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Stenlund, S., Sillanmäki, L., Koivumaa-Honkanen, H., Rautava, P., Lagström, H. & Suominen, S. (2024). A healthy lifestyle can support future sexual satisfaction: results from a 9-year longitudinal survey. Journal of Sexual Medicine, 21(4), 304-310, Article ID qdae009.
Open this publication in new window or tab >>A healthy lifestyle can support future sexual satisfaction: results from a 9-year longitudinal survey
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2024 (English)In: Journal of Sexual Medicine, ISSN 1743-6095, E-ISSN 1743-6109, Vol. 21, no 4, p. 304-310, article id qdae009Article in journal (Refereed) Published
Abstract [en]

Background: Previous follow-up studies have demonstrated the association between good health behavior and good sexual functioning for men, but the longitudinal relationship between multiple health behaviors and satisfaction with sex life remains understudied.

Aim: The aim of the study was to explore whether good health behavior associates with improved satisfaction with sex life for men and women in a follow-up of 9 years.

Methods: This cohort study utilized survey data from the population-based Health and Social Support study. It includes responses from 10 671 working-aged Finns. Using linear regression models, we examined a composite sum score representing 4 health behaviors (range, 0-4) in 2003 as a predictor of satisfaction with sex life in 2012. The analyses adjusted for various covariates in 2003, including satisfaction with sex life, living status, age, gender, education, number of diseases, and importance of sex life in 2012.

Outcomes: The outcome in the study was satisfaction with sex life in the year 2012.

Results: Participants who exhibited better health behavior at baseline demonstrated improved satisfaction with sex life when compared with those with poorer health behavior (beta = -0.046, P = .009), even when controlling for the aforementioned covariates. The positive effect of reporting all beneficial health behaviors vs none of them was greater than having none vs 3 chronic conditions. Furthermore, this was almost half the effect of how satisfaction with sex life in 2003 predicted its level in 2012. These findings were supported by an analysis of the congruence of health behavior in the observation period from 2003 to 2012 predicting changes in satisfaction with sex life.

Clinical Implications: The results could serve as a motivator for a healthy lifestyle.

Strengths and Limitations: The current study used a longitudinal large sample and a consistent survey procedure, and it explored the personal experience of satisfaction instead of sexual function. However, the study is limited in representing today's diversity of gender, since the options for gender at the time of survey were only male and female.

Conclusion: These findings indicate that engaging in healthy behaviors contributes to the maintenance and enhancement of satisfaction with sex life over time.

Place, publisher, year, edition, pages
Oxford University Press, 2024
Keywords
health behavior, sexual satisfaction, sexual health, sexual function
National Category
Public Health, Global Health, Social Medicine and Epidemiology
Research subject
Research on Citizen Centered Health, University of Skövde (Reacch US)
Identifiers
urn:nbn:se:his:diva-23686 (URN)10.1093/jsxmed/qdae009 (DOI)001178578500001 ()38441479 (PubMedID)2-s2.0-85189549175 (Scopus ID)
Note

CC BY-NC 4.0 Deed

Published: 05 March 2024

Corresponding author: School of Population and Public Health, University of British Columbia, Vancouver, V6T 1Z3, Canada. Email: sade.stenlund@utu.fi

This work was supported by a personal grant for S. Stenlund from the Signe and Ane Gyllenberg Foundation (grant 5723). The other authors have salary support from their respective universities.

Available from: 2024-04-02 Created: 2024-04-02 Last updated: 2024-07-05Bibliographically approved
Suominen, S., Stark Ekman, D., Saarela, J., Volanen, S.-M., Stenlund, S., Sillanmäki, L. & Sumanen, M. (2024). Better perceived health among the Swedish-speaking minority as compared with the Finnish-speaking majority in Finland: a cross-sectional study with an intergenerational perspective. Scandinavian Journal of Public Health
Open this publication in new window or tab >>Better perceived health among the Swedish-speaking minority as compared with the Finnish-speaking majority in Finland: a cross-sectional study with an intergenerational perspective
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2024 (English)In: Scandinavian Journal of Public Health, ISSN 1403-4948, E-ISSN 1651-1905Article in journal (Refereed) Epub ahead of print
Abstract [en]

