“With a little help from my friends”? The role of social interaction in immigrants' perception of their ability to understand politics in the Netherlands

Declining incidence of hepatitis A in Amsterdam (The Netherlands), 1996–2011: Second generation migrants still an important risk group for virus importation

How do ethnic minorities integrate politically when they experience a hostile political climate towards non-western immigration? We study this important yet underexplored question through a unique Danish survey from 2018 among 20-30-year-old descendants of immigrants and a control group of Danish origin. This study goes further than earlier studies and analyzes the correlation between young adults’ own perception of public hostility against Muslims and refugees and their political efficacy and political trust. The analysis shows a notably stronger correlation among Muslim descendants, and especially among the most religious of them, but only related to their external political efficacy and political trust. Internal political efficacy is rather unaffected, which indicates an unexploited potential for political mobilization.

The aim of this study was to investigate the differences in age at diagnosis and survival time after diagnosis between Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disease (COPD) patients with native Danish and other ethnic backgrounds. Individuals diagnosed with COPD in a hospital setting in Copenhagen in the period 2003-2007 were identified from annual hospital contact records. The cohort was restricted to COPD patients older than 35years old at diagnosis. Follow-up was available until the end of 2010. ANOVA was conducted to test if mean age at diagnosis differed between the patient groups with different ethnicity. Kaplan-Meier estimator was used to estimate survival time after diagnosis. Cox proportional hazards models were conducted to calculate hazards of death according to ethnicity. A total of 2845 COPD patients were included; 131 (4.6%) were with non-Western ethnic minority backgrounds. Patients with non-Western ethnic backgrounds were diagnosed at a younger age and had a better survival probability compared to ethnic Danish patients; hazard ratio HR (95% CI) for death during follow-up in non-Western vs. ethnic Danish patients was 0.33 (0.18-0.62). Our study showed marked differences in age at diagnosis and survival time after diagnosis between the COPD patients with different ethnic backgrounds residing in Copenhagen. Further studies are needed to find out the reasons for younger age of COPD diagnosis in non-Western minorities and for shorter survival time after diagnosis in ethnic Danish COPD patients.

BackgroundThe aim was to investigate the associations between mental disorders and three different measures of labour-market marginalisation, and differences between native Swedes and immigrants.MethodsThe study comprised 1,753,544 individuals, aged 20–35 years, and resident in Sweden 2004. They were followed 2005–2011 with regard to disability pension, sickness absence (≥90 days) and unemployment (≥180 days). Immigrants were born in Western countries (Nordic countries, EU, Europe outside EU or North-America/Oceania), or in non-Western countries (Africa, Asia or South-America). Mental disorders were grouped into seven subgroups based on a record of in- or specialised outpatient health care 2001–2004. Hazard ratios (HRs) with 95% confidence intervals (CIs) were computed by Cox regression models with both fixed and time-dependent covariates and competing risks. We also performed stratified analyses with regard to labour-market attachment.ResultsIndividuals with mental disorders had a seven times higher risk of disability pension, a two times higher risk of sickness absence, and a 20% higher risk of unemployment than individuals without mental disorders. Individuals with personality disorders and schizophrenia/non-affective psychoses had highest risk estimates for having disability pension and long-term sickness absence, while the risk estimates of long-term unemployment were similar among all subgroups of mental disorders. Among persons with mental disorders, native Swedes had higher risk estimates for disability pension (HR:6.6; 95%CI:6.4–6.8) than Western immigrants (4.8; 4.4–5.2) and non-Western immigrants (4.8; 4.4–5.1), slightly higher risk estimates for sickness absence (2.1;2.1–2.2) than Western (1.9;1.8–2.1), and non-Western (1.9;1.7–2.0) immigrants but lower risk estimates for unemployment (1.4;1.3–1.4) than Western (1.8;1.7–1.9) and non-Western immigrants (2.0;1.9–2.1). There were similar risk estimates among sub-regions within both Western and non-Western countries. Stratification by labour-market attachment showed that the risk estimates for immigrants were lower the more distant individuals were from gainful employment.ConclusionsMental disorders were associated with all three measures of labour-market marginalisation, strongest with subsequent disability pension. Native Swedes had higher risk estimates for both disability pension and sickness absence, but lower risk estimates for unemployment than immigrants. Previous labour-market attachment explained a great part of the association between immigrant status and subsequent labour-market marginalisation.

