Intersectional socioeconomic disparities in continuous smoking through pregnancy among pre-pregnant smokers in Sweden between 2006 and 2016.

BACKGROUND: While well-established associations exist between socioeconomic conditions and smoking during pregnancy (SDP), less is known about social disparities in the risk of continuous SDP. Intersectional analyses that consider multiple social factors simultaneously can offer valuable insight for planning smoking cessation interventions. METHODS: We include all 146,222 pregnancies in Sweden between 2006 and 2016 where the mother smoked at three months before pregnancy. The outcome was continuous SDP defined as self-reported smoking in the third trimester. Exposures were age, education, migration status and civil status. We examined all exposures in a mutually adjusted unidimensional analysis and in an intersectional model including 36 possible combinations. We present ORs with 95% Confidence Intervals, and the Area Under the Curve (AUC) as a measure of discriminatory accuracy (DA). RESULTS: In our study, education status was the factor most strongly associated to continuous SDP among women who smoked at three months before pregnancy. In the unidimensional analysis women with low and middle education had ORs for continuous SDP of 6.92 (95%CI 6.63-7.22) and 3.06 (95%CI 2.94-3.18) respectively compared to women with high education. In the intersectional analysis, odds of continuous SDP were 17.50 (95%CI 14.56-21.03) for married women born in Sweden aged ≥ 35 years with low education, compared to the reference group of married women born in Sweden aged 25-34 with high education. AUC-values were 0.658 and 0.660 for the unidimensional and intersectional models, respectively. CONCLUSION: The unidimensional and intersectional analyses showed that low education status increases odds of continuous SDP but that in isolation education status is insufficient to identify the women at highest odds of continuous SDP. Interventions targeted to social groups should be preceded by intersectional analyses but further research is needed before recommending intensified smoking cessation to specific social groups.

COVID-19 mortality among immigrants by duration of residence in Sweden: a population-based cohort study.

BACKGROUND: Explanations for the disproportional COVID-19 burden among immigrants relative to host-country natives include differential exposure to the virus and susceptibility due to poor health conditions. Prior to the pandemic, immigrants displayed deteriorating health with duration of residence that may be associated with increased susceptibility over time. The aim of this study was to compare immigrant-native COVID-19 mortality by immigrants' duration of residence to examine the role of differential susceptibility. METHODS: A population-based cohort study was conducted with individuals between 18 and 100 years old registered in Sweden between 1 January 2015 and 15 June 2022. Cox regression models were run to estimate hazard ratios (HRs) and 95% confidence intervals (CIs). RESULTS: Inequalities in COVID-19 mortality between immigrants and the Swedish-born population in the working-age group were concentrated among those of non-Western origins and from Finland with more than 15 years in Sweden, while for those of retirement age, these groups showed higher COVID-19 mortality HRs regardless of duration of residence. Both age groups of immigrants from Africa and the Middle East showed consistently higher COVID-19 mortality HRs. For the working-age population: Africa: HR<15: 2.46, 95%CI: 1.78, 3.38; HR≥15: 1.49, 95%CI: 1.01, 2.19; and from the Middle East: HR<15: 1.20, 95%CI: 0.90, 1.60; HR≥15: 1.65, 95%CI: 1.32, 2.05. For the retirement-age population: Africa: HR<15: 3.94, 95%CI: 2.85, 5.44; HR≥15: 1.66, 95%CI: 1.32, 2.09; Middle East: HR<15: 3.27, 95%CI: 2.70, 3.97; HR≥15: 2.12, 95%CI: 1.91, 2.34. CONCLUSIONS: Differential exposure, as opposed to differential susceptibility, likely accounted for the higher COVID-19 mortality observed among those origins who were disproportionately affected by the pandemic in Sweden.

Unintended Perinatal Health Consequences Associated With a Swedish Family Policy.