Background: Previous research has shown that the Swedish speaking minority in Finland has slightly but significantly better health compared with the Finnish speaking majority. However, a clear explanation for this is lacking. Aim: The aim of the study was to explore differences of perceived health comparing three groups: Swedish speakers with reported dominance of Swedish also in the preceding generation; contemporary Finnish speakers with reported dominance of Finnish in the preceding generation and a group with a reported mixed-language structure of Finnish and Swedish between generations. Individuals and methods: Health and Social Support is an on-going population-based survey initiated in 1998 (N = 64,797), aimed at working-age adults. The present study is based on the 2012 follow-up survey, which included a question on the dominating language (Swedish or Finnish) of the respondents and their parents. The outcome was perceived health, which in this study was dichotomized to very good/good and intermediate/poor/very poor. The statistical analysis was carried with logistic regression, using SAS software. Age, gender and occupational training were included as covariates in the multivariable analysis. Results: This study found that the Swedish-speaking group in Finland report better perceived health compared with the Finnish-speaking group (odds ratio 1.28, 95% confidence interval 1.04–1.57, p < 0.001). The health of the mixed language-speaking group fell between the other two groups. Conclusions: The results gave some support to a culturally mediated mechanism for the health advantage of Swedish speakers. Cultural features of Swedishspeaking groups in Finland may also support health promotion of the Finnish-speaking majority.

Place, publisher, year, edition, pages
Sage Publications, 2024
Keywords
Cultural minority, ethnic minority, perceived health, Swedish speaking Finns, comparative study, cross-sectional study, intergenerational
National Category
Public Health, Global Health, Social Medicine and Epidemiology
Research subject
Research on Citizen Centered Health, University of Skövde (Reacch US)
Identifiers
urn:nbn:se:his:diva-24422 (URN)10.1177/14034948241258674 (DOI)001283945200001 ()39086226 (PubMedID)2-s2.0-85200163656 (Scopus ID)
Note

CC-BY 4.0

Correspondence: S Suominen, University of Skövde, School of Health Sciences

Email: sakari.suominen@his.se

Erratum: Aktuell affiliering för Stark Ekman är egentligen Högskolan i Skövde/University of Skövde.

The authors disclosed receipt of the following financial support for the research, authorship, and/or publication of this article: This work was supported by the Swedish Cultural Foundation in Finland (grant numbers 104896 and 149948).

Available from: 2024-08-09 Created: 2024-08-09 Last updated: 2024-10-09Bibliographically approved
El Ansari, W., Sebena, R., El-Ansari, K. & Suominen, S. (2024). Clusters of lifestyle behavioral risk factors and their associations with depressive symptoms and stress: evidence from students at a university in Finland. BMC Public Health, 24(1), Article ID 1103.
Open this publication in new window or tab >>Clusters of lifestyle behavioral risk factors and their associations with depressive symptoms and stress: evidence from students at a university in Finland
2024 (English)In: BMC Public Health, E-ISSN 1471-2458, Vol. 24, no 1, article id 1103Article in journal (Refereed) Published
Abstract [en]

Background: No previous research of university students in Finland assessed lifestyle behavioral risk factors (BRFs), grouped students into clusters, appraised the relationships of the clusters with their mental well-being, whilst controlling for confounders. The current study undertook this task. Methods: Students at the University of Turku (n = 1177, aged 22.96 ± 5.2 years) completed an online questionnaire that tapped information on sociodemographic variables (age, sex, income sufficiency, accommodation during the semester), four BRFs [problematic alcohol consumption, smoking, food consumption habits, moderate-to-vigorous physical activity (MVPA)], as well as depressive symptoms and stress. Two-step cluster analysis of the BRFs using log-likelihood distance measure categorized students into well-defined clusters. Two regression models appraised the associations between cluster membership and depressive symptoms and stress, controlling for sex, income sufficiency and accommodation during the semester. Results: Slightly more than half the study participants (56.8%) had always/mostly sufficient income and 33% lived with parents/partner. Cluster analysis of BRFs identified three distinct student clusters, namely Cluster 1 (Healthy Group), Cluster 2 (Smokers), and Cluster 3 (Nonsmokers but Problematic Drinkers). Age, sex and MVPA were not different across the clusters, but Clusters 1 and 3 comprised significantly more respondents with always/mostly sufficient income and lived with their parents/partner during the semester. All members in Clusters 1 and 3 were non-smokers, while all Cluster 2 members comprised occasional/daily smokers. Problematic drinking was significantly different between clusters (Cluster 1 = 0%, Cluster 2 = 54%, Cluster 3 = 100%). Cluster 3 exhibited significantly healthier nutrition habits than both other clusters. Regression analysis showed: (1) males and those with sufficient income were significantly less likely to report depressive symptoms or stress; (2) those living with parents/partner were significantly less likely to experience depressive symptoms; (3) compared to Cluster 1, students in the two other clusters were significantly more likely to report higher depressive symptoms; and (4) only students in Cluster 2 were more likely to report higher stress. Conclusions: BRFs cluster together, however, such clustering is not a clear-cut, all-or-none phenomenon. Students with BRFs consistently exhibited higher levels of depressive symptoms and stress. Educational and motivational interventions should target at-risk individuals including those with insufficient income or living with roommates or alone. 

