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. 2023 Jul 19:11:1142672.
doi: 10.3389/fpubh.2023.1142672. eCollection 2023.

Chronic conditions and multimorbidity among West African migrants in greater Barcelona, Spain

Marina J MacKinnon #  1 , Camila A Picchio #  1 , Daniel K Nomah  2 , Ariadna Rando Segura  3 , Lena van Selm  1 , Emma Fernández  1 , Maria Buti  4   5 , Sabela Lens  4   6 , Xavier Forns  4   6 , Sergio Rodriguez-Tajes  4   6 , Javier Pamplona  7 , Carmen Lopez  8 , Francisco Rodriguez-Frías  3 , Jeffrey V Lazarus  1   9
Affiliations

Chronic conditions and multimorbidity among West African migrants in greater Barcelona, Spain

Marina J MacKinnon et al. Front Public Health. .

Abstract

Objectives: This study aimed to report the prevalence and identify potential risk factors of chronic conditions among West African migrants living in the greater Barcelona area, Spain, and explore the relationship between years of residence in Spain and chronic disease burden.

Methods: This cross-sectional study included 436 adult African migrants who participated in a community-based hepatitis B virus (HBV) screening and vaccination program (HBV-COMSAVA) in the greater Barcelona area from 21 November 2020 to 22 January 2022. Data were analyzed using standard descriptive statistics and bivariable and multivariable logistic regression.

Results: HBV, non-communicable diseases (NCDs) and metabolic risk factors, and multimorbidity prevalence were 9.17, 20.87, and 4.13%, respectively. Being male or having been previously tested for HBV were associated with higher odds of HBV positivity. Associated risk factors for NCDs and metabolic risk factors included living in Spain for >5 years, being female, and being aged ≥50 years.

Conclusion: The high prevalence of chronic conditions in migrant populations supports a need for early detection strategies and tailored public health interventions that aim to reduce the disease burden imposed on migrants and on health systems in host countries.

Keywords: hepatitis B virus; metabolic risk factors; migrants; multimorbidity; non-communicable chronic disease (NCD).

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Conflict of interest statement

The authors declare that the research was conducted in the absence of any commercial or financial relationships that could be construed as a potential conflict of interest.

Figures

Figure 1
Figure 1
Overall prevalence of chronic conditions (A) and specific non-communicable diseases/metabolic risk factors (B) with 95% confidence intervals. NCD, non-communicable disease; HBV, hepatitis B virus; HTN, hypertension; HC, high cholesterol; CLD, chronic liver disease. Other chronic conditions included HIV, HCV, and unspecified STI. For obesity variable, n = 262. (HBV-COMSAVA study, Spain, 2020–2022).
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