Importance: The 1980 and 1986 Swedish so-called speed premium policies aimed at protecting parents' income-based parental leave benefits for birth intervals shorter than 24 and 30 months, respectively, but indirectly encouraged shorter birth spacing and childbearing at older ages, both risk factors for several perinatal health outcomes. Whether those policy changes are associated with perinatal health remains unknown. Objective: To evaluate the association between the 1980 and 1986 speed premium policies and perinatal health outcomes. Design, Setting, and Participants: This cross-sectional study investigated data from 1 762 784 singleton births in the Swedish Medical Birth Register from January 1, 1974, through December 31, 1991. Data were analyzed from October 11, 2022, to December 12, 2023. Interventions: Speed premium policy introduction (January 1, 1980) and extension (January 1, 1986). Main Outcomes and Measures: Total population register data were used in an interrupted time series analysis with segmented logistic regression to calculate the odds of preterm birth, low birth weight, small for gestational age (SGA) at preterm, and stillbirth measured before and after the speed premium policy reforms. Subgroup analyses by maternal origin were conducted to evaluate changes by different policy responses. Results: Among 1 762 784 births analyzed, 4.8% were preterm (of which 12.0% were SGA), 3.2% had low birth weight, and 0.3% were stillbirths. The 1980 speed premium policy was associated with a 0.3% monthly increase in the odds of preterm birth compared with the period before the reform (odds ratio [OR], 1.0029 [95% CI, 1.002-1.004]), equivalent to a 26.4% increase from January 1, 1980, to December 31, 1985. After the 1986 relaxation of the policy, preterm birth odds decreased 0.5% per month (OR, 0.9951 [95% CI, 0.994-0.996]), equivalent to an 11.1% decrease across the next 6 years. Low birth weight displayed a similar pattern for both reform periods, that is, increased 0.2% (OR, 1.0021; 95% CI, 1.001-1.003) per month in 1980 through 1985 compared with baseline, and decreased 0.3% (OR, 0.9975; 95% CI, 0.996-0.998) per month in the following period, but was attenuated when considering low birth weight at term. Odds of SGA at preterm were decreased after 1980 (OR, 0.9965; 95% CI, 0.994-0.999) but not in 1986 (OR, 1.0009; 95% CI, 0.998-1.003), whereas stillbirths did not change following either reform (1980: OR, 1.0020 [95% CI, 0.999-1.005]; 1986: OR, 1.0002 [95% CI, 0.997-1.003]). Subgroup analyses suggested that perinatal health changes were restricted to births to Swedish- and Nordic-born mothers, the primary groups to adjust their fertility behaviors to the reforms. Conclusions and Relevance: Despite its economic advantages for couples, especially for mothers, the introduction of the speed premium policy was associated with adverse perinatal health consequences, particularly for preterm births. Family policies should be carefully designed with a "Health in All Policies" lens to avoid possible unintended repercussions for fertility behaviors and, in turn, perinatal health.

Duration of residence and offspring birth weight among foreign-born mothers in Spain: a cross-sectional study.

BACKGROUND: Duration of residence has been used to monitor changes in the health of a foreign-born population in a destination country. This study assesses whether the mother's duration of residence influences the relationship between maternal origin and birth weight. METHODS: We conducted a cross-sectional study using Spanish census microdata (2011) linked to Vital Statistics (2011-15). Linear and multinomial logistic regression models were used to estimate birth weight differences between children born to foreign-born mothers by duration of residence and those born to natives. Maternal countries of origin were classified according to the Human Development Index (HDI). RESULTS: Our findings revealed significant differences in birth weight of 109 683 births from both foreign- and native-born mothers. Overall, in descriptive statistics, compared with Spanish mothers, foreign-born mothers gave birth more frequently to high-birth weight (HBW) newborns (8.4% vs. 5.3%, respectively) and less frequently to low-birth weight (LBW) newborns (4.8% vs. 5.1%). According to the model's estimations, the risk of giving birth to HBW babies remains relatively high in foreign-born mothers. Especially, mothers from very high-HDI countries experienced changes in the RRR of HBW (1.59-1.28) and LBW (0.58-0.89) after spending over 10 years in Spain. CONCLUSIONS: Foreign-born mothers residing in Spain are at increased risk of delivering a HBW child regardless of their duration of residence. In fact, given the long-term health consequences associated with HBW, our results highlight the need to improve prenatal care in the foreign-born population.

