Skip to main content
SpringerLink
Log in

Ethnic Background, Labour Market Attachment and Severe Morbidity: Hospitalisation among Immigrants in Sweden 1990–2001

  • Published:
Journal of International Migration and Integration / Revue de l'integration et de la migration internationale Aims and scope Submit manuscript

Abstract

This article examines differences in health among immigrants in Sweden from 1990 to 2001. Controlling for demographic characteristics, most immigrant groups display higher rates of hospitalisation than native Swedes, but when socio-economic factors are introduced, only Nordic immigrants display rates that are significantly higher than for Swedish-born individuals. High rates of hospitalisation among immigrants compared to Swedes seem to be explained by the socio-economic situation in Sweden rather than health conditions and socio-economic circumstances before immigration. There is a strong correlation between weak labour market integration and high levels of severe morbidity in non-Nordic immigrant groups.

Résumé

Cet article examine les différences de santé parmi une population d’immigrés en Suède 1990–2001. Après avoir pris en compte les caractéristiques démographiques, la plupart des communautés immigrées montrent des taux d’hospitalisation plus élevées que les suédois de souche. Quand les facteurs socio-économiques sont pris en compte, seuls les immigrés nordiques montrent des taux qui sont sensiblement plus élevés que pour la population née en Suède. Des taux élevés d’hospitalisation parmi les immigrés comparés aux Suédois semblent être dus à la situation socio-économique en Suède, plutôt que l’état sanitaire et la situation socio-économique avant immigration. Il y a une corrélation forte entre l’intégration faible au marché du travail et les niveaux élevés de morbidité grave parmi les populations immigrées non-Nordiques.

This is a preview of subscription content, log in via an institution to check access.

Access this article

Log in via an institution

Price excludes VAT (USA)
Tax calculation will be finalised during checkout.

Instant access to the full article PDF.

Institutional subscriptions

Similar content being viewed by others

References

  • Barker, D. J. P. (1995). Fetal origins of coronary heart disease. British Medical Journal, 311, 171–174.

    Google Scholar 

  • Bevelander, P. (2000). Immigrant employment integration and structural change in Sweden, 1970–1995. Stockholm: Ahlmqvist & Wicksell International.

    Google Scholar 

  • Carlson, E., & Rosser-Hogan, R. (1993). Mental health status of Cambodian refugees ten years after leaving their homes. American Journal of Orthopsychiatry, 148, 1548–1551.

    Google Scholar 

  • Edin, P. A., & Åslund, O. (2001). Invandrare på 1990-talets arbetsmarknad. Stockholm: IFAU.

    Google Scholar 

  • Ekberg, J. (1995). Höj nivån på befolkningsstatistiken. Ekonomisk Debatt, 22, 169–177.

    Google Scholar 

  • Elstad, J. (1996). Inequalities in health related to women’s marital, parental, and employment status–a comparison between the early 70’s and the late 80’s, Norway. Social Science and Medicine, 42, 75–89.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Enesten, , & Larsson, (1992). Flyktingkrisen i teori, praktik och behandling. Psykisk hälsa, 33, 182–197.

    Google Scholar 

  • Evans, J. (1987). Introduction: migration and health. International Migration Review, 21(3), v–xiv.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Forsdahl, A. (1977). Are poor living conditions in childhood and adolescence an important risk factor for arteriosclerotic heart disease. British Journal of Preventive & Social Medicine, 31, 91–95.

    Google Scholar 

  • Franzén, E. (2003). Waiting for welfare—studies on social assistance among immigrants. Ph.D. Thesis, Göteborg: Institute for Social Work.

  • Hjern, A. (1995). Migrationsmedicinsk forskning: En översikt. Stockholm: Medicinska forskningsrådet.