To compare employment status 5years post-diagnosis among native Norwegian, Western immigrant, and non-Western immigrant female cancer survivors (CSs) and their matched controls without cancer, who were employed at the time of diagnosis. Participants were categorized into three groups based on data from Statistics Norway: Natives (CSs = 6587, control = 6587), Western immigrants (CSs = 209, control = 209), and non-Western immigrants (CSs = 105, control = 105). Women were aged 30-55 at diagnosis, employed (salaried/self-employed) at baseline, and alive at 5-year follow-up. CSs and controls were matched on age, education, and employment at diagnosis. Associations between cancer status, immigrant background, and employment were analyzed using binary logistic regressions and Firth penalized logistic regression to account for potential bias from small subgroup sizes. At 5years, female CSs had lower odds of employment compared with controls. Western immigrants did not differ from natives, whereas non-Western immigrants showed reduced employment. Higher income was positively associated with employment, while being married or cohabiting and working in the public sector were linked to higher odds. Interaction terms between cancer survivorship and immigrant background were not significant. Among women employed at baseline, cancer survivorship and non-Western immigrant background were independently associated with lower odds of employment five years later. Tailored employment support is needed for non-Western immigrants to improve long-term outcomes. Interventions should also target employers and workplaces to support employment maintenance among CSs.

The aim of this study was to investigate gender, ethnic and school type differences in overweight and energy balance-related behaviours: snack, soft drink and breakfast consumption, walking, bicycling, and playing sports during leisure time, active commuting to school, television viewing and computer use among 12-15-year-old adolescents. Cross-sectional data on weight status and energy balance-related behaviours were obtained from 1 206 adolescents (2005-06). Energy balance-related behaviours were self-reported and body mass index was calculated from measured height and weight. Gender, ethnic and school type differences in weight status and behaviours were examined with multi-level logistic regression analyses. Overweight and unfavourable energy balance-related behaviours were more likely among youth from non-Western ethnic backgrounds and those attending vocational schools. Analyses stratified by ethnicity showed that girls from non-Western ethnic backgrounds were more likely to be overweight (OR = 1.5) and to report not bicycling (OR = 2.4) and watching more than two hours of television (OR = 2.3) compared with boys from non-Western ethnic backgrounds. Vocational students from Western ethnic backgrounds were more likely to report high levels of soft drink consumption (OR = 3.2), watching television (OR = 2.9) and computer use (OR = 2.1) compared with higher-level education students from Western ethnic backgrounds. The study findings indicate important ethnic and educational differences in overweight and energy balance-related behaviours. Future research should focus on what kind of interventions work and for which target groups they work, taking demographic variables, such as gender, ethnicity, school type into account.

The prevalence of vitamin D deficiency in women with a non-Western ethnic minority background in Nordic countries is high. The aim of this study was to assess vitamin D knowledge, attitudes, and behaviors in women with a non-Western ethic minority background living in Denmark. A validated vitamin D knowledge, attitudes, and behaviors’ questionnaire was translated into Danish, piloted, and distributed via relevant Facebook groups. The responses were analyzed using parametric and non-parametric tests for descriptive and bivariate analyses. In total, 254 women who considered themselves having a non-Western ethnic minority background responded to the questionnaire. The median age (IQR) was 25 (23–33) years old; 32% had a professional bachelor’s, 28% had high school, and 22% had a master’s or higher university education. Participants scored higher on vitamin D general knowledge (scores above 80 on the scale 0–100) compared to vitamin D nutrition knowledge or vitamin D attitudes and behaviors (scores around 60 on the scale 0–100). In conclusion, the vitamin D knowledge among study participants—i.e., young well-educated non-Western ethnic minority women in Denmark—was pretty good. The further examination of vitamin D knowledge, attitudes, and behaviors should explore specifics related to nationality and religion and focus on less-educated non-Western ethnic minority women in Denmark and other Nordic countries.

This study describes the epidemiology of extrapulmonary tuberculosis (TB) in the Netherlands from 1993 through 2001. We assessed whether the increasing numbers of inhabitants with a non-Western ethnic background had an effect on the number of extrapulmonary patients. We used data from the Netherlands Tuberculosis Register and included all cases of TB diagnosed in the Netherlands between January 1, 1993, and December 31, 2001. Information on age, sex, nationality, year of diagnosis, culture result, anatomic location of the site of disease, and HIV status was retrieved from the register. Of 13,258 patients with TB, 8216 (62%) had pulmonary TB, and 5042 (38%) had extrapulmonary TB. Non-Dutch nationals were more likely to have most types of extrapulmonary TB. The growth of the number of inhabitants with a non-Western ethnic background in the Netherlands explains the proportional growth of extrapulmonary TB. Physicians need to be aware of the changing clinical picture of TB.