Advancing migration and health research by examining return migration.

This essay offers an analysis of research on return migration and health by adopting the social determinants of health (SDH) framework proposed by the WHO. Specifically, we argue that the SDH are implicated in the decision to migrate, stay or return, which in itself also contributes to social health inequities. Most theoretical frameworks developed to study migration have predominantly considered primary migration movements. The lack of a fluid consideration of the migration phenomenon has a direct impact on our understanding of the relationship between migration and health. In this essay, we, first, address the challenges of defining and studying return and its implications for health research. Second, we propose to use the WHO's SDH framework to understand how social factors shape migrants' health, influence the decision to return and can contribute to health inequalities. The conceptual approach developed in this paper can help design future studies on the health of return migrants, fostering interdisciplinary collaborations to investigate how social factors are embodied, giving rise to health inequities in society that are intricately linked to the migration experience.

Social inequalities in the risk of giving birth to a small for gestational age child in Sweden 2010-16: a cross-sectional study adopting an intersectional approach.

BACKGROUND: Well-established associations exist between the risk of small for gestational age (SGA) and unidimensional sociodemographic factors. We investigated social inequalities in SGA risk and adopted an intersectional approach that simultaneously considers different social categories. By doing so, we could assess heterogeneities in SGA risk within unidimensional sociodemographic categories. METHODS: We included all live 679 694 singleton births in Sweden between 2010 and 2016. The outcome was SGA, and the exposures were age, maternal educational level, dichotomous migration status and civil status. Thirty-six possible combinations of these factors constituted the exposure in an intersectional model. We present odds ratios (ORs) with 95% confidence intervals (95% CIs) and the area under the receiver operating characteristic curve (AUC)-a measurement of discriminatory accuracy (i.e. the ability to discriminate the babies born SGA from those who are not). RESULTS: Women with low education and women born outside Sweden had ORs of 1.46 (95% CI 1.38-1.54) and 1.50 (95% CI 1.43-1.56) in unidimensional analyses, respectively. Among women aged under 25 with low education who were born outside Sweden and unmarried, the highest OR was 3.06 (2.59-3.63). The discriminatory accuracy was low for both the unidimensional model that included all sociodemographic factors (AUC 0. 563) and the intersectional model (AUC 0.571). CONCLUSIONS: The intersectional approach revealed a complex sociodemographic pattern of SGA risk. Sociodemographic factors have a low accuracy in identifying SGA at the individual level, even when quantifying their multi-dimensional intersections. This cautions against interventions targeted to individuals belonging to socially defined groups to reduce social inequalities in SGA risk.

Alcohol-related morbidity and mortality by fathers' parental leave: A quasi-experimental study in Sweden.

BACKGROUND AND AIMS: Fathers' parental leave has been associated with decreased risks of alcohol-related hospitalizations and mortality. Whether this is attributable to the health protections of parental leave itself (through stress reduction or behavioral changes) or to selection into leave uptake remains unclear, given that fathers are more likely to use leave if they are in better health. Using the quasi-experimental variation of a reform incentivizing fathers' leave uptake (the 1995 Father's quota reform), this study aimed to assess whether fathers' parental leave influences alcohol-related morbidity and mortality. DESIGN: Quasi-experimental interrupted time series and instrumental variable analyses. SETTING: Sweden. PARTICIPANTS: Fathers of singleton children born from January 1992 to December 1997 (n = 220 412). MEASUREMENTS: Exposure was indicated by the child's birthdate before or after the reform and used to instrument fathers' 2- and 8-year parental leave uptake. Outcomes included fathers' hospitalization rates for acute alcohol-related (intoxication; mental and behavioral disorders) and chronic alcohol-related diagnoses (cardiovascular, stomach and other diseases; liver diseases), as well as alcohol-related mortality, up to 2, 8 and 18 years after the first child's birthdate. FINDINGS: In interrupted time series analyses, fathers of children born after the reform exhibited immediate decreases in alcohol-related hospitalization rates up to 2 (incidence rate ratio [IRR] = 0.66, 95% confidence interval [CI] = 0.51-0.87), 8 (IRR = 0.74, 95% CI = 0.57-0.96) and 18 years after birth (IRR = 0.72, 95% CI = 0.54-0.96), particularly in acute alcohol-related hospitalization rates, compared with those with children born before. No changes were found for alcohol-related mortality. Instrumental variable results suggest that alcohol-related hospitalization decreases were driven by fathers' parental leave uptake (e.g. 2-year hospitalizations: IRR = 0.16, 95% CI = 0.03-0.84). CONCLUSIONS: In Sweden, a father's parental leave eligibility and uptake may protect against alcohol-related morbidity.

