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Objective: Increasing global migration has led to profound demographic changes in most industrialised countries. A growing body of research has investigated various health aspects among immigrant groups and found that some immigrant groups have poorer health than the majority population. It has been suggested that poor acculturation in the host country could lie behind the increased risk of worsened health among certain immigrant groups. The aim was to investigate the cross-sectional association between acculturation, measured as age at migration or length of residence, and self-rated health among young immigrants., Design: The simple, random samples of 7137 women and 7415 men aged 16-34 years were based on pooled, independent data collected during the period 1992-1999 obtained from the Swedish Annual Level of Living Survey (SALLS). Logistic regression was applied in the estimation of odds ratios (OR) for poor self-rated health, after accounting for age, sex, socioeconomic status (SES) and social networks. The non-response rate varied between 23.6 and 28.3% in the different immigrant groups., Results: The odds of poor self-rated health increased with increasing age at migration to Sweden among first-generation immigrants. For those who had resided in Sweden less than 15 years the odds of poor self-rated health were significantly increased. In addition, most of the immigrant groups had higher odds of poor self-rated health than the reference group., Conclusions: Health care workers and policy makers need to be aware that immigrants who arrive in the host country at higher ages and/or have lived in the host country for a shorter period of time might need special attention as they are more likely to suffer from poor self-rated health, a valid health status indicator that can be used in population health monitoring.

The detrimental effects of substance abuse on the individual and on society are well known. Health care resources must target where they are most needed. This study investigated (1) whether the increased risk of being hospitalized for alcohol abuse and drug abuse among certain immigrant groups is present in the next generation and (2) whether having one parent born in the host country (i.e., Sweden) has a protective effect on the risk of being hospitalized for alcohol abuse and drug abuse among second-generation immigrants. In total, 2,243,546 persons aged 20-39 years were followed from 1 January 1992 until 31 December 1999 for first hospital admission due to alcohol abuse or drug abuse. A Cox regression model was used to estimate hazard ratios for each diagnosis group. When the Swedish majority population was used as reference, the highest risks of alcohol abuse and drug abuse were found among first- and second-generation Finns, after adjustment for income. Among second-generation Finns with one parent born in Sweden, the increased risk of being hospitalized for alcohol abuse and drug abuse was lower than among second-generation Finns with both parents born in Finland. Health care resources need to target certain groups of first- and second-generation immigrants.