Background and purposeProstate cancer impacts millions of men worldwide each year, and its significance will continue to rise as populations age. Literature demonstrates differences in cancer burden between immigrant groups and non-immigrants across the world. Despite its prevalence, little research has focused primarily on prostate cancer among immigrants.Patients/material and methodsWe utilized individual-level data on all immigrant men who had lived in Finland for over a year between 1973 and 2017 and aggregate data on Finnish-born men to determine immigrants’ incidence of and mortality from prostate cancer in relation to the men born in Finland. This gave us a study population of 162,844 non-Western and 56,127 Western immigrant men. Cases and deaths from the study period (2000–2017) were analyzed with the multivariate Poisson regression model for the groups, non-Western and Western immigrants separately.Results and InterpretationNon-Western men had a relative risk (RR) of 0.663 (95% confidence interval [CI] 0.609–0.722) for cases and 0.803 (0.646–0.997) for deaths. Western men had RRs of 0.876 (0.784–0.978) and 0.78 (0.567–1.072), respectively. A longer duration of residence and a younger age at immigration increased the risk for prostate cancer. Compared to the men born in Finland, both immigrant groups showed a lower risk of prostate cancer. Non-Western men may have also had a lower risk of death from it. Prostate cancer mortality in non-Western immigrants appears to be high compared to its incidence. While uncertain, this implication is concerning enough to warrant further research into the topic.

The impact of migration on the risk of anaphylaxis remains unknown. We hypothesized that non-Western immigrants have a lower incidence of anaphylaxis compared to Danish-born. We investigated variations in hospital attendance for anaphylaxis between immigrants and Danish-born including time- and age- trends. A register-based, historical prospective cohort design. Refugees or family reunified immigrants (n = 127 250) who, between January 1, 1994 and December 31, 2010, obtained residency permits in Denmark were included and matched in a 1 : 6 ratio on age and sex with Danish-born individuals (n = 740 600). Personal identification numbers were cross-linked to the Danish National Patient Registry identifying all first-time hospital attendances for anaphylaxis from January 1, 1994 and December 31, 2010. Incidence rate ratios were estimated, stratified for sex and region of birth, adjusting for age using a Cox regression model including the influence of duration of residence and age when residence was obtained. In total 1053 hospital attendances for anaphylaxis were identified: 89 among non-Western immigrants, 9 among Western immigrants and 955 among Danish-born patients. Both male (RR = 0.65; 95%CI: 0.46;0.90) and female (RR = 0.64; 95%CI: 0.48;0.85) non-Western immigrants had a significantly lower risk ratio of hospital attendance for anaphylaxis compared to Danish-born. Compared to Danish-born, non-Western immigrants living in Denmark during the entire follow-up period also showed a decreased risk (RR = 0.65; 95%CI: 0.34;1.25). Compared to Danish-born, non-Western immigrants who obtained residence permission as children had a decreased risk of hospital attendance for anaphylaxis (RR = 0.48; 95%CI: 0.25;0.91). This Danish register-based study using nationwide data revealed fewer hospital attendances for anaphylaxis among non-Western immigrants compared to Danish-born; however this protection was lost over time.

BackgroundMultiple sclerosis (MS) is the most common chronic demyelinating disease of the central nervous system and the major non-traumatic cause of permanent disability in young adults. Several migration studies have been performed over the years suggesting a pattern of higher disease disability in certain ethnic groups. To our knowledge, differences in disease progression in immigrants have not been studied in Sweden before. Thus, the aims of our study were to estimate the prevalence of multiple sclerosis among first-generation immigrants in the City of Malmö and to compare differences in disease severity with the native population. MethodsAll persons with multiple sclerosis living in Malmö on prevalence day 31 Dec 2010 were included. Cases were classified according to the country of birth into Scandinavians, Western and non-Western. ResultsThe crude prevalence was 100/100,000 (95% CI, 80–124) among first-generation immigrants, 154/100,000 (95% CI, 137–173) among individuals with Scandinavian background, 123/100,000 (95% CI, 94–162) in the Western group and 76/100,000 (95% CI, 53–108) in the non-Western group. The mean Multiple Sclerosis Severity Score (MSSS) value among Scandinavians was 4.2 (SD 3.5), whereas the figures in the immigrant group were 4.6 (SD 3.3) and 5.2 (SD 3.7) among Westerns respectively non-Westerns, which differences were not statistically significant. When adjusting for gender, age at onset and initial disease course, the mean MSSS difference between the non-Western and the Scandinavian individuals was 1.7 (95% CI 0.18–3.3, p = 0.030). There were no differences on time to diagnosis or the time from diagnosis to treatment initiation between the three groups. ConclusionsWe found a lower prevalence among Western and non-Western first-generation immigrants compared to the Scandinavian population and a more severe disease in non-Western immigrants than in Scandinavians.