Income mortality paradox by immigrants' duration of residence in Sweden: a population register-based study.

BACKGROUND: Studies have shown that, compared with the general native population, immigrants display weaker or absent income gradients in mortality. The aim of this study is to examine the extent to which the income gradient is modified by immigrants' duration of residence in Sweden. METHODS: Swedish register data from 2004 to 2016 were used to study the association between individual income and all-cause mortality among foreign-born and Swedish-born individuals at ages 25-64 years. Based on relative indices of inequality (RIIs) and slope indices of inequality (SIIs) derived from Poisson regressions, we measured relative and absolute mortality differentials between the least and most advantaged income ranks. The analyses were stratified by sex, immigrants' European or non-European origin, and immigrants' duration of residence in Sweden. RESULTS: The relative income inequality in mortality among immigrant men was less than half (RII: 2.32; 95% CI: 2.15 to 2.50) than that of Swedish-born men (RII: 6.25; 95% CI: 6.06 to 6.44). The corresponding RII among immigrant women was 1.23 (95% CI: 1.13 to 1.34) compared with an RII of 2.75 (95% CI: 2.65 to 2.86) among Swedish-born women. Inequalities in mortality were lowest among immigrants who resided for less than 10 years in Sweden, and most pronounced among immigrants who resided for more than 20 years in the country. Corresponding analyses of absolute income inequalities in mortality based on the SII were largely consistent with the observed relative inequalities in mortality. CONCLUSIONS: Income inequalities in mortality among immigrants differ by duration of residence in Sweden, suggesting that health inequalities develop in the receiving context.

Is duration of residence a proxy for acculturation? The case of health risk behaviors among international immigrants.

AIMS: Among international immigrants, health changes by duration of residence are commonly interpreted as an expression of acculturation to the receiving country context. This study compares changes in immigrants' health risk behaviors by duration of residence to changes by acculturation levels, in order to assess whether duration of residence can be regarded as a proxy for acculturation. METHODS: Using data from a previous systematic review, we identified 17 quantitative studies examining changes in alcohol, tobacco and drug use, physical inactivity, and diet by both duration of residence and acculturation level in the same population. We compared the directionality and consistency of these associations through tabulation and vote counting. RESULTS: The majority of studies reported no or inconsistent changes in health risk behaviors by duration of residence versus by acculturation, including with opposite directionality. Four studies reported significant estimates with consistent directionality, while five reported consistent, non-significant estimates. CONCLUSIONS: Our findings suggest that duration of residence should not be used as a proxy for acculturation when studying health risk behaviors among immigrants. Researchers should consider additional time-dependent factors to explain behavioral changes by duration of residence.

Inequalities in COVID-19 severe morbidity and mortality by country of birth in Sweden.

Migrants have been more affected by the COVID-19 pandemic. Whether this has varied over the course of the pandemic remains unknown. We examined how inequalities in intensive care unit (ICU) admission and death related to COVID-19 by country of birth have evolved over the course of the pandemic, while considering the contribution of social conditions and vaccination uptake. A population-based cohort study was conducted including adults living in Sweden between March 1, 2020 and June 1, 2022 (n = 7,870,441). Poisson regressions found that migrants from Africa, Middle East, Asia and European countries without EU28/EEA, UK and Switzerland had higher risk of COVID-19 mortality and ICU admission than Swedish-born. High risks of COVID-19 ICU admission was also found in migrants from South America. Inequalities were generally reduced through subsequent waves of the pandemic. In many migrant groups socioeconomic status and living conditions contributed to the disparities while vaccination campaigns were decisive when such became available.

