Natalia Skogberg

• Finnish Institute for Health and Welfare

Background: Individuals from disadvantaged groups in society are at heightened risk of experiencing low self-esteem. However, limited research has explored self-esteem at the intersection of sex, socioeconomic status (SES), and immigrant origin. Method: This study examines self-esteem among 91,560 adolescents aged 14 to 17 years in Finland, drawing...

Aims There is limited information on changes in body mass index (BMI) due to the COVID-19 pandemic among persons of migrant origin. The aim of the present study was to examine factors associated with changes in BMI among the general- and migrant-origin populations in Finland. Methods Longitudinal data to explore individual-level changes in self-re...

Issue There is increasing awareness on the importance of integration of cultural and ethnic diversity perspectives to reduce prevailing health inequities effectively and sustainably. There is, however, limited experience and practical tools for systematic integration of these perspectives in public health. Description of the problem The EU Joint A...

Background Inequities in service utilization between immigrant families and native populations have emerged within the Nordic welfare countries, highlighting the need for culturally sensitive parenting support. Despite the proven efficacy of parenting interventions, their implementation phases have not been adequately addressed in extant implementa...

Background It has been found that foreign-born people report more discrimination than the general population. This study examines experiences of discrimination in Finnish healthcare, with a focus on individuals with a foreign background. Methods Two nationally representative cross-sectional data sets were used: MoniSuomi (n = 7838; response rate 4...

Issue/Problem Health inequities persist across European countries, impacting the distribution, prevention, and management of non-communicable diseases. With increasing population diversity and improved understanding of the intersectional nature of drivers of health inequities, narrowing inequities calls for systematic integration of diversity persp...

A sense of belonging is crucial for mental health and well-being, but immigrants may find achieving a sense of belonging elusive. This study examined the relationship between sense of belonging and mental health among Finnish native, and first- and second-generation immigrant adolescents (N = 61 540) in Finland. Moreover, we estimated whether sense...

Background A voluntary and free initial health assessment is offered to all asylum seekers upon arrival in Finland. The central aim of this initial health assessment is early identification of service needs. There is, however, limited information on how effective the initial assessment is in fulfilling its aims. This study explores the viewpoints o...

Gambling is a public health problem that can cause many kinds of harm. The aim of this study was to examine youth gambling by origin, and the risk and protective factors associated with it. The data was drawn from the School Health Promotion Study (n = 238,939) conducted in Finland, representative of the 14 to 16-year-old Finnish schoolchildren. Cr...

Aims To study sex differences in the psychosocial and economic impact of the restrictive measures during the COVID-19 pandemic in 2020 among the migrant origin and the general population in Finland. Methods Cross-sectional MigCOVID Survey data (10/2020–2/2021; n=3668) were used. FinHealth 2017 Follow-up Study participants constituted the general p...

Cardiovascular diseases (CVD) and diabetes pose significant health challenges in Europe, affecting millions and burdening healthcare systems. The recent EU4Health Programme places reducing the burden of non-communicable diseases (NCD) at the forefront, through a Joint Action focused on CVD and diabetes (JACARDI, Joint Action on CARdiovascular disea...

Background Inequality in access to information based on origin have been demonstrated already prior to Covid-19 epidemic and the epidemic widened those differences. Effective multilingual crisis communication can improve equal access to information. However, studies examining experiences of multilingual crisis communication are scarce. This study a...

Background Pandemics disproportionately affect vulnerable groups. There are documented socioeconomic, gendered, and racialized differences in the burden of disease during COVID-19 and previous pandemics due to factors such as lack of access to social safety nets, poor quality of housing, and precarious working conditions. Therefore, equity should b...

Aims: 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. Methods: Population-based cross-sectional studies with com...

Objective: We examined incidence of SARS-CoV-2 infection, COVID-19 vaccine uptake and factors associated with complete COVID-19 vaccine uptake among persons of migrant origin in Finland. Methods: Data on laboratory-confirmed SARS-CoV-2 infection and COVID-19 vaccine doses between March 2020 and November 2021 were linked to FinMonik register sample...

In this paper, we ask how the Finnish Roma community handled the challenging times of the COVID-19 pandemic, and how the information reached Roma communities. The previous studies indicate existing health inequalities between Finnish Roma and the general population. The point of departure for the article is crisis communication between Finnish Roma...

Objectives This study examines how access to COVID-19 information and adherence to preventive measures varies by sociodemographic characteristics, and whether the associations differ among the migrant origin and the general Finnish population. Additionally, the association of perceived access to information with adherence to preventive measures is...

Background Reliable information on the use of health services is important for health care planning, monitoring and policy. It is critical to assess the validity of the sources used for this purpose, including register and survey-based data. Studies on foreign-born populations’ health care use have usually implemented either survey or register data...