To explore how young adults with a non-western immigrant background and type 1 diabetes since childhood/adolescence have perceived learning to live with the disease, with special focus on health education and support. A national Danish study found significantly poorer metabolic control in non-western immigrant children and adolescents as compared with ethnic Danes. Subsequent studies have primarily focused on immigrant parents, whereas little is known about how immigrant children/adolescents have perceived the diagnosis and the diabetes care and support provided. A mixed quantitative and qualitative design was applied. This included data on metabolic control for 2002-2006 and semi-structured interviews in 2006 with eleven strategically selected young immigrants. Data were analysed using qualitative content analysis. The findings are described in three thematic categories: Perceptions and reactions at the time of diagnosis; Learning to manage the disease; Present and future life with diabetes. Some findings were similar to those in studies describing children and adolescents of western origin, but the participants also shared perceptions which appeared to be related to their immigrant background. Above all, they described their parents as having difficulty coping with the disease and providing them with sufficient support. The diagnosis of diabetes in immigrant children and adolescents requires special pedagogic and psychosocial approaches to bridge the gaps related to culture and traditions and introduce the concept of diabetes management, not least to the parents, in a more optimum way. Diabetes care should be a continuous and holistic process, constantly aiming to explore existing knowledge and the need for additional education and support for both the patient and his/her family. Special attention should be paid to the fact that immigrants may have limited pre-knowledge of chronic diseases in childhood, including the concept of selfcare.

Candidate endorsements affect the likelihood that people vote for a candidate since they reduce the efforts devoted to vote choices. However, the effects of endorsements from different sources remain under-explored. Furthermore, the effects of endorsements are believed to vary with the level of political sophistication, as voters with low sophistication are more reliant on such shortcuts, but it is unclear whether these differences are similar for different sources. We study the effects of endorsements from three different sources – family and close friends, networks on social media and Voting Advice Applications (VAAs) – on candidate favorability. We do so with a choice-based conjoint experiment embedded in a survey from Finland (n = 1021), where we also examine differences in effects across political sophistication (political interest, frequency of political discussions, internal political efficacy, party identification, and voting in the last parliamentary election). The results show that endorsements from VAAs and family and friends have positive effects while social media networks do not. We do not find systematic differences in effects across levels of political sophistication no matter how we operationalize it. This shows that it is important to consider the source of an endorsement to appreciate the effect, no matter who is the recipient.

To explore the health situation and identify specific health challenges in non-Western immigrants with polio in Norway, by comparing their status with Western immigrants with polio and native Norwegians with polio. A questionnaire covering demographics, polio history, life satisfaction, medical, psychological and social conditions was answered by 1,408 persons with polio, among them 34 immigrants from non-Western countries and 32 immigrants from Western countries. The non-Western immigrant polio group had a mean age of 46 years, were highly educated, reported high frequency of mental health problems and only one-third was working. Mean age for contracting polio was 2.8 years. Only 30% was hospitalized in the acute phase and 80% reported severe leg weakness. Use of a powered wheelchair was reported by 72%. Post-polio symptoms had started at a mean age of 31 years. The non-Western immigrant group reported more fatigue, pain and loneliness, and a high proportion reported insufficient assistance from the public health system. The group of non-Western immigrants with polio in Norway reported more health and social problems than the group of Western immigrants with polio or the native Norwegian group with polio, even though they were younger and more highly educated. Their complex psychological and social situation requires active intervention from the health system, and health professionals need extra skills to deal most effectively with their situation.

While the effects of immigrants on aggregate trade flows have been extensively examined, the role of immigrants in shaping trade in value added (TiVA) remains underexplored. Employing a panel dataset covering 38 Organization for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD) member host countries and 64 immigrant home countries spanning 2000–2018 and estimating a random intercept and random slope mixed-effects model, we find that immigrants play a significant role in enhancing the value added from their home countries that is embedded in their host countries’ exports to the world. We document these effects at the aggregate level and across sectors (i.e., manufacturing, agriculture, and services). There is, however, considerable variation in the influence of immigrants on TiVA across country pairs. Our findings highlight that immigrants significantly enhance trade sophistication by promoting specialization and upward movement in the value chain, yielding economic benefits for their home and host countries.