Explaining COVID-19 mortality among immigrants in Sweden from a social determinants of health perspective (COVIS): protocol for a national register-based observational study.

INTRODUCTION: Adopting a social determinants of health perspective, this project aims to study how disproportionate COVID-19 mortality among immigrants in Sweden is associated with social factors operating through differential exposure to the virus (eg, by being more likely to work in high-exposure occupations) and differential effects of infection arising from socially patterned, pre-existing health conditions, differential healthcare seeking and inequitable healthcare provision. METHODS AND ANALYSIS: This observational study will use health (eg, hospitalisations, deaths) and sociodemographic information (eg, occupation, income, social benefits) from Swedish national registers linked using unique identity numbers. The study population includes all adults registered in Sweden in the year before the start of the pandemic (2019), as well as individuals who immigrated to Sweden or turned 18 years of age after the start of the pandemic (2020). Our analyses will primarily cover the period from 31 January 2020 to 31 December 2022, with updates depending on the progression of the pandemic. We will evaluate COVID-19 mortality differences between foreign-born and Swedish-born individuals by examining each mechanism (differential exposure and effects) separately, while considering potential effect modification by country of birth and socioeconomic factors. Planned statistical modelling techniques include mediation analyses, multilevel models, Poisson regression and event history analyses. ETHICS AND DISSEMINATION: This project has been granted all necessary ethical permissions from the Swedish Ethical Review Authority (Dnr 2022-0048-01) for accessing and analysing deidentified data. The final outputs will primarily be disseminated as scientific articles published in open-access peer-reviewed international journals, as well as press releases and policy briefs.

Differences in hospitalizations associated with severe COVID-19 disease among foreign- and Swedish-born.

BACKGROUND: Differences in pre-existing health conditions are hypothesized to explain immigrants' excess COVID-19 mortality compared to natives. In this study, we evaluate whether immigrants residing in Sweden before the outbreak were more likely to be hospitalized for conditions associated with severe COVID-19 disease. METHODS: A cohort study using population-register data was conducted with follow-up between 1 January 1997 and 31 December 2017. Poisson regression was fitted to estimate incidence rate ratio (RR) and 95% confident intervals (95% CI) for 10 causes of hospitalization. RESULTS: Compared to Swedish-born individuals, most immigrant groups showed a decreased risk of hospitalization for respiratory chronic conditions, CVD, cancer, chronic liver conditions and neurological problems. All immigrant groups had increased risk of hospitalization for tuberculosis [RR between 88.49 (95% CI 77.21; 101.40) for the Horn of Africa and 1.69 (95% CI 1.11; 2.58) for North America], HIV [RR between 33.23 (95% CI 25.17; 43.88) for the rest of Africa and 1.31 (95% CI 0.93; 1.83) for the Middle East] and, with a few exceptions, also for chronic kidney conditions, diabetes and thalassemia. CONCLUSIONS: Foreign-born individuals-including origins with excess COVID-19 mortality in Sweden-did not show increased risk of hospitalizations for most causes associated with severe COVID-19 disease. However, all groups showed increased risks of hospitalization for tuberculosis and HIV and, with exceptions, for chronic kidney conditions, diabetes and thalassemia. Although studies should determine whether these health conditions explain the observed excess COVID-19 mortality, our study alerts to an increased risk of hospitalization that can be avoidable via treatment or preventive measures.

The effect of parental leave on parents' mental health: a systematic review.

