Related Experiment Videos
Hospitalization in Sweden of children born to immigrants
N Danielsson1, A Ericsson, M Eriksson
1Department of Woman and Child Health Care, Karolinska Institute, Stockholm, Sweden.
Insights
Hospitalization rates for children of immigrant parents in Sweden varied by region of origin. Some immigrant groups showed increased child hospitalization, while others had reduced rates after accounting for risk factors.
Area of Science:
- Pediatric Health
- Public Health
- Immigration Studies
Background:
- Childhood hospitalization rates can be influenced by socioeconomic and demographic factors.
- Understanding disparities in healthcare utilization among immigrant populations is crucial for public health initiatives.
Purpose of the Study:
- To investigate potential excess hospitalization among children born in Sweden to immigrant parents.
- To identify specific immigrant groups with differing hospitalization patterns.
Main Methods:
- Utilized linked data from the Swedish Medical Birth Register (1987-1997) and the Swedish Hospital Discharge Register (1987-1998).
- Controlled for maternal age, parity, smoking, and emigration/mortality data.
- Analyzed hospitalization rates stratified by parental nationality and specific geographic regions.
Main Results:
- Initial excess hospitalization observed in immigrant children up to age 5, with rates normalizing or decreasing thereafter.
- No overall difference in hospitalization for non-Swedish nationals after risk factor adjustment.
- Significantly increased hospitalization rates identified for children from sub-Saharan Africa, the Middle East, and North Africa.
- Reduced hospitalization rates were noted for children from several Western European countries.
Conclusions:
- A moderately increased rate of child hospitalization was specifically observed in certain immigrant groups from particular regions.
- Healthcare utilization patterns among children of immigrants are diverse and region-specific.
Aim:
To study whether excess hospitalization occurs among certain groups of children born in Sweden to immigrant parents.
Methods:
The study was based on linkage of the Swedish Medical Birth Register 1987-1997 and the Swedish Hospital Discharge Register 1987-1998.
Results:
Among children whose parents were of Swedish nationality excess hospitalization was found for children of young mothers, parity 3 or more, and if the mother smoked in early pregnancy. These factors were controlled for in the further analysis. Ten years after birth, a large percentage of children born to parents with foreign nationality could not be followed owing to death or emigration (19.9% vs 1.77% of children with Swedish parents). An excess hospitalization of immigrant children up to the age of about 5 y was seen but after that, if anything, these children were hospitalized less. For the whole group of children born to parents of non-Swedish nationality there was no difference in hospitalization rate after stratification for risk factors and age. When analysis was performed for specific nationalities significantly reduced rates were found for several western European countries while significantly increased rates were seen for the Middle East, north Africa and especially sub-Saharan Africa (odds ratio 1.57, 95% confidence interval 1.49-1.64).
Conclusion:
A moderately increased rate of child hospitalization was only observed for some selected immigrant groups.