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Differences in postpartum mental healthcare among women with identified needs: The role of migration status.

The aim of this study was to examine the association between women's migrant status (majority, immigrant, descendant) and use of postpartum mental healthcare and investigate whether migration characteristics are associated with mental healthcare use. Retrospective cohort study. We included all mothers of children born between 2002 and 2018 in 34 municipalities of Denmark who had an identified mental health need as clinically assessed by a child health visitor (CHV) or by a score of 11 or more on the Edinburgh Postpartum Depression Scale (EPDS). Women were followed until the first mental healthcare received 2 years' postpartum, death or emigration. Using Cox regression models, we estimated the time to mental healthcare by migrant status and explored the role of migration characteristics. A total of 29% of women (n = 45,573) had a mental health need identified by the CHV, and 7% (n = 4968) had an EPDS ⩾ 11. Immigrants accounted for 19.5%, and descendants for 4.7% of the sample. Immigrants were at lower risk of using mental healthcare than the majority group (CHV: hazard ratio adjusted (HRa) 0.75 (0.70-0.79), EPDS: HRa 0.67 (0.58-0.78)), as were descendants (CHV: HRa 0.77 (0.70-0.86), EPDS: HRa 0.69 (0.55-0.88)). Among migrants, those not refugees, newly arrived, whose partners were immigrants or descendants, and those originally from Africa showed a lower risk of using postpartum mental healthcare. Our findings emphasize the need to strengthen access to mental healthcare for immigrants and descendants experiencing postpartum mental health concerns and consider migration characteristics as indicators of potential inequalities in access to maternal mental healthcare.

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Physical activity levels before and after the COVID-19 restrictions among Danish adolescents: a retrospective cohort study.

It has been suggested that the COVID-19 restrictions may have negatively impacted physical activity (PA) levels, especially among adolescents, who often use organised sports to support their intrinsic motivation for staying active. This study aimed to investigate whether adolescents were less physically active after the COVID-19 restrictions compared with before and examine whether participation in organised sports has changed since the COVID-19 restrictions. This was a retrospective cohort study of Danish adolescents aged 15 to 19 years. Data was collected using a questionnaire in SurveyXact. The primary variable of interest was moderate or high-intensity PA frequency before and after COVID-19 restrictions (from March 11, 2020, to September 10, 2021). Secondary variables of interest included whether the PA was self-organised (e.g. running, hiking, going to a gym or cycling) or part of an organised sport delivered by a club or other association, before versus after the restrictions. A total of 324 participants responded to the questionnaire. The relative risk of not performing PA at least twice per week after COVID-19 restrictions compared with before was significantly larger (1.44; 95%CI: 1.19 to 1.85, p = 0.005). Before the lockdowns, 190 (59%) were engaged in organised sports compared with 152 (47%) after the restrictions (relative risk: 1.51, 95%CI: 1.19 to 1.92, p < 0.001). Compared with activity levels before the pandemic, adolescents became significantly less physically active following the COVID-19 restrictions, beyond what is typically observed during adolescence. These results emphasise a need for strategies to increase PA levels among adolescents to minimise the long-term negative effects of physical inactivity during adolescence.

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Narcotic offences and drug use disorders among young refugees in Norway

Aims: We examined the patterns of healthcare utilisation for drug use disorders (DUDs) and charges related to narcotics among young refugees in Norway considering the role of sex, country of origin and condition of arrival (accompanied versus unaccompanied minors). Methods: Based on national registers, sex-stratified Cox regression models were used to estimate hazard ratios to assess the risk of being charged with a narcotics offence and the use of healthcare services related to DUDs. The sample consisted of 15,068 young refugees and 573,241 young Norwegians born in Norway to two Norwegian-born parents. All of the young people in the sample were born between 1983 and 1994. The follow-up period was from January 2008 to December 2015. Results: Compared with their Norwegian peers, both male and female refugees showed either a similar or lower risk of receiving healthcare for DUDs. However, male refugees showed an increased risk of being charged with a narcotic offence, except those from Afghanistan and the former Yugoslavia. Accompanied male refugees were at a higher risk of being charged, while unaccompanied male refugees showed a lower risk. Conclusions: Young male refugees generally had a higher risk of being charged for narcotic offences while showing a similar risk of receiving healthcare for DUDs compared to Norwegian-born young people. However, young men from Afghanistan and the former Yugoslavia deviated from this pattern. This may be partially explained by the length of time spent in Norway. The results add support to previous qualitative studies suggesting that punitive drug policies may disproportionately affect men from minority groups. Further research controlling for parental household-level factors is warranted.

