Bo Burström

About me
Publications
CV
Public outreach and news

About me

Medical doctor, specialist in social medicine. Joint employment as professor at Karolinska institutet and senior consultant at the Centre for epidemiology and community health, Region Stockholm.

Leader of the research group Equity and Health Policy, and the unit for equity in health at Region Stockholm.

Research

My main focus is on equity in health, health care and in the social and economic consequences of disease, and on health in disadvantaged groups. These issues are studied locally, nationally and in international comparative studies including analyses of the impact of policies.

Some research projects

Equity aspects of the choice reform in primary care in Region Stockholm (Forte)
EURO-HEALTHY on policies to reduce inequalities in health in Europe (EU/Horizon 2020)
Social inequalities in aging on inequalities in health care utilization among elderly persons in the Nordic countries (NordForsk)
THRIVE on inequalities in extending working lives (EU Joint Programme Initiative/Forte)
Effects of expanded home visiting to first-time parents in Rinkeby (Public Health Agency of Sweden). Assignments from Region Stockholm on equity aspects of changes in reimbursement systems in primary care.

Teaching

I participate in the teaching in social medicine of medical students in the first and last semester of the medical programme. I lecture in different courses within the Master of Public Health programme, supervise and examine master theses. I am responsible for a PhD course on Social Determinants of Health.