    Google Scholar 

  • Hjern, A., & Allebeck, P. (2002). Suicide in first- and second-generation immigrants in Sweden: a comparative study. Social Psychiatry and Psychiatric Epidemiology, 37, 423–429.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Hjern, A., & Allebeck, P. (2004). Alcohol-related disorders in first- and second-generation immigrants in Sweden: a national cohort study. Addiction, 99, 229–236.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Hjern, A., Wicks, S., & Dalman, C. (2004). Social adversity contributes to high morbidity in psychoses in immigrants—a national cohort study in two generations of Swedish residents. Psychological Medicine, 2204(34), 1025–1033.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Hosmer, D. W., & Lemeshow, S. (1989). Applied logistic regression. New York: John Wiley & Sons.

    Google Scholar 

  • Johansson, L. M. (1997). Migration, mental health and suicide: an epidemiological, psychiatric and cross-cultural study. Dissertation. Stockholm: Karolinska institute.

  • Johansson, L. M., Sundquist, J., Johansson, S.-E., Bergman, B., Quist, J., & Träskman-Bendz, L. (1997). Suicide among foreign-born minorities and Native Swedes: an epidemiological follow-up study of a defined population. Social Science and Medicine, 44(2), 181–187.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Kennedy, P. (1998). A guide to econometrics. Oxford: Blackwell Publishers.

    Google Scholar 

  • Klinthäll, M. (2003). Return migration from Sweden, 1968–1996. A Longitudinal Analysis. Stockholm: Almqvist & Wiksell International.

    Google Scholar 

  • Kuh, D., & Ben-Schlomo, Y. (1997). A life course approach to chronic disease epidemiology. Oxford University Press: Oxford.

    Google Scholar 

  • LeGrand, C., & Szulkin, R. (2000). Permanent disadvantage or gradual integration: explaining the immigrant–native earnings gap in Sweden. Stockholm: Swedish Institute of Social Research.

    Google Scholar 

  • Leon, D. A., Lithell, H. O., Vågerö, D., Koupilova, I., Mohsen, R., Berglund, L., et al. (1998). Reduced fetal growth rate and increased risk of death from ischaemic heart disease: cohort study of 15,000 Swedish men and women born 1915–29. BMJ, 317, 241–245.

    Google Scholar 

  • Leon, D. A., Johansson, M., & Rasmussen, F. (2000). Gestational age and growth rate of fetal mass are inversely associated with systolic blood pressure in young adults. An epidemiologic study of 165,136 Swedish men aged 18 years. American Journal of Epidemiology, 152, 597–604.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Lindström, M., Sundquist, J., & Östergren, P.-O. (2001). Ethnic differences in self reported health in Malmö in southern Sweden’. Journal of Epidemiology and Community Health, 55(2), 97–103.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Macintyre, S. (1992). The effects of family position and status on health. Social Science and Medicine, 35(4), 453–464.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • McGee, D. L., Liao, Y., Cao, G., & Cooper, R. S. (1999). Self-reported health status and mortality in a multiethnic US cohort’. American Journal of Epidemiology, 149, 41–46.

    Google Scholar 

  • Nilsson, Å. (1991). Brister i folkbokföringen, PM 1994–10–04, dnr 2574794, Statistiska Centralbyrån, Örebro.

  • Petersen, (1989). The controlled study of torture victims: epidemiological considerations and some future aspects. Scandinavian Journal of Social Medicine, 17, 13–20.

    Google Scholar 

  • Ringbäck Weitoft, G., Gullberg, A., Hjern, A., & Rosén, M. (1999). Mortality statistics in immigrant research: method for adjusting underestimation of mortality. International Journal of Epidemiology, 28, 756–763.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Ringbäck-Weitoft, G., Haglund, B., Hjern, A., & Rosén, M. (2002). Mortality, severe morbidity and injury among long-term lone mothers in Sweden. International Journal of Epidemiology, 31, 573–580.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Ringbäck-Weitoft, G., Gullberg, A., & Rosén, M. (1998). Ingen överdödlighet för personer födda utanför Norden. Läkartidningen, 95, 1277–1283.