Place, publisher, year, edition, pages
BioMed Central (BMC), 2024
Keywords
Behavioral risk factors, Cluster analysis, Depressive symptoms, Mental health, Stress, University students
National Category
Public Health, Global Health, Social Medicine and Epidemiology Psychiatry
Research subject
Research on Citizen Centered Health, University of Skövde (Reacch US)
Identifiers
urn:nbn:se:his:diva-23793 (URN)10.1186/s12889-024-18421-0 (DOI)001206324200004 ()38649903 (PubMedID)2-s2.0-85191099470 (Scopus ID)
Funder
University of Skövde
Note

CC BY 4.0 DEED

© The Author(s) 2024.

Correspondence Address: S. Suominen; School of Health Sciences, University of Skövde, Skövde, 541 28, Sweden; email: sakari.suominen@his.se

Rene Sebena was supported by the Slovak Research and Development Agency under the contract No. APVV-19-0284. Open access funding provided by University of Skövde.

Available from: 2024-05-02 Created: 2024-05-02 Last updated: 2024-07-05Bibliographically approved
Heikkilä, K., Pentti, J., Dekhtyar, S., Ervasti, J., Fratiglioni, L., Härkänen, T., . . . Stenholm, S. (2024). Stimulating leisure-time activities and the risk of dementia: A multi-cohort study. Age and Ageing, 53(7), Article ID afae141.
Open this publication in new window or tab >>Stimulating leisure-time activities and the risk of dementia: A multi-cohort study
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2024 (English)In: Age and Ageing, ISSN 0002-0729, E-ISSN 1468-2834, Vol. 53, no 7, article id afae141Article in journal (Refereed) Published
Abstract [en]

Background: Stimulating activities are associated with a decreased risk of dementia. However, the extent to which this reflects a protective effect of activity or non-participation resulting from dementia is debated. We investigated the association of stimulating leisure-time activity in late adulthood with the risk of dementia across up to two decades' follow-up. Methods: We used data from five prospective cohort studies from Finland and Sweden. Mental, social, outdoor, consumptive and physical leisure-time activities were self-reported. Incident dementia was ascertained from clinical diagnoses or healthcare and death registers. Cox regression was used to estimate hazard ratios (HRs) and 95% confidence intervals (CIs). Results: Of the 33 263 dementia-free individuals aged ≥50 years at baseline, 1408 had dementia during a mean follow-up of 7.0 years. Active participation in mental (HR: 0.52, 95% CI: 0.41 to 0.65), social (HR: 0.56 95% CI: 0.46 to 0.72), outdoor (HR: 0.70, 95% CI: 0.58 to 0.85), consumptive (HR: 0.67, 95% CI: 0.53 to 0.94) and physical (HR: 0.62, 95% CI: 0.51 to 0.75) activity, as well as variety (HR: 0.54, 95% CI: 0.43 to 0.68) and the overall frequency of activity (HR: 0.41, 95% CI: 0.34 to 0.49) were associated with a reduced risk of dementia in <10 years' follow-up. In ≥10 years' follow-up all associations attenuated toward the null. Conclusion: Stimulating leisure-time activities are associated with a reduced risk of dementia in short-term but not long-term follow-up. These findings may reflect a reduction in leisure-time activity following preclinical dementia or dilution of the association over time. 

Place, publisher, year, edition, pages
Oxford University Press, 2024
Keywords
activity, cognitive, dementia, meta-analysis, older people, prospective study, Aged, Female, Finland, Humans, Incidence, Leisure Activities, Male, Middle Aged, Prospective Studies, Protective Factors, Risk Assessment, Risk Factors, Sweden, Time Factors, adult, animal hunting, Article, cognition, cohort analysis, depression, exercise, follow up, gardening, human, human experiment, immobility, jogging, leisure, physical activity, reading, self report, sensitivity analysis, social support, stimulating leisure-time activity, walking, clinical trial, diagnosis, epidemiology, multicenter study, prevention and control, protection, psychology, risk factor, time factor
National Category
Gerontology, specialising in Medical and Health Sciences Geriatrics Public Health, Global Health, Social Medicine and Epidemiology
Research subject
Research on Citizen Centered Health, University of Skövde (Reacch US)
Identifiers
urn:nbn:se:his:diva-24403 (URN)10.1093/ageing/afae141 (DOI)001267491700001 ()39003234 (PubMedID)2-s2.0-85198695591 (Scopus ID)
Funder
Swedish Research Council, 2011-6,243Swedish Research Council, 2017-06088Forte, Swedish Research Council for Health, Working Life and Welfare, 2016-07175Wellcome trust, 221854/Z/20/ZNIH (National Institutes of Health), R01AG056477NIH (National Institutes of Health), R01AG062553Academy of Finland, 321409Academy of Finland, 329240
Note

