Self-reported health and country of origin : Does level of education and length of stay in Sweden make a difference?

• Background Self-reported health (SRH) is an important indicator for general health status of an individual. The latest measure of SRH in Scania resulted in the majority reporting good or very good health. This encouraging overall finding does not target vulnerable subgroups such as migrants. The aim of this study is to address the effect of country of birth on SRH and explore if level of education and length of stay (LOS) makes a difference. Methods The 2012 public health survey in Scania served as the basis for the study. Data was collected on 28029 adults aged 18-80. The variables of interest were SRH, LOS in Sweden of foreign born and level of education. Results The mean age of people born in Sweden was 51.4 and 48.6 for those born abroad. The odds ratio (OR) of poor SRH was 1.38 (95% CI=1.30-1.47) where people born abroad reported worse SRH overall and across different levels of education. People born in Sweden reported poor SRH more than those born abroad with LOS below 10 years 1.24 (1.10-1.41) independent of education, except for highly educated people born in Sweden 0.72 (0.59-0.89). People born in Sweden reported poor SRH less than those born abroad with LOS above 10 years 0.55 (0.51-0.60) independent of education. Conclusions Inequalities in health persist across educational levels and SRH deteriorates with LOS. Recommended actions: a. Enhance the understanding of health inequalities. b. Improve procedures for including foreign born to the society. c. Initiate future studies in the field. Message 1 Inequalities in health due to country of birth are not due to level of education. Message 2 LOS in the country worsens health in those born abroad as compared to people born in Sweden independently of education.

Nyckelord

Self-reported health

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vet (ämneskategori)

kon (ämneskategori)