Mental health disorders during the post-partum period are a common morbidity, but parental leave might help alleviate symptoms by preventing or reducing stress. We aim to summarise available evidence on the effect of different types of parental leave on mental health outcomes among parents. For this systematic review, we searched Ovid MEDLINE, Web of Science, PsycINFO, CINAHL, and Scopus from database inception to Aug 29, 2022, for peer-reviewed, quantitative studies written in English. We included studies if the exposure was postnatal parental leave; a relevant comparison group was present (eg, paid vs unpaid leave); and if indicators related to general mental health, including depression, anxiety, stress, and suicide, for either parent were evaluated or recorded at any time after childbirth. The Review is registered with PROSPERO (registration number CRD42021227499). Of the 3441 records screened, 45 studies were narratively synthesised. Studies were done in high-income countries, and they examined generosity by any parental leave (n=5), benefit amount (n=13), and leave duration (n=31). 38 studies were of medium or high quality. Improved mental health was generally observed among women (referred to as mothers in this Review) with more generous parental leave policies (ie, leave duration and paid vs unpaid leave). For example, increased duration of leave was generally associated with reduced risk of poor maternal mental health, including depressive symptoms, psychological distress and burnout, and lower mental health-care uptake. However, the association between fathers' leave and paternal mental health outcomes was less conclusive as was the indirect effect of parental leave use on partners' mental health.

Mental health by native-immigrant intermarriage in Sweden: a register-based retrospective cohort study.

BACKGROUND: Native-immigrant intermarriage is often regarded as a proxy for integration, given that intermarried immigrants are more socioeconomically and culturally similar to natives than intramarried immigrants. This study aimed to assess whether integration affects mental health and care-seeking behaviours, examining prescription hazards for psychotropic medications by native-immigrant marital composition in Sweden. METHODS: Total population register data were used to identify first-time married couples residing in Sweden between 31 December 2005 and 31 December 2016. Index persons were distinguished by gender and partners' origin (native vs. immigrant), as well as by immigrants' regions of origin, with intramarried natives as references. Using Cox regression, hazard ratios (HRs) with 95% confidence intervals (95% CIs) were calculated for antidepressant and anxiolytic prescriptions and adjusted for socioeconomic factors, presence of children and length and quality of marriage. RESULTS: Intramarried immigrant women had higher psychotropic prescription hazards than intramarried native references (HR 1.11, 95% CI 1.10-1.12), whereas intermarried immigrant women had equal hazards. Immigrant women's hazards were lower than native references after adjustment. Intramarried immigrant men had the greatest prescription hazards (HR 1.33, 95% CI 1.32-1.34), and intermarried immigrant men slightly higher hazards (HR 1.11, 95% CI 1.10-1.13), than intramarried natives. All were partly attenuated after adjustment. Intermarriage hazards increased by similarities in regions of origin, especially among men. CONCLUSIONS: Integration indicated by intermarriage appears to be protective for the mental health of immigrants, especially for immigrant men. Future research should empirically disentangle the social, cultural and socioeconomic mechanisms underlying these health differences.

Health Risk Behaviours by Immigrants' Duration of Residence: A Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis.

Objectives: The aim was to systematically review and synthesise international evidence on changes in health risk behaviours by immigrants' duration of residence. Methods: We searched literature databases for peer-reviewed quantitative studies published from 2000 to 2019, examining alcohol, drug and tobacco use; physical inactivity; and dietary habits by duration of residence. Results: Narrative synthesis indicated that immigrants tend to adopt health risk behaviours with longer residence in North America, with larger variation in effect sizes and directionality in other contexts. Random-effects meta-analyses examining the pooled effect across all receiving countries and immigrant groups showed lower odds of smoking (OR 0.54, 0.46-0.63, I 2 = 68.7%) and alcohol use (OR 0.61, 0.47-0.75, I 2 = 93.5%) and higher odds of physical inactivity (OR 1.71, 1.40-2.02, I 2 = 99.1%) among immigrants than natives, but did not provide support for a universal trend by duration of residence. Conclusion: Findings suggest that duration of residence could serve as an effective instrument to monitor immigrants' health changes. However, differences in receiving country contexts and immigrant populations' composition seem to be important to predict the level and direction of behavioural change. Systematic Review Registration: https://www.crd.york.ac.uk/prospero/, PROSPERO CRD42018108881.

Immigrant ancestry and birthweight across two generations born in Sweden: an intergenerational cohort study.

