This new report from the Danish Health Authority finds that citizens with a Middle Eastern or North African background - many of whom arrived as refugees from Syria, Iraq and Lebanon - have the poorest health in Denmark.

In particular the report finds that the mental health of those within this group is often very low, with many reporting loneliness, depression and stress. Those who are refugees in particular may have endured traumatic events in the past that have had longer term psychological and physical effects. At the same time they experience ongoing uncertainty about the future, a lack of social and professional networks, and concerns about family and friends abroad.

The report is based on questionnaires filled out by 183 000 people living in Denmark. Besides one group of ethnic Danes surveyed, the respondents were either born abroad or registered as being of foreign background, with many having already obtained Danish citizenship. Respondents' countries of origin were divided into 6 regions for the purpose of comparison within the report: Western countries including the EU, other European countries, Middle Eastern and North African countries, other African countries, South- or Middle-American countries, and Asian countries.

The results can be briefly summarised as follows:

• Physical health is worst among people from the Middle East/North Africa, and better among people from Middle- and South-America than for native Danes.
• Psychological health and stress is worst among those from Middle East/North Africa and other European countries, and best among native Danes.
• Signs of social isolation are strongest among people from the Middle East, North Africa and other African countries. They occur less among native Danes and people from other European countries.
• Signs of loneliness are stronger among people from South- or Middle-American countries, followed by those from the Middle East and North Africa. They occur the least frequently among native Danes.

Further, more detailed findings include:

• Some of the health differences can be explained by differences in 'risk behaviour'. People from Middle Eastern and North African countries were found to smoke much more frequently than those from other groups, for example, including e-cigarettes. Alcohol consumption, though, was found to be much higher among people from Denmark and other Western countries, and lowest among those from Middle East/North Africa.
• Native Danes have the least healthy eating patterns among all the groups.
• Concerning physical exercise, native Danes are the most active; people from Middle Eastern and North African countries the least.
• Serious obesity was found to be most common among those from Middle Eastern and North African countries, followed by native Danes, and least common among people from Asian countries.
• Native Danes were found to visit the doctor more often than the other groups, and at the same time were more often diagnosed with long-term sicknesses.