title: A case-control study of self-reported health, quality-of-life and general functioning among recent immigrants and age- and sex-matched Swedish-born controls.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  To examine whether new immigrants had inferior quality-of-life, well-being and general functioning compared with Swedish age- and sex-matched controls.
  
  
  METHODS
  A prospective case-control study was designed including immigrants from non-European countries, 18-65 years of age, with recent Permanent Permits to Stay (PPS) in Sweden, and age- and sex-matched Swedish-born (SB) persons from the general population in Västmanland County, Sweden. The General Health Questionnaire (GHQ-12), the brief version of the World Health Organization Quality-of-Life (WHOQOL-BREF) Scale and the General Activity Functioning Assessment Scale (GAF) from DSM-IV were posted (SB), or applied in personal interviews (PPS) with interpreters. Differences between the PPS and SB groups were measured using McNemar's test and Wilcoxon signed-rank test conducted separately for observations at baseline, 6- and 12-month follow-up.
  
  
  RESULTS
  There were 93 pairs (mean age 36 years). Persons from Somalia (67%) and Iraq (27%) dominated the PPS group. The differences between the groups were statistically significant for all time points for the Psychological health and Social relationship domains of WHOQOL-BREF, and for the baseline and 6-month follow-up time points of GHQ-12 where the PPS-group had a higher degree of well-being, health and quality-of-life than the SB. This tendency applied for both sexes in the immigrant group.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  These new immigrants did not have inferior physical or psychological health, quality-of-life, well-being or social functioning compared with their age- and sex-matched Swedish born pairs during a 1-year follow-up. Thus, there is reason to advocate immigrants' fast integration into society.
authors.affiliation: Centre for Clinical Research Västmanland - Uppsala University, Sweden Center for Family Medicine, Department of Neurobiology, Caring Sciences and Society, Karolinska Institutet, Sweden Department of Public Health and Caring Sciences. Family and Preventive Medicine, Uppsala University, Sweden monica.lofvander@ltv.se.
authors.forename: Monica
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Löfvander
authors.affiliation: Centre for Clinical Research Västmanland - Uppsala University, Sweden.
authors.forename: Andreas
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Rosenblad
authors.affiliation: Centre for Clinical Research Västmanland - Uppsala University, Sweden.
authors.forename: Tony
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: Wiklund
authors.affiliation: Centre for Asylum and Integration Health, Sweden.
authors.forename: Halina
authors.initials: H
authors.lastname: Bennström
authors.affiliation: Centre for Clinical Research Västmanland - Uppsala University, Sweden.
authors.forename: Jerzy
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Leppert
mesh_terms: D000203:Activities of Daily Living; D000293:Adolescent; D000328:Adult; D000368:Aged; D016022:Case-Control Studies; D059026:Diagnostic Self Evaluation; D054242:Emigrants and Immigrants / Q000523:psychology* / Q000706:statistics & numerical data; D004641:Emigration and Immigration / Q000706:statistics & numerical data*; D005260:Female; D005500:Follow-Up Studies; D006801:Humans; D007493:Iraq / Q000208:ethnology; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D011446:Prospective Studies; D011788:Quality of Life; D057566:Self Report; D012998:Somalia / Q000208:ethnology; D013548:Sweden; D013997:Time Factors; D055815:Young Adult
keywords: Immigrant; Quality-of-Life; Sweden; asylum; case–control study; ethnicity; immigrant status; level of functioning; self-rated health