. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]

Norwegian consumer preferences for country of origin and hormone status of beef were investigated and socio-economic segmentation variables identified. On average, after domestic beef, consumers preferred beef from neighbouring Sweden to beef from more distant countries, and beef from developed countries to beef from less developed countries. US hormone-free beef was perceived as being as good as Irish beef, whereas US hormone-treated beef was perceived as being inferior to Irish and Botswanan beef. In a series of market simulations based on an estimated mixed logit model, it is shown that non-Scandinavian alternatives are close substitutes competing over the import-friendly market segment. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Objective: The aim of this study was to investigate ethnic differences in self-reported lack of access to a regular doctor in Malmö, Sweden. Design: The public health survey in Malmö 1994 was a cross sectional population study. Data were collected from 5600 people aged 20-80 years using a postal questionnaire. The participation rate was 71%. The population was categorised according to country of birth: born in Sweden, other Nordic countries, other Western countries, Yugoslavia, Eastern Europe, Arabic speaking countries and other countries. Multivariate logistic regression analysis was performed in order to investigate the importance of possible confounders on the differences by country of origin in lack of access to a regular doctor. Results: A 56.3% proportion of all men and 48.8% of all women lacked access to a regular doctor. The odds ratios of lacking access were significantly higher among men born in Nordic countries, Arabic countries and other countries compared to men born in Sweden but disappeared after adjustment for age. The same patterns were observed for women born in Eastern Europe, Arabic countries and other countries compared to women born in Sweden, and remained after adjustment for age. In the multivariate analysis including age, education, ability to pay bills every month and self-reported health, no significant differences in lack of access to a regular doctor remained among men, while the odds ratios were significantly lower among women born in other Western countries, but still significantly higher among women born in Arabic speaking countries and all other countries. Conclusion: Self-reported lack of access to a regular doctor was significantly higher among men born in Nordic countries, Arabic countries and other countries compared to men born in Sweden, but all these differences disappeared after adjument for age and in the multivariate analysis. Women born in Arabic speaking countries and other countries lacked access to a regular doctor to a significantly higher extent compared with women born in Sweden, and these differences remained in the multivariate analysis. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]