Risk of Somatic Diagnoses in Specialist Health Care Among Norwegian-Born Youth and Young Adults with Immigrant Parents

Knowledge about the somatic health of young adults born to immigrant parents is lacking. This study aims to assess the risk of receiving somatic diagnoses among Norwegian-born young adults with immigrant parents compared to their counterparts with two Norwegian-born parents. Data from Medical Birth Registry of Norway and Statistics Norway were linked to data from Norwegian Patient Registry on 37 diagnostic categories of somatic conditions given in specialist health care between 2008 and 2022. Norwegian-born individuals aged 16-30 years between 2008 and 2022 were included (N = 1 522 597). Hazard ratios (HR) of diagnoses by immigrant background were assessed by Cox regressions adjusted for sex, birth year, and parental education. Individuals with two immigrant parents had lower risk of receiving any somatic diagnosis [HR (95% confidence interval) 0.91 (0.90, 0.93)], as well as any infectious, medical or neurological diagnosis, than counterparts with two Norwegian-born parents. Those with an immigrant mother only had lower risk of any somatic diagnosis [HR 95% CI 0.94 (0.92, 0.95)] and of any medical or neurological diagnosis. These differences were not seen after adjustment for parental duration of residence and education. Those with an immigrant father only had higher risk of any somatic diagnosis [HR 95% CI 1.03 (1.02, 1.04)], as well as any infectious or neurological diagnosis. Norwegian-born young adults with two immigrant parents or an immigrant mother had lower risk than those with two Norwegian-born parents of receiving somatic diagnoses in specialist health care before adjustment for parental duration of residence and education, while those with an immigrant father only, had higher risk.