Articles

Article: BMC GERIATRICS. 2025;25(1):838
Trajectories of health and social care expenditure in the last year of life among people 70 years and older in Region Stockholm: a population-based cohort study
Doheny M; Burstrom B; Agerholm J
Article: BMC HEALTH SERVICES RESEARCH. 2025;25(1):884
Studying an educational intervention and its impact on health-related quality of life and fasting blood glucose levels among patients with type 2 diabetes mellitus in rural China
Chen S; Burstrom K; Burstrom B; Qian D
Article: SCANDINAVIAN JOURNAL OF PUBLIC HEALTH. 2025;53(5):456-464
The aftermath of COVID-19: Mortality impact of the pandemic on older persons in Sweden and other Nordic countries, 2020-2023
Burstrom B; Hemstrom O; Doheny M; Agerholm J; Liljas A
Article: BMC PUBLIC HEALTH. 2025;25(1):1643
Risk factors for infection in older adults with home care: a mixed methods systematic review with meta-analysis
Liljas A; Barboza M; Basanisi C; Muzzi G; Nigussie AH; Agerholm J; Burstrom B; Gubi E
Article: INTERNATIONAL JOURNAL OF EPIDEMIOLOGY. 2025;54(3):dyaf075
Sustained excess all-cause mortality post COVID-19 in 21 countries: an ecological investigation
Pallari CT; Achilleos S; Quattrocchi A; Rahmanian Haghighi MR; Phan MT; Artemiou A; Bennett CM; Cuthbertson J; Zimmermann C; Schernhammer E; Vernemmen C; Nganda Mekogo S; Lobato JCP; Macedo L; Athanasiadou M; Mortensen LH; Critchley JA; Goldsmith LP; Denissov G; Le Meur N; Kandelaki L; Chikhladze N; Athanasakis K; Binyaminy B; Maor T; Caruso E; Ambrosio G; Martial C; Chan Sun M; Hagen TP; Barron M; Chong M; Lyszczarz B; Erzen I; Cernuda Martinez JA; Arcos Gonzalez P; Burstrom B; Tao W; Huang Q; Polemitis A; Charalambous A; Demetriou CA
Article: INTERNATIONAL JOURNAL FOR EQUITY IN HEALTH. 2025;24(1):98
More or less equal? Trends in horizontal equity in mental health care utilization in Stockholm county, Sweden (2006-2022). Repeated survey-registry linked studies
Muwonge Junior J; Jablonska B; Dalman C; Burstrom B; Galanti MR; Hollander A-C
Article: EUROPEAN JOURNAL OF PUBLIC HEALTH. 2025;35(1):65-71
The contribution of common mental disorders and alcohol-related morbidity to educational differences in early labour market exit among older workers: a register-based cohort study
Carlsson E; Hemmingsson T; Landberg J; Burstrom B; Thern E
Article: EPIDEMIOLOGY AND PSYCHIATRIC SCIENCES. 2025;34:e6
Exploring socio-economic inequalities in mental healthcare utilization in adults with self-reported psychological distress: a survey-registry linked cohort design
Muwonge JJ; Dalman C; Burstrom B; Jablonska B; Hollander AC
Article: INTERNATIONAL JOURNAL OF QUALITATIVE STUDIES ON HEALTH AND WELL-BEING. 2024;19(1):2300151
Experience of moral distress among doctors at emergency departments in Stockholm during the Covid-19 pandemic: a qualitative interview study
Brune C; Agerholm J; Burstroem B; Liljas A
Article: GLOBAL PUBLIC HEALTH. 2024;19(1):2311682
'They didn't look at me with good eyes' - experiences of the socioeconomic impact of tuberculosis and support needs among adults in a semi-rural area in Mozambique: A Qualitative Study
Nhassengo P; Yoshino C; Zandamela A; De Carmo V; Burstroem B; Loennroth K; Wingfield T; Khosa C; Atkins S
Article: SCANDINAVIAN JOURNAL OF CARING SCIENCES. 2024;38(4):876-887
Parents' comprehensive health literacy and child health after attending extended home visiting in Swedish multicultural settings-A case-comparison study
Mekhail KT; Burstrom B; Marttila A; Wangdahl J; Lindberg L
Article: JOURNAL OF EPIDEMIOLOGY AND GLOBAL HEALTH. 2024;14(4):1650-1661