INTRODUCTION: Differences in birthweight are often seen between migrants and natives. However, whether migrant-native birthweight inequalities widen, narrow or remain persistent across generations when comparing the descendants of immigrants and natives remains understudied. We examined inequalities in birthweight of mothers (G2) and daughters (G3) of foreign-born grandmothers (G1) compared with those of Swedish-born grandmothers. METHODS: We used population registers with multigenerational linkages to identify 314 415 daughters born in Sweden during the period 1989-2012 (G3), linked to 246 642 mothers (G2) born in Sweden during 1973-1996, and to their grandmothers (G1) who were Swedish or foreign-born. We classified migrants into non-western, Eastern European, the rest of Nordic and Western. We used multivariable methods to examine mean birthweight and low birthweight (<2500 g; LBW). RESULTS: Birthweight between individuals with Swedish background (G1) and non-western groups increased from -80 g to -147 g between G2 (mothers) and G3 (daughters), respectively. Furthermore, the odds of LBW increased among the G3 non-western immigrants compared with those with Swedish grandmothers (OR: 1.38, 95% CI 1.12 to 1.69). Birthweight increased in both descendants of Swedes and non-western immigrants, but less so in the latter (83 g vs 16 g). CONCLUSION: We observed an increase in birthweight inequalities across generations between descendants of non-western immigrants and descendants of Swedes. This finding is puzzling considering Sweden has been lauded for its humanitarian approach to migration, for being one of the most egalitarian countries in the world and providing universal access to healthcare and education.

Influence of Socio-Economic Factors and Region of Birth on the Risk of Preeclampsia in Sweden.

OBJECTIVES: To investigate the association between socio-economic factors and the risk of preeclampsia in Sweden, specifically investigating if this relationship is confounded by maternal region of birth. STUDY DESIGN: All singleton births between 1999 and 2009 in an ethnically diverse area in southern Sweden, totaling 46,618 pregnancies, were included in this study. The data on maternal pregnancy outcomes were retrieved from a regional birth register and socio-economic variables from Statistics Sweden. The risk ratios for preeclampsia were calculated for educational level and household disposable income, adjusting for maternal region of birth, maternal age, body mass index, parity, and smoking. RESULTS: Low income levels were associated with a higher risk for preeclampsia, adjusted risk ratio (aRR) = 1.25 (95% confidence interval [CI]: 0.99, 1.59) and aRR = 1.36 (95% CI: 1.10, 1.68) for the two lowest quintiles, respectively, compared to the highest. There was an educational gradient in preeclampsia risk, although not all categories reached statistical significance: aRR = 1.16, (95% CI: 0.89-1.50) for low educational attainment and aRR = 1.23 (95% CI: 1.08, 1.41) for intermediate educational attainment compared to women with highest education. The socio-economic gradient remained after adjusting for region of birth. There was a lower risk for preeclampsia for women born in Asia, aRR = 0.60 (95% CI: 0.47, 0.75), regardless of socio-economic position. CONCLUSION: An increased risk for preeclampsia was seen for women with measures of lower socio-economic position, even in a universal, government-funded healthcare setting. The relationship was not explained by region of birth, indicating that the excess risk is not due to ethnically differential genetic pre-disposition but rather due to modifiable factors.

Investigating the salmon bias effect among international immigrants in Sweden: a register-based open cohort study.

BACKGROUND: Studies of migration and health have hypothesized that immigrants may emigrate when they develop poor health (salmon bias effect), which may partially explain the mortality advantage observed among immigrants in high-income countries. We evaluated the salmon bias effect by comparing the health of immigrants in Sweden who emigrated with those who remained, while also exploring potential variation by macro-economic conditions, duration of residence and region of origin. METHODS: A longitudinal, open cohort study design was used to assess risk of emigration between 1992 and 2016 among all adult (18+ years) foreign-born persons who immigrated to Sweden between 1965 and 2012 (n = 1 765 459). The Charlson Comorbidity Index was used to measure health status, using information on hospitalizations from the Swedish National Patient Register. Poisson regression models were used to estimate incidence rate ratios (RRs) with 95% confidence intervals (CIs) for emigrating from Sweden. RESULTS: Immigrants with low (RR = 0.83; 95% CI: 0.76-0.90) moderate (RR = 0.70; 95% CI: 0.62-0.80) and high (RR = 0.62; 95% CI: 0.48-0.82) levels of comorbidities had decreased risk of emigration relative to those with no comorbidities. There was no evidence of variation by health status in emigration during periods of economic recession or by duration of residence. Individuals with low to moderate levels of comorbidities from some regions of origin had an increased risk of emigration relative to those with no comorbidities. CONCLUSIONS: The study results do not support the existence of a salmon bias effect as a universal phenomenon among international immigrants in Sweden.

