Comorbidity and health-related quality of life in Somali women living in Sweden

Figures & data

Table 1. Characteristics of the Somali women, n = 114, living in Sweden, and native Swedish women, n = 69 as comparison group: other diseases, medication, laboratory data and Health-Related Quality of Life measured using Short Form-36 and EQ-5D. Means ± SD and percentages (%) are given.

	Somali women N = 114	Comparison group N = 69	p-level	p-level adjusted for age
Age, years	34 ± 9 (18–56)	49 ± 6 (38–56)	<.001	–
Body weight, kg	74 ± 14	70 ± 12	.03	.002
Height, cm	164 ± 7	166 ± 7	.08	.03
Body mass index, kg/m^2	27 ± 5	26 ± 4	.006	<.0001
S-Calcium, mmol/l	2.32 ± 0.09	2.30 ± 0.09	.30	.74
S-Calcium <2.15 mmol/l, n (%)	0 (0)	1 (2)	.38	1
S-25(OH)D, nmol/l	23 ± 13	57 ± 19	<.0001	<.0001
S-25(OH)D < 25 nmol/l	83 (73)	1 (2)	<.0001	<.0001
S-PTH, pmol/l	5.9 ± 2.3	4.8± 1.6	.001	<.0001
S-PTH > 6.9 pmol/l, n (%)	30 (26)	6 (9)	.004	.004
S-DBP, ng/ml	204 ± 86	248 ± 88	.001	.005
S-vitamin B12 deficiency, n (%)	0 (0)	2 (3)	.14	.17
Hypothyroidism, n (%)	9 (8)	8 (12)	.44	1
Elevated TPOAb, n (%)	10 (9)	7 (10)	.80	.69
S-free T4, pmol/l	14.3 ± 2.5	16.0 ± 2.0	<.001	<.001
S-TSH, mU/l	1.9 ± 1.5	2.1 ± 1.2	.07	.99
Hypertension, n (%)	4 (4)	7 (10)	.11	.28
Diabetes mellitus, n (%)	2 (2)	0 (0)	.53	1
Fractures, n (%)	2 (2)	19 (28)	<.0001	<.0001
Any medication, n (%)	18 (16)	38 (55)	<.0001	<.0001
Calcium/vitamin D supplement, n (%)	0	0	1	1
Allergy medication, n (%)	13 (11)	5 (7)	.45	.006
Analgesics, n (%)	14 (12)	8 (11)	1	1
Psychopharmacological agents, n (%)	0	18 (26)	<.0001	.0001
Physical component score, low-high*	47 ± 9	49 ± 10	<.001	<.001
Mental component score, low-high*	47± 12	52 ± 11	.02	.17
Self-rated health, (0–100), low-high*	76 ± 22	81 ± 17	.0014	.01

PTH: Parathyroid hormone; DBP: Vitamin D-Binding Protein; TPOAb: Thyreoperoxidase antibodies; T4: Thyroxine. *n = 82/114 Somali women fulfilled the questionnaires.

Figure 1. Health-Related Quality of Life measured using Short Form-36 in Somali women living in Sweden >2 years and women from the World Health Organization, MONItoring of trends and determinants for CArdiovascular disease (WHO MONICA) study, Gothenburg, Sweden as a comparison group. PF: Physical Function; RP: Role Physical; BP: Bodily Pain; GH: General Health; VT: Vitality; SF: Social Function; RE: Role Emotional; MH: Mental Health; PCS: Physical Component Summary score including PF, RP, BP and GH; MCS: Mental Component Summary score including VT, SF, RE and MH. Means ± SD are given. *p < .05; **p < .01; ***p < .001 for age-adjusted data.