CC BY 4.0 Deed

© 2024 The Author(s)

Correspondence Address: K. Heikkilä; Department of Public Health, University of Turku, Turku, Kiinamyllynkatu 10, 20520, Finland; email: katriina.heikkila@utu.fi; CODEN: AANGA

SNAC-K receives financial support from the Swedish Research Council (Vetenskapsrådet, 2011-6,243; 2017-06088), the Swedish Research Council for Health, Working Life and Welfare (FORTE, 2016-07175), and is supported by the Swedish Ministry of Health and Social Affairs and the participating County Councils and Municipalities. MK was supported by Wellcome Trust (221854/Z/20/Z), UK Medical Research Council (S011676, Y014154), US National Institute on Aging (NIH, R01AG056477, R01AG062553), and Research Council Finland (350426). JV was supported by the Academy of Finland (321409 and 329240). S Stenholm was supported by Research Council Finland (332030), Juho Vainio Foundation and Signe and Ane Gyllenberg Foundation. S Stenlund was supported by Signe and Ane Gyllenberg Foundation. The authors thank the research teams that collected, linked and curated data and especially all the individuals who participated in the longitudinal cohort studies.

Available from: 2024-07-25 Created: 2024-07-25 Last updated: 2024-10-09Bibliographically approved
Lautamatti, E., Mattila, K. J., Suominen, S., Sillanmäki, L. & Sumanen, M. (2023). A named General Practitioner (GP) is associated with an increase of hospital days in a single predictor analysis: a follow-up of 15 years. BMC Health Services Research, 23(1), Article ID 1178.
Open this publication in new window or tab >>A named General Practitioner (GP) is associated with an increase of hospital days in a single predictor analysis: a follow-up of 15 years
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2023 (English)In: BMC Health Services Research, E-ISSN 1472-6963, Vol. 23, no 1, article id 1178Article in journal (Refereed) Published
Abstract [en]

Background: Continuity of care constitutes the basis of primary health care services and is associated with decreased hospitalization. In Finland, accessibility to primary care and increased use of hospital services are recognized challenges for the health care system. Objectives: The aim of the study was to determine whether having a named GP is associated with hospital service use. Methods: The data are part of the Health and Social Support study (HeSSup) based on a random Finnish working-age population sample. The cohort of the study comprised participants of postal surveys in 1998 (n = 25,898) who returned follow-up questionnaires both in 2003 and 2012 (n = 11,924). Background characteristics were inquired in the questionnaires, and hospitalization was derived from national registries (Hilmo-register). Results: A named GP was reported both in 2003 and 2012 only by 34.3% of the participants. The association between hospital days and a named GP was linearly rising and statistically significant in a single predictor model. The strongest associations with hospital use were with health-related factors, and the association with a named GP was no longer significant in multinomial analysis. Conclusion: A named GP is associated with an increased use of hospital days, but in a multinomial analysis the association disappeared. Health related factors showed the strongest association with hospital days. From the perspective of the on-going Finnish health and social services reform, continuity of care should be emphasized. 

Place, publisher, year, edition, pages
BioMed Central (BMC), 2023
Keywords
Continuity of Care, Finnish healthcare, Health care services, Hospital days, Logistic regression analysis, Named GP, Register-based, Delivery of Health Care, Follow-Up Studies, General Practitioners, Hospitals, Humans, Social Work, adult, article, cohort analysis, female, follow up, general practitioner, hospital service, hospitalization, human, human experiment, major clinical study, male, patient care, questionnaire, social support, health care delivery, hospital
National Category
Public Health, Global Health, Social Medicine and Epidemiology Health Care Service and Management, Health Policy and Services and Health Economy
Research subject
Research on Citizen Centered Health, University of Skövde (Reacch US)
Identifiers
urn:nbn:se:his:diva-23349 (URN)10.1186/s12913-023-10184-5 (DOI)001093481700001 ()37898748 (PubMedID)2-s2.0-85175259228 (Scopus ID)
Note