Excess Mortality and its Determinants During the COVID-19 Pandemic in 21 Countries: An Ecological Study from the C-MOR Project, 2020 and 2021
Rahmanian Haghighi MR; Pallari CT; Achilleos S; Quattrocchi A; Gabel J; Artemiou A; Athanasiadou M; Papatheodorou S; Liu T; Martinez JAC; Denissov G; Lyszczarz B; Huang Q; Athanasakis K; Bennett CM; Zimmermann C; Tao W; Nganda Mekogo S; Hagen TP; Le Meur N; Pinto Lobato JC; Ambrosio G; Erzen I; Binyaminy B; Critchley JA; Goldsmith LP; Verstiuk O; Ogbu JT; Mortensen LH; Kandelaki L; Czech M; Cutherbertson J; Schernhammer E; Vernemmen C; Leal Costa AJ; Maor T; Alekkou D; Burstroem B; Polemitis A; Charalambous A; Demetriou CA
Article: BMC HEALTH SERVICES RESEARCH. 2024;24(1):972
Evaluating the impact of the 2010 Swedish choice reform in primary health care on avoidable hospitalization and socioeconomic inequities: an interrupted time series analysis using register data
Gustafsson PE; Fonseca-Rodriguez O; San Sebastian M; Burstrom B; Mosquera PA
Article: EUROPEAN CHILD & ADOLESCENT PSYCHIATRY. 2024;33(8):2581-2591
Are the estimated needs for mental health care among adolescents from different socioeconomic backgrounds met equally in Sweden? A longitudinal survey-registry linkage study
Muwonge JJ; Dalman C; Burstrom B; de Leon AP; Galanti MR; Jablonska B; Hollander A-C
Article: NURSING OPEN. 2024;11(5):e2169
The impact of facility and staff characteristics on infection control of COVID-19: Perceptions of elder care home managers in Stockholm, Sweden
Liljas AEM; Morath LP; Burstrom B; Schon P; Agerholm J
Article: BMJ GLOBAL HEALTH. 2024;9(4):e013018
Magnitude and determinants of excess total, age-specific and sex-specific all-cause mortality in 24 countries worldwide during 2020 and 2021: results on the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic from the C-MOR project.
Pallari CT; Achilleos S; Quattrocchi A; Gabel J; Critselis E; Athanasiadou M; Rahmanian Haghighi MR; Papatheodorou S; Liu T; Artemiou A; Rodriguez-Llanes JM; Bennett CM; Zimmermann C; Schernhammer E; Bustos Sierra N; Ekelson R; Lobato J; Macedo L; Mortensen LH; Critchley J; Goldsmith L; Denissov G; Le Meur N; Kandelaki L; Athanasakis K; Binyaminy B; Maor T; Stracci F; Ambrosio G; Davletov K; Glushkova N; Martial C; Chan Sun M; Hagen TP; Chong M; Barron M; Łyszczarz B; Erzen I; Arcos Gonzalez P; Burström B; Pidmurniak N; Verstiuk O; Huang Q; Polemitis A; Charalambous A; Demetriou CA
Article: SCANDINAVIAN JOURNAL OF PUBLIC HEALTH. 2024;52(2):119-122
The organisation and responsibility for care for older people in Denmark, Finland and Sweden: outline and comparison of care systems
Agerholm J; Pulkki J; Jensen NK; Keskimaki I; Andersen I; Burstrom B; Jamsen E; Tynkkynen L-K; Schon P; Liljas AEM
Article: BMC PUBLIC HEALTH. 2024;24(1):462
Differences in Covid-19 mortality among persons 70 years and older in an integrated care setting in region Stockholm: a multi-level analysis between March 2020-February 2021
Doheny M; de Leon AP; Burstrom B; Liljas A; Agerholm J
Article: SCANDINAVIAN JOURNAL OF PUBLIC HEALTH. 2024;52(1):5-9
Opportunities for transitional care and care continuity following hospital discharge of older people in three Nordic cities: A comparative study
Liljas AEM; Pulkki J; Jensen NK; Jamsen E; Burstrom B; Andersen I; Keskimaki I; Agerholm J
Article: ARCHIVES OF PUBLIC HEALTH. 2024;82(1):12
How gender and low mental health literacy are related to unmet need for mental healthcare: a cross-sectional population-based study in Sweden
Blom S; Lindh F; Lundin A; Burstroem B; Hensing G; Loeve J
Show more