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Trends in social inequality and how mental wellbeing vary and covary among Norwegian adolescents and their families: the Young-HUNT Study.

The study had two aims: first, to investigate trends in socioeconomic inequalities in psychological distress and loneliness among Norwegian adolescents, and second, to study variation and covariation of psychological distress and loneliness within adolescents and between siblings within families. Multivariate mixed models were used to investigate trends in socioeconomic inequality in psychological distress and loneliness using three separate cohorts of Norwegian adolescents from the Young-HUNT study conducted in 1995-1997 (Young-HUNT1, n = 8980), 2006-2008 (Young-HUNT3, n = 8199) and 2017-2019 (Young-HUNT4, n = 8066). Register data on parental education level was used as a marker of socioeconomic position (SEP), and a unique family number was used to identify adolescents belonging to the same family. A three-level multivariate mixed model was created, consisting of the outcomes at level 1, adolescents at level 2 and families at level 3. No statistically significant difference in scores on loneliness and psychological distress was observed between low and high parental education level in Young-HUNT1, whereas in Young-HUNT4, low parental education level was associated with a higher score on both psychological distress (β = 0.09; 95% confidence interval (CI), 0.03-0.14) and loneliness (β = 0.12; 95% CI 0.07-0.17). Analyses of covariation between psychological distress and loneliness showed that they were correlated within adolescents and strongly correlated within families across all timepoints. Increasing socioeconomic inequalities in psychological distress and loneliness among Norwegian adolescents is worrisome. Further, the family seems to be an important arena for potential prevention of psychological distress and loneliness among adolescents, regardless of parental education level.

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Changes in smoking due to COVID-19 pandemic among persons of migrant origin compared with the general population: a population-based study.

Prior studies have implied that smokers may have changed their smoking behaviour during the COVID-19 pandemic. However, little is known about changes in smoking behaviour and correlates of change due to the pandemic among persons of migrant origin compared with the general population. Population-based cross-sectional studies with comparable study protocols and measures, one focusing on persons of migrant origin living in Finland (n = 3587, response rate 60%) and the other on the general Finnish population (n = 3444, response rate 56%), were utilised. The outcome measure was self-reported change in smoking behaviour due to COVID-19 among current smokers. Explanatory factors included sociodemographic-, health-, and COVID-19-related factors. Multinomial logistic regression was used in the analyses. Most of the current smokers reported no change in their smoking behaviour. In the adjusted model, younger age was positively associated with increased smoking, while region of origin (Russia, Africa, Asia, and Latin America) and worrying about getting infected with COVID-19 were associated with decreased smoking among persons of migrant origin. In the general population, younger age, female sex, being other than employed/student, increased loneliness, and decreased contact with close ones were associated with increased smoking, while reduced working capacity and worries that someone close to the respondent will be infected with COVID-19 were associated with decreased smoking. The findings of this study contribute to better identification of at-risk populations in future crises situations. This will allow for more efficient targeting and tailoring of health promotion services, including smoking cessation.

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Implementation of an integrated community approach in deprived neighbourhoods: a theory-based process evaluation using the Consolidated Framework for Implementation Research (CFIR).

We investigated the implementation process of an Integrated Community Approach (ICA) applied in four low socio-economic status neighbourhoods in Maastricht, the Netherlands. The ICA is a Population Health Management initiative and aims to improve population health, quality of care, professional's satisfaction and decrease costs of care. This study addresses the facilitators and barriers for implementing the ICA from a stakeholder perspective, including steering group members, professionals and citizens. We conducted a mixed-methods study using a triangulation of methods to investigate the implementation from 1 December 2016 to 31 December 2020. The Consolidated Framework for Implementation Research guided data collection and data-analysis for evaluating the implementation process. In total, 77 interviews, 97 observations, seven focus groups, 65 collected documents and two surveys with open-ended questions were conducted. Facilitators for implementation were the use of citizen science to bring residents' needs into sharp focus, the integration of the ideology of Positive Health into the working routines of the professionals and leadership at the steering group level to overcome barriers in the ICA. The existing accounting and financial infrastructure obstructed combining budgets at neighbourhood level. Engaging citizens and professionals at an early stage is an important facilitator for implementation. The use of a shared vision on health also worked as a facilitator since it created a shared language among professionals, which is important in Population Health Management initiatives where multiple professionals are expected to collaborate. NTR 6543; registration date, 25 July 2017.

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

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. 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. 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. 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.

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