Hög diabetesrisk bland icke-västerländska invandrare: Riktad och strukturerad prevention behövs

Political instability the last decades has forced millions of people to migrate from their homelands. In Sweden today, 1.6 million are born abroad, of which the largest immigrant groups originate from the Middle East. Immigrants from these areas represent high risk populations for type 2 diabetes with prevalence of type 2 diabetes twice as high compared to the native Swedish population. The mechanisms behind this increased diabetes risk are not fully unraveled but are likely connected to lifestyle, socioeconomic situation, genetics and epigenetics. A large proportion still free from diabetes are likely to develop diabetes within the coming decade. To prevent this epidemic, increased awareness of risk factors, lifestyle habits, potential barriers and of success factors for lifestyle change in immigrant populations is important. Examples of such preventive actions are culturally adapted lifestyle interventions addressing cultural barriers and behavioral change, which are described in this article.