Prevalence and risk factors for self-reported asthma among sámi in Sweden: a cross-sectional study.
Level 4 - case-series / case-control
Cross-sectional survey (by design analogy)
PubMed 36651812 · doi:10.1080/02770903.2023.2169933
What was done
The SámiHET population-based health survey was conducted in 2021 among Sámi adults aged 18–84 years living in Sweden. The study measured self-reported asthma and assessed associations with sociodemographic, socioeconomic, cultural, behavioral, and psychosomatic risk factors, reporting prevalence ratios (PR) with 95% confidence intervals (95% CI).
What was found
Overall, 20.6% of participants reported having asthma, and 13.9% reported suffering from asthma with symptoms. Statistically significant higher risks for self-reported asthma were observed among women (PR: 1.19; 95% CI: 1.01–1.42), residents of the Västerbotten region (PR: 1.35; 95% CI: 1.11–1.63), and those experiencing financial strain (PR: 1.34; 95% CI: 1.07–1.69). For asthma with symptoms, significant associations were found with self-reported allergy (PR: 6.45; 95% CI: 5.11–8.17), overweight (PR: 1.46; 95% CI: 1.19–1.78), and obesity (PR: 1.75; 95% CI: 1.41–2.17).
Why it matters
This study provides rare epidemiological data on respiratory health in the Indigenous Sámi population in Sweden, identifying a higher self-reported asthma burden than in the general population.
Limits
The total sample size and response rates are not reported in the abstract. Both asthma status and risk factors were self-reported without objective clinical or spirometric confirmation. The cross-sectional design cannot establish causality or temporal order.
Cited by
- contradicts Conditions including autism, atopy, allergies, asthma, eczema, and autoimmune diseases are largely absent in indigenous cultures worldwide.