CC BY 4.0 DEED

CC0 1.0 DEED

© The Author(s) 2023. Open Access This article is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License, which permits use, sharing, adaptation, distribution and reproduction in any medium or format, as long as you give appropriate credit to the original author(s) and the source, provide a link to the Creative Commons licence, and indicate if changes were made. The images or other third party material in this article are included in the article’s Creative Commons licence, unless indicated otherwise in a credit line to the material. If material is not included in the article’s Creative Commons licence and your intended use is not permitted by statutory regulation or exceeds the permitted use, you will need to obtain permission directly from the copyright holder. To view a copy of this licence, visit http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/. The Creative Commons Public Domain Dedication waiver (http://creativecommons.org/publicdomain/zero/1.0/) applies to the data made available in this article, unless otherwise stated in a credit line to the data.

Correspondence Address: E. Lautamatti; Faculty of Medicine and Health Technology, Tampere University, Tampere, Finland; email: emmi.lautamatti@tuni.fi

Open access funding provided by Tampere University (including Tampere University Hospital). A personal grant was awarded to the corresponding author by the Foundation of General Practice, General Practitioners in Finland (GPF), Tampere University Hospital, The Finnish Medical Association and The Finnish Medical Foundation (No. 7045).

Available from: 2023-11-09 Created: 2023-11-09 Last updated: 2024-04-15Bibliographically approved
El Ansari, W., Suominen, S., El-Ansari, K. & Šebeňa, R. (2023). Are behavioural risk factors clusters associated with self-reported health complaints?: University students in Finland. Central European Journal of Public Health, 31(4), 248-255
Open this publication in new window or tab >>Are behavioural risk factors clusters associated with self-reported health complaints?: University students in Finland
2023 (English)In: Central European Journal of Public Health, ISSN 1210-7778, E-ISSN 1803-1048, Vol. 31, no 4, p. 248-255Article in journal (Refereed) Published
Abstract [en]

OBJECTIVES: No previous research of university students in Finland assessed lifestyle behavioural risk factors (BRFs) and categorized students into clusters, explored the associations of the clusters with self-reported health complaints (HCs), whilst controlling for potential confounders. The current study undertook this task. METHODS: Students at the University of Turku (1,177) completed an online well-being questionnaire that assessed socio-demographic variables, 5 BRFs - problematic alcohol consumption, smoking, illicit drug use, food consumption habits, moderate-to-vigorous physical activity (MVPA), and 22 HCs. A food frequency questionnaire assessed students' consumption of a range of foods, and a dietary guideline adherence score was computed based on WHO dietary recommendations for Europe. Three separate regression models appraised the associations between the cluster membership and HCs factors, adjusting for sex, income sufficiency and self-rated health. RESULTS: Mean age was 23 ± 5.2 years, 77% had never smoked and 79% never used illicit drug/s. Factor analysis of HCs resulted in four-factors (psychological, circulatory/breathing, gastro-intestinal, pains/aches); cluster analysis of BRFs identified two distinctive student clusters. Cluster 1 represented more healthy students who never smoked/used illicit drugs, had no problematic drinking, and undertook MVPA on 4.42 ± 3.36 days/week. As for cluster 2 students, half the cluster smoked occasionally/daily, used illicit drug/s, and > 50% had problematic drinking and students undertook MVPA on 4.02 ± 3.12 days/week. More cluster 2 students adhered to healthy eating recommendations, but the difference was not significant between clusters. Regression analysis revealed that females, those with sufficient income, and with excellent/very good self-rated general health were significantly less likely to report all four HCs. Cluster 2 students were significantly more likely to report psychological complaints, circulatory/breathing and gastro-intestinal complaints. There was no significant association between BRFs clusters and pains/aches factor. CONCLUSIONS: Risk taking students with less healthy lifestyles and behaviour were consistently associated with poorer psychological and somatic health.

Place, publisher, year, edition, pages
Prague: National Institute of Public Health, 2023
Keywords
behavioural risk factors, cluster analysis, complaints, psychological, somatic, university students, Adolescent, Adult, Female, Finland, Humans, Illicit Drugs, Pain, Risk Factors, Self Report, Students, Surveys and Questionnaires, Universities, Young Adult, illicit drug, epidemiology, human, psychology, questionnaire, risk factor, student, university
National Category
Public Health, Global Health, Social Medicine and Epidemiology Occupational Health and Environmental Health
Research subject
Research on Citizen Centered Health, University of Skövde (Reacch US)
Identifiers
urn:nbn:se:his:diva-23601 (URN)10.21101/cejph.a7916 (DOI)001166654700004 ()38309702 (PubMedID)2-s2.0-85184098354 (Scopus ID)
Note