Background: We examined incidence of SARS-CoV-2 infection, COVID-19 vaccine uptake and factors associated with complete COVID-19 vaccine uptake among persons of migrant origin in Finland. Methods: Data on laboratory-confirmed SARS-CoV-2 infection and COVID-19 vaccine doses between March 2020 and November 2021 were linked to FinMonik register sampl...

This study examined psychiatric symptoms and the association with parents’ psychiatric symptoms among recently arrived accompanied asylum-seeking children in the age groups of 2–6 years (n = 93) and 7–12 years (n = 91). Children and parents were assessed using mental health and trauma measures (SDQ, HSCL-25 and PROTECT). The prevalence of total dif...

Objective Positive association of depressive and anxiety symptoms with the metabolic syndrome (MetS) have been reported, however there is little information on these among migrant origin populations. The aim of this study was to examine these associations among diverse migrant origin populations in Finland. Methods Data of 318 Russian, 212 Somali,...

BACKGROUND Social listening, the process of monitoring and analyzing conversations to inform communication activities, is an essential component of infodemic management. It feeds into context-specific communication strategies that are culturally acceptable and appropriate for different sub-populations. Social listening is based on the notion that t...

Background Social listening, the process of monitoring and analyzing conversations to inform communication activities, is an essential component of infodemic management. It helps inform context-specific communication strategies that are culturally acceptable and appropriate for various subpopulations. Social listening is based on the notion that ta...

Introduction Hypertensive disorders of pregnancy are a leading cause of maternal and perinatal mortality and morbidity worldwide. We studied the prevalence of hypertensive disorders of pregnancy among women of migrant origin in Finland. Material and Methods This study used data from the nationwide Medical Birth Register. Information on the most re...

Problem Migrant origin children are overrepresented in child protective services and among cases of suspected maltreatment against children. Language barriers, poor understanding of the child welfare system and differences in perceptions of child rearing and disciplinary practices create additional burden during the assessment process. Authorities...

Background Compared with the general population, migrant origin persons had more difficulties in access to services already prior to the COVID-19 pandemic. This study examines the impact of the pandemic on the need and access to healthcare and social services among persons of migrant origin. Methods Data from the population-based Impact of the Cor...

Background Access to information and adherence to preventive measures are crucial for containing the COVID-19 outbreak. This study examines access to information and adherence to preventive measures during the COVID-19 pandemic among migrant origin persons and the general population. Methods Data from the Finnish MigCOVID Survey conducted 10/2020...

Systemaattisesti kerättyä tietoa siitä, miten epidemian torjunta- ja rajoitustoimet vaikuttavat toimintarajoitteisten ihmisten elämään on saatavilla niukasti. Tässä tutkimuksessa kuvaamme näitä vaikutuksia toimintarajoitteisiin ihmisiin koko väestössä, ulkomaalaistaustaisessa väestössä sekä henkilökohtaista apua saavien vammaisten ihmisten ryhmässä...

Asylum seekers frequently experience potentially traumatic events (PTEs), but the type and frequency vary depending on the country of origin. The cumulative effect of multiple PTEs and other stressors expose asylum seekers to a significant risk of mental ill health. The aim of the study was to examine the prevalence of PTEs, depression and anxiety...

This report presents findings from the Impact of the Coronavirus on the Wellbeing of the Foreign Born Population (MigCOVID) Survey on the impact of the Covid-19 epidemic on daily life, health, functioning, psychological wellbeing, and quality of life among persons who have migrated to Finland. The survey was conducted by the Finnish Institute for H...

Background Migrant women may have a higher risk for gestational diabetes mellitus (GDM) and the related adverse outcomes. We studied the prevalence of GDM among migrant-origin women in Finland. Methods This study used data from the nationwide Medical Birth Register. Information on the most recent singleton births of women delivering between 2004 a...

This report presents the first findings of the Impact of the Coronavirus on the Wellbeing of the Foreign Born Population (MigCOVID) Survey on self-perceived sufficiency of information on the coronavirus and sources of information, adherence to preventive measures and working conditions among persons who have migrated to Finland. When comparative in...

In Western countries, entry into the labour market is difficult for humanitarian migrants, especially women. The aim of our study was to examine the association of health, native Finnish friends and having under school-age children with employment among humanitarian migrants. The data were drawn from the Finnish Migrant Health and Wellbeing Study....

Pre- and post-migration related factors are likely to influence integration outcomes of migrants. This study aimed to investigate which pre-migration factors (basic education and potentially traumatic experiences) and post-migration wellbeing factors (quality of life and loneliness) are associated with integration outcomes (employment status, langu...

“It is the task of scholars working on the topic of female genital cutting not only to provide perspectives to reduce ethnocentrism, but also to offer ideas for generating acceptable changes for immigrants and their new countries, informed by reasonable approaches that do not rely on inflamed rhetoric or distorted science. The work of scholars, suc...