Psychiatric consequences of a father's leave policy by nativity: a quasi-experimental study in Sweden.

BACKGROUND: Parental leave use has been found to promote maternal and child health, with limited evidence of mental health impacts on fathers. How these effects vary for minority populations with poorer mental health and lower leave uptake, such as migrants, remains under-investigated. This study assessed the effects of a Swedish policy to encourage fathers' leave, the 1995 Father's quota, on Swedish-born and migrant fathers' psychiatric hospitalisations. METHODS: We conducted an interrupted time series analysis using Swedish total population register data for first-time fathers of children born before (1992-1994) and after (1995-1997) the reform (n=198 589). Swedish-born and migrant fathers' 3-year psychiatric hospitalisation rates were modelled using segmented negative binomial regression, adjusting for seasonality and autocorrelation, with stratified analyses by region of origin, duration of residence, and partners' nativity. RESULTS: From immediately pre-reform to post-reform, the proportion of fathers using parental leave increased from 63.6% to 86.4% of native-born and 37.1% to 51.2% of migrants. Swedish-born fathers exhibited no changes in psychiatric hospitalisation rates post-reform, whereas migrants showed 36% decreased rates (incidence rate ratio (IRR) 0.64, 95% CI 0.47 to 0.86). Migrants from regions not predominantly consisting of Organisation for Economic Cooperation and Development countries (IRR 0.50, 95% CI 0.19 to 1.33), and those with migrant partners (IRR 0.23, 95% CI 0.14 to 0.38), experienced the greatest decreases in psychiatric hospitalisation rates. CONCLUSION: The findings of this study suggest that policies oriented towards promoting father's use of parental leave may help to reduce native-migrant health inequalities, with broader benefits for family well-being and child development.

Perceived Diet Quality, Eating Behaviour, and Lifestyle Changes in a Mexican Population with Internet Access during Confinement for the COVID-19 Pandemic: ESCAN-COVID19Mx Survey.

Perceived changes in diet quality, emotional eating, physical activity, and lifestyle were evaluated in a group of Mexican adults before and during COVID-19 confinement. In this study, 8289 adults answered an online questionnaire between April and May 2020. Data about sociodemographic characteristics, self-reported weight and height, diet quality, emotional eating, physical activity, and lifestyle changes were collected. Before and after confinement, differences by sociodemographic characteristics were assessed with Wilcoxon, Anova, and linear regression analyses. Most participants were women (80%) between 18 and 38 years old (70%), with a low degree of marginalisation (82.8%) and a high educational level (84.2%); 53.1% had a normal weight and 31.4% were overweight. Half (46.8%) of the participants perceived a change in the quality of their diet. The Diet Quality Index (DQI) was higher during confinement (it improved by 3 points) in all groups, regardless of education level, marginalisation level, or place of residence (p < 0.001). Lifestyle changes were present among some of the participants, 6.1% stopped smoking, 12.1% stopped consuming alcohol, 53.3% sleep later, 9% became more sedentary, and increased their screen (43%) as well as sitting and lying down time (81.6%). Mexicans with Internet access staying at home during COVID-19 confinement perceived positive changes in the quality of their diet, smoking, and alcohol consumption, but negative changes in the level of physical activity and sleep quality. These results emphasise the relevance of encouraging healthy lifestyle behaviours during and after times of crisis to prevent the risk of complications due to infectious and chronic diseases.