The authors thank the University and students who participated in the survey. This work was supported by the Slovak Research and Development Agency under the contract No. APVV-19-0284

Available from: 2024-02-15 Created: 2024-02-15 Last updated: 2024-04-15Bibliographically approved
Elovainio, M., Komulainen, K., Sipilä, P. N., Pulkki-Råback, L., Cachón Alonso, L., Pentti, J., . . . Kivimäki, M. (2023). Association of social isolation and loneliness with risk of incident hospital-treated infections: an analysis of data from the UK Biobank and Finnish Health and Social Support studies. The Lancet Public Health, 8(2), e109-e118
Open this publication in new window or tab >>Association of social isolation and loneliness with risk of incident hospital-treated infections: an analysis of data from the UK Biobank and Finnish Health and Social Support studies
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2023 (English)In: The Lancet Public Health, ISSN 2468-2667, Vol. 8, no 2, p. e109-e118Article in journal (Refereed) Published
Abstract [en]

Background: Although loneliness and social isolation have been linked to an increased risk of non-communicable diseases such as cardiovascular disease and dementia, their association with the risk of severe infection is uncertain. We aimed to examine the associations between loneliness and social isolation and the risk of hospital-treated infections using data from two independent cohort studies. Methods: We assessed the association between loneliness and social isolation and incident hospital-treated infections using data for participants from the UK Biobank study aged 38–73 years at baseline and participants from the nationwide population-based Finnish Health and Social Support (HeSSup) study aged 20–54 years at baseline. For inclusion in the study, participants had to be linked to national health registries, have no history of hospital-treated infections at or before baseline, and have complete data on loneliness or social isolation. Participants with missing data on hospital-treated infections, loneliness, and social isolation were excluded from both cohorts. The outcome was defined as a hospital admission with a primary diagnosis of infection, ascertained via linkage to electronic health records. Findings: After exclusion of 8·6 million participants for not responding or not providing appropriate consent, the UK Biobank cohort consisted of 456 905 participants (249 586 women and 207 319 men). 26 860 (6·2%) of 436 001 participants with available data were reported as being lonely and 40 428 (9·0%) of 448 114 participants with available data were socially isolated. During a median 8·9 years (IQR 8·0–9·6) of follow-up, 51 361 participants were admitted to hospital due to an infectious disease. After adjustment for age, sex, demographic and lifestyle factors, and morbidities, loneliness was associated with an increased risk of a hospital-treated infection (hazard ratio [HR] 1·12 [95% CI 1·07–1·16]), whereas social isolation was not (HR 1·01 [95% CI 0·97–1·04]). Of 64 797 individuals in the HeSSup cohort, 18 468 (11 367 women and 7101 men) were eligible for inclusion. 4466 (24·4%) of 18 296 were lonely and 1776 (9·7%) of 18 376 socially isolated. During a median follow-up of 10·0 years (IQR 10·0–10·1), 814 (4·4%) participants were admitted to hospital for an infectious disease. The HRs for the HeSSup study replicated those in the UK Biobank (multivariable-adjusted HR for loneliness 1·32 [95% CI 1·06–1·64]; 1·08 [0·87–1·35] for social isolation). Interpretation: Loneliness might increase susceptibility to severe infections, although the magnitude of this effect appears modest and residual confounding cannot be excluded. Interventional studies are required before policy recommendations can advance. Funding: Academy of Finland, the UK Medical Research Council, and Wellcome Trust UK.

Place, publisher, year, edition, pages
Elsevier, 2023
Keywords
Biological Specimen Banks, Communicable Diseases, Female, Finland, Humans, Loneliness, Male, Social Support, United Kingdom, biobank, communicable disease, epidemiology, human
National Category
Public Health, Global Health, Social Medicine and Epidemiology Infectious Medicine
Research subject
Research on Citizen Centered Health, University of Skövde (Reacch US)
Identifiers
urn:nbn:se:his:diva-22248 (URN)10.1016/S2468-2667(22)00253-5 (DOI)001029344500001 ()36669514 (PubMedID)2-s2.0-85146855186 (Scopus ID)
Funder
Academy of Finland, 339390Academy of Finland, 321409Academy of Finland, 329240Wellcome trust, 221854/Z/20/ZAcademy of Finland, 350426NordForsk, 75021EU, Horizon 2020, 101040247
Note

CC BY 4.0

This is an Open Access article under the CC BY 4.0 license

© 2023 The Author(s)

Correspondence Address: M. Elovainio; Department of Psychology and Logopedics, Faculty of Medicine, University of Helsinki, Helsinki, 00014, Finland; email: marko.elovainio@helsinki.fi