    Google Scholar 

  • Ringbäck-Weitoft, G., Haglund, B., & Rosén, M. (2000). Mortality among lone mothers in Sweden: a population study. Lancet, 355, 1215–1219.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Robertson, E., Malmström, M., Sundquist, J., & Johansson, S.-E. (2003). Impact of country of birth on hospital admission for women of childbearing age in Sweden: a five year follow up study. Journal of Epidemiology and Community Health, 57, 877–882.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Rooth, D.-O. (1999). Refugee immigrants in Sweden. Educational investments and labour market integration. Lund: Nationalekonomiska institutionen, Lunds universitet.

    Google Scholar 

  • Scott, K. (1999). The immigrant experience: changing employment and income patterns in Sweden, 1970–1993. Lund: Lund University Press.

    Google Scholar 

  • Stata (1999). Stata reference manual. College Station: Stata Press.

    Google Scholar 

  • Sundquist, J. (1994) Migration and health. Epidemiological studies in Swedish primary health care. Dissertation. Lund: University of Lund,

  • Sundquist, J. (2002). Födelselandets betydelse. En rapport om hälsan hos olika invandrargrupper i Sverige. Stockholm: Statens Folkhälsoinstitut.

    Google Scholar 

  • Swedish Integration Board (2003). Rapport integration 2003 (Integration Report 2003). Integrationsverket.

  • Swedish Integration Board (2004). Statistikrapport 2004 (Statistical Report 2004). Integrationsverket.

  • Swedish National Board of Health and Welfare (1987–2005). Folkhälsorapport 1987 (Public Health Report), Folkhälsorapport 1991, Folkhälsorapport 1994, Folkhälsorapport 1997, Folkhälsorapport 2001, Folkhälsorapport 2001. Stockholm: Socialstyrelsen.

  • Swedish National Board of Health and Welfare (1995). Invandrares hälsa och sociala förhållanden. Stockholm: Socialstyrelsen.

  • Swedish National Board of Health and Welfare (2000). Olika villkor, -olika hälsa. En studie bland invandrare från Chile, Iran Polen och Turkiet. Stockholm: Socialstyrelsen.

  • Swedish National Board of Health and Welfare (2001). Social rapport 2001 (Social Report). Stockholm: Socialstyrelsen.

  • Swedish National Board of Health and Welfare (1987–2005). Folkhälsorapport 1987 (Public Health Report), Folkhälsorapport 1991, Folkhälsorapport 1994, Folkhälsorapport 1997, Folkhälsorapport 2001, Folkhälsorapport 2005. Stockholm: Socialstyrelsen.

  • Theorell, T., Vigborg, A., Kallner, A., Dahlen, G., & Walinder, O. (1980). A comparison between Finnish immigrants and native Swedes in the greater Stockholm region—social and medical risk indicators of ischemic heart disease. Scandinavian Journal of Social Medicine, 8, 105–115.

    Google Scholar 

  • Westermeyer, J., Neider, J., & Callies, A. (1989). Psychosocial adjustment of Hmong refugees during their first decade in the United States. Journal of Nervous and Mental Disease, 3, 132–139.

    Google Scholar 

  • Zolkowska, K., Cantor-Graae, E., & McNeil, T. F. (2001). Increased rates of psychosis among immigrants to Sweden: is migration a risk factor for psychosis? Psychological Medicine, 31, 669–678.

    Article  Google Scholar 

Download references

Author information

Authors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Economic History, Lund University, Box 7083, 22007, Lund, Sweden

    Martin Klinthall

Authors
  1. Martin Klinthall
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

Corresponding author

Correspondence to Martin Klinthall.

Appendix

Appendix

Table 4 Country Groupings
Full size table
Table 5 Total number of observations and fraction of zero-income households by country of birth
Full size table
Table 6 Ranking by infant mortality rate 1960 (per 1,000 live births)
Full size table

Rights and permissions

Reprints and permissions

About this article

Cite this article

Klinthall, M. Ethnic Background, Labour Market Attachment and Severe Morbidity: Hospitalisation among Immigrants in Sweden 1990–2001. Int. Migration & Integration 9, 45–61 (2008). https://doi.org/10.1007/s12134-008-0043-2

Download citation

  • Published:

  • Issue Date:

  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s12134-008-0043-2

Keywords

Mots-clés

Search

Navigation