Health Inequalities among Workers with a Foreign Background in Sweden: Do Working Conditions Matter?

Andrea C. Dunlavy and Mikael Rostila
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Andrea C. Dunlavy: Centre for Health Equity Studies (CHESS), Stockholm University/Karolinska Institute, SE-106 91 Stockholm, Sweden
Mikael Rostila: Centre for Health Equity Studies (CHESS), Stockholm University/Karolinska Institute, SE-106 91 Stockholm, Sweden

IJERPH, 2013, vol. 10, issue 7, 1-17

Abstract: Employment and working conditions are key social determinants of health, yet current information is lacking regarding relationships between foreign background status, working conditions and health among workers in Sweden. This study utilized cross-sectional data from the 2010 Swedish Level of Living Survey (LNU) and the Level of Living Survey for Foreign Born Persons and their Children (LNU-UFB) to assess whether or not health inequalities exist between native Swedish and foreign background workers and if exposure to adverse psychosocial and physical working conditions contributes to the risk for poor health among foreign background workers. A sub-sample of 4,021 employed individuals aged 18–65 was analyzed using logistic regression. Eastern European, Latin American and Other Non-Western workers had an increased risk of both poor self-rated health and mental distress compared to native Swedish workers. Exposure to adverse working conditions only minimally influenced the risk of poor health. Further research should examine workers who are less integrated or who have less secure labor market attachments and also investigate how additional working conditions may influence associations between health and foreign background status.

Keywords: health inequalities; working conditions; foreign background populations; social determinants of health; Sweden (search for similar items in EconPapers)
JEL-codes: I I1 I3 Q Q5 (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Date: 2013
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Citations: View citations in EconPapers (4)

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