ME was supported by the Academy of Finland (339390). PNS was supported by the Emil Aaltonen Foundation and Finnish Medical Foundation. JV was supported by the Academy of Finland (321409 and 329240). MK was supported by the UK Medical Research Council (S011676), Wellcome Trust UK (221854/Z/20/Z), National Institute on Aging USA (R01AG056477), and the Academy of Finland (350426). STN was supported by NordForsk (75021) and the Finnish Work Environment Fund (190424). CH was supported by the European Research Council under the European Union’s Horizon 2020 research and innovation programme (grant number 101040247). This research has been done using the UK Biobank Resource under application number 14801.

Available from: 2023-02-09 Created: 2023-02-09 Last updated: 2023-08-14Bibliographically approved
Kivimäki, M., Batty, G. D., Pentti, J., Suomi, J., Nyberg, S. T., Merikanto, J., . . . Vahtera, J. (2023). Climate Change, Summer Temperature, and Heat-Related Mortality in Finland: Multicohort Study with Projections for a Sustainable vs. Fossil-Fueled Future to 2050. Journal of Environmental Health Perspectives, 131(12), 1270201-1-1270201-16
Open this publication in new window or tab >>Climate Change, Summer Temperature, and Heat-Related Mortality in Finland: Multicohort Study with Projections for a Sustainable vs. Fossil-Fueled Future to 2050
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2023 (English)In: Journal of Environmental Health Perspectives, ISSN 0091-6765, E-ISSN 1552-9924, Vol. 131, no 12, p. 1270201-1-1270201-16Article in journal (Refereed) Published
Abstract [en]

BACKGROUND: Climate change scenarios illustrate various pathways in terms of global warming ranging from "sustainable development" (Shared Socioeconomic Pathway SSP1-1.9), the best-case scenario, to 'fossil-fueled development' (SSP5-8.5), the worst-case scenario. OBJECTIVES: We examined the extent to which increase in daily average urban summer temperature is associated with future cause-specific mortality and projected heat-related mortality burden for the current warming trend and these two scenarios. METHODS: We did an observational cohort study of 363,754 participants living in six cities in Finland. Using residential addresses, participants were linked to daily temperature records and electronic death records from national registries during summers (1 May to 30 September) 2000 to 2018. For each day of observation, heat index (average daily air temperature weighted by humidity) for the preceding 7 d was calculated for participants' residential area using a geographic grid at a spatial resolution of formula presented . We examined associations of the summer heat index with risk of death by cause for all participants adjusting for a wide range of individual-level covariates and in subsidiary analyses using case-crossover design, computed the related period population attributable fraction (PAF), and projected change in PAF from summers 2000-2018 compared with those in 2030-2050. RESULTS: During a cohort total exposure period of 582,111,979 summer days (3,880,746 person-summers), we recorded 4,094 deaths, including 949 from cardiovascular disease. The multivariable-adjusted rate ratio (RR) for high (formula presented ) vs. reference (formula presented ) heat index was 1.70 (95% CI: 1.28, 2.27) for cardiovascular mortality, but it did not reach statistical significance for noncardiovascular deaths, formula presented (95% CI: 0.96, 1.36), a finding replicated in case-crossover analysis. According to projections for 2030-2050, PAF of summertime cardiovascular mortality attributable to high heat will be 4.4% (1.8%-7.3%) under the sustainable development scenario, but 7.6% (3.2%-12.3%) under the fossil-fueled development scenario. In the six cities, the estimated annual number of summertime heat-related cardiovascular deaths under the two scenarios will be 174 and 298 for a total population of 1,759,468 people. DISCUSSION: The increase in average urban summer temperature will raise heat-related cardiovascular mortality burden. The estimated magnitude of this burden is formula presented times greater if future climate change is driven by fossil fuels rather than sustainable development. https://doi.org/10.1289/EHP12080.