All other publications

Review: MEDICINE. 2022;101(45):e31772
Risk factors for infection in older adults who receive home healthcare and/or home help A protocol for systematic review and meta-analysis
Liljas AEM; Agerholm J; Schon P; Burstrom B
Editorial: INTERNATIONAL JOURNAL OF OLDER PEOPLE NURSING. 2022;17(6):e12483
Care home managers' views on the media coverage of COVID-19 outbreaks in care homes for older adults: A case study in Stockholm
Morath LP; Burstrom B; Liljas AEM
Editorial: INTERNATIONAL JOURNAL OF HEALTH POLICY AND MANAGEMENT. 2022;11(5):714-716
Aiming for Health Equity: The role of Public Health Policy and Primary Healthcare Comment on "Universal Health Coverage for Non-Communicable Diseases and Health Equity: Lessons From Australian Primary Healthcare"
Burstrom B
Corrigendum: BMC HEALTH SERVICES RESEARCH. 2022;22(1):384
The impact of organisational characteristics of staff and facility on infectious disease outbreaks in care homes: a systematic review (vol 22, 339, 2022)
Liljas AEM; Morath LP; Burstrom B; Schon P; Agerholm J
Review: BMC HEALTH SERVICES RESEARCH. 2022;22(1):339
The impact of organisational characteristics of staff and facility on infectious disease outbreaks in care homes: a systematic review
Aem L; Morath LP; Burstrom B; Schon P; Agerholm J
Review: PLOS ONE. 2020;15(12):e0242976
What is the effect of changing eligibility criteria for disability benefits on employment? A systematic review and meta-analysis of evidence from OECD countries
McHale P; Pennington A; Mustard C; Mahood Q; Andersen I; Jensen NK; Burstrom B; Thielen K; Harber-Aschan L; McAllister A; Whitehead M; Barr B
Editorial: EUROPEAN JOURNAL OF PUBLIC HEALTH. 2020;30(4):617-618
Social determinants of health and inequalities in COVID-19
Burstrom B; Tao W
Review: SCANDINAVIAN JOURNAL OF WORK ENVIRONMENT & HEALTH. 2020;46(3):235-247
What is precarious employment? A systematic review of definitions and operationalizations from quantitative and qualitative studies
Kreshpaj B; Orellana C; Burstrom B; Davis L; Hemmingsson T; Johansson G; Kjellberg K; Jonsson J; Wegman DH; Bodin T
Review: INTERNATIONAL JOURNAL OF INTEGRATED CARE. 2019;19(3):6
Impact of Integrated Care on Patient-Related Outcomes Among Older People - A Systematic Review
Liljas AEM; Brattstrom F; Burstrom B; Schon P; Agerholm J
Review: BMC PUBLIC HEALTH. 2019;19(1):290
Social inequities in vaccination coverage among infants and pre-school children in Europe and Australia - a systematic review
Arat A; Burstrom B; Ostberg V; Hjern A
Review: INTERNATIONAL JOURNAL FOR EQUITY IN HEALTH. 2018;17(1):180
How do macro-level structural determinants affect inequalities in mental health? - a systematic review of the literature
McAllister A; Fritzell S; Almroth M; Harber-Aschan L; Larsson S; Burstrom B
Review: BMC HEALTH SERVICES RESEARCH. 2016;16(1):542
The impact of reimbursement systems on equity in access and quality of primary care: A systematic literature review
Tao W; Agerholm J; Burstroem B
Editorial: EUROPEAN JOURNAL OF PUBLIC HEALTH. 2015;25(3):366-367
The attack on universal health coverage in Europe: different effects in different parts of Europe
Burstrom B
Review: BMC PUBLIC HEALTH. 2014;14:198
Social and health policies or interventions to tackle health inequalities in European cities: a scoping review
Pons-Vigues M; Diez E; Morrison J; Salas-Nicas S; Hoffmann R; Burstrom B; van Dijk JP; Borrell C
Editorial: INTERNATIONAL JOURNAL OF EPIDEMIOLOGY. 2012;41(6):1727-1728
Commentary: Self-rated health and mortality in low income settings
Burstrom B
Review: EUROPEAN JOURNAL OF PUBLIC HEALTH. 2012;22(3):434-439
Effectiveness of return-to-work interventions for disabled people: a systematic review of government initiatives focused on changing the behaviour of employers
Clayton S; Barr B; Nylen L; Burstrom B; Thielen K; Diderichsen F; Dahl E; Whitehead M
Review: DISABILITY AND REHABILITATION. 2011;33(6):453-466
How equitable is vocational rehabilitation in Sweden? A review of evidence on the implementation of a national policy framework
Burstrom B; Nylen L; Clayton S; Whitehead M
Review: JOURNAL OF EPIDEMIOLOGY AND COMMUNITY HEALTH. 2010;64(12):1106-1114
To what extent have relaxed eligibility requirements and increased generosity of disability benefits acted as disincentives for employment? A systematic review of evidence from countries with well-developed welfare systems
Barr B; Clayton S; Whitehead M; Thielen K; Burstrom B; Nylen L; Dahl E
Editorial: EUROPEAN JOURNAL OF PUBLIC HEALTH. 2010;20(4):369-370
Disability and employment: the importance of the diagnosis
Burstrom B
Editorial: BMJ-BRITISH MEDICAL JOURNAL. 2009;339:b4566
Looking to Europe Will Swedish healthcare reforms affect equity?
Burstrom B
Show more

Employments

Professor, Senior, Department of Global Public Health, Karolinska Institutet, 2026-2026
Professor, Department of Global Public Health, Karolinska Institutet, 2025-2026
Professor/Senior Physician, Department of Global Public Health, Karolinska Institutet, 2006-2025

Degrees and Education

Docent, Karolinska Institutet, 2001

About me

Research

Teaching

Articles

All other publications

Employments

Degrees and Education

News from KI

Events from KI