Publications (39) View all
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Article: Mål for sosial ulikhet. Teoretiske og empiriske vurderinger
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ABSTRACT: -Norsk Epidemiologi. 01/2009; -
Article: A comparative study of educational inequality in the risk of stillbirth in Denmark, Finland, Norway and Sweden 1981-2000.
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ABSTRACT: The stillbirth rates in Denmark, Finland, Norway and Sweden are among the lowest in the world, but socioeconomic disparities in stillbirth still exist. This study examined the educational patterns in the risk of stillbirth in Denmark, Finland, Norway and Sweden from 1981 to 2000. From the national birth registries, all singleton live births and stillbirths with a gestational age of at least 28 weeks were selected in Denmark (n=1 182 888), Finland (n=419 729), Norway (n=1 006 767) and Sweden (n=1 974 101). The births were linked with individual data on parental socioeconomic factors from various national registers. Linear and logistic regression were used to calculate RR and risk differences for stillbirth according to maternal educational attainment. The risk of stillbirth was lowest in Finland and highest in Denmark. The risk decreased over time in Denmark, Norway and Finland, but remained stable in Sweden. Educational gradients were found in all countries in all time periods under study. In Denmark, the gradient remained stable over time. In Norway the gradient decreased slightly during the 1990s, whereas the gradient increased in Sweden. The gradient in Finland was relatively stable. There were persisting educational inequalities in stillbirth in Denmark, Finland, Norway and Sweden in the 1980s and 1990s. Inequalities were stable or decreasing except in Sweden, where an increase in inequality was observed. This increase was not solely attributable to a decreasing absolute risk of stillbirth as both the relative and absolute measures of inequality increased.Journal of epidemiology and community health 10/2010; 66(3):240-6. · 3.04 Impact Factor -
Article: Sex differences in child and adolescent mortality by parental education in the Nordic countries.
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ABSTRACT: Socioeconomic position inequalities in infant mortality are well known, but there is less information on how child mortality is socially patterned by sex and age. To assess maternal and paternal socioeconomic inequalities in mortality by sex, whether these differences vary by age and country, and how much of the sex differences can be explained by external causes of death. Data on all live-born children were received from national birth registries for 1981-2000 (Denmark: n=1,184,926; Norway: n=1,090,127; and Sweden n=1,961,911) and for 1987-2000 (Finland: n=841,470). Data on the highest level of education in 2000 were obtained from national education registers, and data on mortality and causes of death were received from the national cause-of-death registers until the end of follow-up (20 years or 2003). Boys had a higher child and adolescent mortality than girls. The children of mothers and fathers who had had the shortest education time had the highest mortality for both sexes and for all ages and countries. The differences between the groups with longer than basic education were smaller, particularly among older children and girls. The gradient in mortality was mostly similar for boys and girls. Among 1-19-year-olds, 32% of boys' deaths and 27% of girls' deaths were due to external causes. Boys' excess mortality was only partly explained by educational inequalities or by deaths from external causes. A more detailed analysis is needed to study whether the share of avoidable deaths is higher among children whose parents have had a shorter education time.Journal of epidemiology and community health 10/2010; 66(1):57-63. · 3.04 Impact Factor -
Article: Cross-country variation in stillbirth and neonatal mortality in offspring of Turkish migrants in northern Europe.
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ABSTRACT: Diverse early-life mortality outcomes have been documented in immigrant populations in northern Europe. A recent meta-analysis has suggested that national integration policy is a key factor in understanding this heterogeneous pattern. In this study, we investigated the variation of stillbirth and neonatal mortality between societies in northern Europe in one minority population, the Turkish. Data on stillbirth and neonatal deaths in 239 387 births during 1990-2005, where the mother was of Turkish origin, was drawn from birth registries or surveys in nine northern European countries. Rates were compared with births from mothers who were born in the society of residence. Logistic regression was used to calculate odds ratios adjusted for year of birth of the offspring. The risks for stillbirth were, or tended to be, elevated for Turkish mothers in all countries compared with the native population, with the highest risk in Austria (odds ratio (OR) 1.7; 95% confidence interval (CI) 1.4-2.1) and Switzerland (OR 1.6; 1.4-1.9). For neonatal mortality the results were heterogeneous, indicating no excess risk for Turkish-born children in the Netherlands, the UK and Norway, and elevated risks in Denmark (OR 1.3; 1.0-1.6), Switzerland (OR 1.3; 1.1-1.5), Austria (OR 1.4; 1.0-1.8) and Germany (OR 1.3; CI 1.2-1.5). This study suggests that preventable society-specific determinants are important for early-life mortality in Turkish migrants in Europe. An active integration policy is consistent with a favourable neonatal mortality outcome in continental Europe, but not with patterns in Scandinavia and the UK.The European Journal of Public Health 02/2010; 20(5):530-5. · 2.73 Impact Factor -
Article: Social inequality in fetal growth: a comparative study of Denmark, Finland, Norway and Sweden in the period 1981-2000.
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ABSTRACT: To examine the socioeconomic patterns and time trends in fetal growth in Denmark, Finland, Norway, and Sweden from 1981 to 2000. Design and settings: Data on all live-born singleton births was drawn from national population registries in each of the four countries (Denmark n = 1,077,584; Finland n = 400,442; Norway n = 929,458; Sweden n = 1,761,562). Slope index of inequality (SII) and mean differences in birthweight for gestational age, SII and risk differences in small-for-gestational-age (SGA) and large-for-gestational-age (LGA) infants. In all countries, gradients in fetal growth by parental education existed. Low parental education was associated with lower birthweight, increased risk of SGA and decreased risk of LGA. Mother's education exerted the strongest influence on outcomes, whereas father's education had a weaker effect. The educational gradients as measured by the SII were generally steepest in Denmark, followed by Norway, Sweden, and Finland. From 1981 to 2000, the educational gradients in birthweight decreased in all countries, except Denmark where it increased. All countries experienced small decreases in the educational gradient in SGA over time. The economic recession in Denmark in the 1980s was concurrent with an increase in disparities in fetal growth, whereas the economic recession in Finland and Sweden in the early 1990s did not substantially increase the socioeconomic inequality in fetal growth. The economic growth in the later part of the 1990s may have diminished the socioeconomic inequality in fetal growth in Finland, Norway, and Sweden.Journal of epidemiology and community health 05/2008; 62(4):325-31. · 3.04 Impact Factor
