Diabetes and Metabolism
Volume 34, Issue 4, 2008, Pages 328-333

Estimation of diabetes prevalence among immigrants from the Middle East in Sweden by using three different data sources (Article)

Wändell P.E.* , Johansson S.E. , Gåfvels C. , Hellénius M.L. , de Faire U. , Sundquist J.
  • a Center for Family and Community Medicine Stockholm, Karolinska Institutet, Alfred Nobels allé 12, SE-141 83 Huddinge, Sweden
  • b Center for Family and Community Medicine Stockholm, Karolinska Institutet, Alfred Nobels allé 12, SE-141 83 Huddinge, Sweden
  • c Center for Family and Community Medicine Stockholm, Karolinska Institutet, Alfred Nobels allé 12, SE-141 83 Huddinge, Sweden
  • d Department of Medicine, Karolinska University Hospital, Stockholm, Sweden
  • e Division of Cardiovascular Epidemiology, Institute of Environmental Medicine, Karolinska Institute, Stockholm, Sweden, Department of Cardiology, Karolinska University Hospital, Stockholm, Sweden
  • f Center for Family and Community Medicine Stockholm, Karolinska Institutet, Alfred Nobels allé 12, SE-141 83 Huddinge, Sweden

Abstract

Aims: To estimate diabetes prevalence in immigrants from the Middle East in Sweden compared with Swedish-born subjects. This group accounts for around 15% of Sweden's non-European immigrants. Methods: Three samples were used: self-reported diabetes in a random sample (SALLS sample) of subjects aged 35-64 years in Sweden (n = 22,032); known diabetes among patients aged 35-64 years in primary care (PC) at four primary healthcare centers in Stockholm County (n = 30,679); and known and newly diagnosed diabetes in a random population sample of subjects aged 60 years in Stockholm County (n = 4106). Results: The odds ratio (OR) for subjects from the Middle East was: 1.69 (95% confidence interval [CI] 0.96-2.99) in the SALLS sample; 4.43 (95% CI 3.38-5.56) in the PC sample; and 3.96 (95% CI 1.98-7.92) in the age-60 sample, compared with native Swedes. Subjects from European and other Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development (OECD) countries showed an excess risk only in the SALLS sample (1.43, 95% CI 1.11-1.83). Conclusions: Immigrants from the Middle East showed a four-fold higher risk of diabetes compared with Swedish-born subjects in two of the three data sources. More studies are needed to confirm these results, but the findings call for targeted preventative strategies in this population group. © 2008 Elsevier Masson SAS. All rights reserved.

Author Keywords

Cross-sectional survey Sweden Diabetes mellitus Epidemiology Immigration Prevalence

Index Keywords

immigrant primary medical care Europe human Self Report middle aged Middle East Cohort Studies diabetes mellitus controlled study comparative study Aged Cross-Sectional Studies Sweden Humans male Emigrants and Immigrants female risk factor prevalence Article major clinical study adult health center primary health care
Link
https://www.scopus.com/inward/record.uri?eid=2-s2.0-51649108800&doi=10.1016%2fj.diabet.2008.01.012&partnerID=40&md5=f8ec6b029c8346ce82efe92ac6c52916
DOI: 10.1016/j.diabet.2008.01.012
ISSN: 12623636
Cited by: 28
Original Language: English