Background: The world is facing increased migration as well as increased diabetes prevalence including earlier disease debut than ever before. Sedentary lifestyle and obesity constitute risk factors for development of diabetes type 2, the most common diabetes type among adults. It is thus important to increase the awareness of diabetes prevalence and of those being at risk for the disease. The aim was to focus on self-reported diabetes and weight in recently arrived migrants (RAM) in comparison with the rest of the population of Scania.

Methods: A cross-sectional study was used to collect data through random sampling using a self-administrated questionnaire. 10 000 questionnaires in Arabic were sent to adult RAM in Scania born in Syria or Iraq and 10 000 questionnaires to a random sample of the Scania population as a control group. The overall response rate was 32.8 %, 3461 were male and 3105 were female and the overall mean age was 44.7 (range 22 -70).

Results: 170 RAM and 147 controls reported diabetes, 741 RAM and 585 controls reported a body mass index (BMI) ≥ 30 kg/m2. A significantly higher prevalence of self-reported diabetes was observed among RAM (6.2% compared to 4.9%, p-value = 0.02). In comparison with age, significantly (p-value < 0.05) higher prevalence was present in RAM as compared to the control group in all age categories except the age category 65-80 where the difference was borderline significant (p-value = 0.056). With regard to BMI no significant difference was observed between the RAM and the control group having diabetes, but independently of diabetes the prevalence of BMI 25-30 kg/m2 and BMI ≥ 30 kg/m2 was significantly higher in RAM (p-value < 0.01).

Conclusions: Self-reported diabetes is more prevalent in RAM as compared to a control group representing the rest of the population in Scania. Considerably large amount of the respondents in both groups are overweight or obese and are therefore to be considered at risk for developing diabetes type 2.

Key messages 

Self-reported diabetes in Scania is more prevalent in RAM from Iraq and Syria than in the rest of the population in Scania.Health care services need to address that a large number of the population in Scania is being overweight or obese, which is even more prominent in RAM from Iraq and Syria.