Issue Initial health assessment is crucial for identification of healthcare needs and screening of acute health problems among new asylum seekers. As in other countries, practices across reception centres in Finland varied and health data was inconsistently recorded, making systematic monitoring through the electronic health record system (EHR) cha...

Background There is scarcity of representative data on the health and service needs of asylum seekers in Europe due to numerous practical and methodological challenges in planning and implementation of studies among this population group. Yet such data is acutely needed for development of health system response to meet the needs of asylum seekers....

Mounting evidence suggests that migration background increases the risk of mental ill health, but that problems exist in accessing healthcare services in people of migrant origin. The present study uses a combination of register- and survey-based data to examine mental health-related health service use in three migrant origin populations as well as...

Issue Hard-to-reach populations refer to groups that may be difficult to involve in research. Minorities and persons with migration background (PMB) are often underrepresented in population-based surveys. This may lead to serious bias. Description of the problem: Several surveys on the health and wellbeing of hard-to-reach populations have been con...

Background There is scarcity of representative population-based data on the health and wellbeing of asylum seekers in Europe. The Asylum Seekers Health and Wellbeing Survey (TERTTU) was launched to provide the evidence-base for developing services for asylum seekers as well as for planning and allocation of healthcare resources at a national level....

Background Asylum seekers have major health and well-being burdens, including mental health. However, there is a lack of population-based survey data on the health status and service needs of asylum seekers in Europe. The TERTTU-project was launched to fill these information gaps and to develop the current health examination protocol for assessing...

Background There is scarcity of representative population-based data on the health and wellbeing of asylum seekers in Europe, especially children and adolescents. The Asylum Seekers Health and Wellbeing Survey (TERTTU) was launched to inform evidence-based policy-making and development of services. Methods A sample of all first-time asylum applica...

Background Injuries in refugees and asylum seekers result of accidents, violence or most extremely torture. Research in Finland has shown that many refugees experienced major traumatic events in their former home country, incl. permanent injuries. Our study provides new evidence on asylum seekers, a scarcely studied group. Methods Data was collect...

The Finnish Migrant Health and Wellbeing Study (Maamu) is the first large-scale population-based health examination survey among the foreign-born population in Finland, unique also at the European level. It provides information on wellbeing of three major foreign-born groups: Russian, Somali, and Kurdish. In data collection, extra effort was put in...

Previous studies have shown the prevalence of overweight and obesity to be higher in foreign-born populations than their native counterparts. This study aimed at assessing the prevalence of overweight and obesity in Russian, Somali and Kurdish origin populations in Finland in comparison with the general population, and determining which background...

Background Persons of African and Middle-Eastern origin living in European countries have a high prevalence of type 2 diabetes, accompanied by high prevalence of obesity among women but not always among men. The aim of this study was to examine whether there are differences in the association between anthropometric measures and glucose levels measu...

Introduction Health, well-being and health service needs of asylum seekers have emerged as urgent topics following the arrival of 2.5 million asylum seekers to the European Union (EU) between 2015 and 2016. However, representative information on the health, well-being and service needs of asylum seekers is scarce. The Asylum Seekers Health and Well...

Available at: http://urn.fi/URN:ISBN:978-952-343-187-4

Objectives To compare the performance of body mass index (BMI), waist-to-height ratio (WHtR), waist circumference (WC) and waist-to-hip ratio (WHR) in detecting type 2 diabetes among Russian, Somali and Kurdish (born in Iraq/Iran) origin migrants and Finns. Design and participants Cross-sectional study comparing health examination survey data of R...

Aims: The objective of this study was to elucidate the utilisation of Russian health care by immigrants of Russian origin living in Finland (cross-border health care). The study examined the association of cross-border health care with social integration and discrimination. Moreover, it studied whether cross-border health care was used as an alter...

Background: Migrant background and higher parity may increase the risk of being overweight. We compared the prevalence of overweight (body mass index ≥25 kg/m2) and abdominal obesity (waist-to-height ratio ≥0.5) between non-pregnant migrant and Finnish women aged 18-45 years. Methods: The participants were 165 Russian, 164 Somali and 179 Kurdish...

Background: Metabolic syndrome (MetS) is associated with a substantially increased risk for cardiovascular disease and diabetes. We examined the contribution of length of residence, socioeconomic position and lifestyle-related factors to the differences in the prevalence of MetS among migrants compared with Finns. Methods: Cross-sectional data f...

Background: On-going mass conflicts and the resulting flow of displaced persons have increased interest in potentially traumatic experiences (PTEs) of migrants. However, studies on the topic using population-based samples are still scarce. Aims: The present study aims 1) to assess the prevalence of specific PTEs in Finland's migrant population and...

Background: There is limited information on cardiovascular risk among migrants. We compared cardiovascular risk factors among three major migrant groups in Finland with the general population. Methods: Cross-sectional data from 30- to 64-year-old health examination participants (n= 921) of the Migrant Health and Wellbeing Study (2010-12) were us...