Self reported skin morbidity and ethnicity: a population-based study in a Western community

The design was cross sectional. 40 888 adults in Oslo, Norway, received a postal questionnaire providing information on socio-demographic factors and self-reported health, including items on skin complaints.18770 individuals answered the questionnaire. In the sample 84% were from Norway. The largest immigrant group was from Western countries (5%) and the Indian Subcontinent (3%). Itch was the most prevalent reported skin symptom (7%), and was significantly more reported by men from East Asia (18%) and Middle East/North Africa (13%). The same observations were seen for reported dry and sore skin. Hair loss was a dominating complaint for men from the Indian Subcontinent and the Middle East/North Africa (23% and 25%) and for women from the same ethnic groups. Women from Sub-Saharan Africa reported significantly more pimples than in the other groups (17%).The study showed that there were significant differences in self-reported skin complaints among ethnic groups. Issues concerning the cultural value of some skin symptoms should be examined further.Human migration is an increasing phenomenon, people move to cities in the West, both from rural areas but also from other parts of the globe contributing to a multiethnic context[1]. In Norway migration from developing countries is recent.The term "Ethnicity" has been revisited and a debate exists in the medical literature [2-4]. Research in this field has been challenging because of a lack of uniformly-accepted standards in defining race and ethnicity[5]. In dermatology the classification of populations according to their external characteristics such as skin color has been the custom[6] but this classification has not taken into consideration aspects as history of migration, birthplace, language and religion[3,7,8]. Although there is little evidence for ethnic differences regarding the structure and function of the skin[9], the spectrum of skin diseases among ethnic groups seen in dermatology clinics seems to be different[1