Place, publisher, year, edition, pages
EHP Publishing, 2023
Keywords
Cardiovascular Diseases, Climate Change, Finland, Fossils, Hot Temperature, Humans, Mortality, Temperature, cardiovascular disease, epidemiology, fossil, high temperature, human
National Category
Public Health, Global Health, Social Medicine and Epidemiology Occupational Health and Environmental Health
Research subject
Research on Citizen Centered Health, University of Skövde (Reacch US)
Identifiers
urn:nbn:se:his:diva-23529 (URN)10.1289/EHP12080 (DOI)001174376800016 ()38150315 (PubMedID)2-s2.0-85181395228 (Scopus ID)
Funder
Academy of Finland, 329240Academy of Finland, 329241Academy of Finland, 329235Wellcome trust, 221854/Z/20/ZAcademy of Finland, 329202Academy of Finland, 350426Academy of Finland, 329202Academy of Finland, 332030Academy of Finland, 321409
Note

Public domain

Address correspondence to Jussi Vahtera, Department of Public Health,University of Turku, Kiinamyllynkatu 10, 20520 Turku, Finland. Email:jussi.vahtera@utu.fi

This study was supported by the Academy of Finland (329240; 329241; 329235). M.K. was supported by the Wellcome Trust (221854/Z/20/Z), the UK Medical Research Council (MR/S011676/1), the U.S. National Institute on Aging (NIH; R01AG056477), and the Academy of Finland (329202, 350426). G.D.B. was supported by the UK Medical Research Council (MR/P023444/1) and the U.S. National Institute on Aging (1R56AG052519-01; 1R01AG052519-01A1). J.P. and S.T.N. were supported by the Finnish Work Environment Fund (190424) and the Academy of Finland (329202). J.K. and J.S. are grateful for the support by the University of Turku Geography Division and the City of Turku for maintaining the TURCLIM network. S.S. was supported by the Academy of Finland (332030). J.V. was supported by the Academy of Finland (321409). The funders of the study had no role in study design, data collection, data analysis, data interpretation, or writing of the report.

Available from: 2024-01-11 Created: 2024-01-11 Last updated: 2024-04-15Bibliographically approved
Hult, M., Kallio, H., Halminen, O., Linna, M., Suominen, S. & Kangasniemi, M. (2023). Cost-effectiveness calculators on health and social services planning and evaluation: an explorative interview study of key informants. International Journal of Health Promotion and Education, 61(5), 243-254
Open this publication in new window or tab >>Cost-effectiveness calculators on health and social services planning and evaluation: an explorative interview study of key informants
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2023 (English)In: International Journal of Health Promotion and Education, ISSN 1463-5240, E-ISSN 2164-9545, Vol. 61, no 5, p. 243-254Article in journal (Refereed) Published
Abstract [en]

The aim of this study was to examine the views of key experts on developing and using cost-effectiveness calculators to plan and evaluate health and wellbeing promotion interventions in health and social services. Data for this qualitative interview study were collected from 14 Finnish experts in health and wellbeing coordination, health and social service management and research and health economics in spring 2021. A semi-structured interview method with thematic analysis was used. The experts said that there is a need for cost-effectiveness evaluation tools that support local evidence-based decision-making. This would enable organizations to plan and allocate scarce resources for interventions that promote equitable and effective health and wellbeing. However, practical tools and calculators that enable users to make decisions based on the best available evidence are not widely used. Local decision-makers, researchers and service providers all need to be involved in agreeing goals and selecting the right target groups and measures. They also need to make decisions about the best available data sources and how to use calculators to define and evaluate outcomes. Cost-effectiveness calculators are needed for local evidence-based decision-making, so that municipalities can allocate scarce resources to effective services that increase the wellbeing and equality of residents. This requires key stakeholders to work together to plan, develop and evaluate comprehensive, easy-to-use cost-effectiveness calculators.

Place, publisher, year, edition, pages
Routledge, 2023
Keywords
calculator, cost-effectiveness, health promotion, key informants, municipality, wellbeing
National Category
Health Care Service and Management, Health Policy and Services and Health Economy
Research subject
Research on Citizen Centered Health, University of Skövde (Reacch US)
Identifiers
urn:nbn:se:his:diva-21664 (URN)10.1080/14635240.2022.2105248 (DOI)000831120000001 ()2-s2.0-85135018695 (Scopus ID)
Note

CC BY-NC-ND 4.0

Routledge Taylor & Francis

Taylor & Francis Group an informa business

Copyright © 2022 Informa UK Limited

This study was funded by the Finnish Prime Minister’s Office (grant number VN/14626/2019).

Available from: 2022-08-08 Created: 2022-08-08 Last updated: 2024-03-19Bibliographically approved
Stenlund, S., Mâsse, L. C., Stenlund, D., Sillanmäki, L., Appelt, K. C., Koivumaa-Honkanen, H., . . . Patrick, D. M. (2023). Do Patients’ Psychosocial Characteristics Impact Antibiotic Prescription Rates?. Antibiotics, 12(6), 1022-1022
Open this publication in new window or tab >>Do Patients’ Psychosocial Characteristics Impact Antibiotic Prescription Rates?
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2023 (English)In: Antibiotics, E-ISSN 2079-6382, Vol. 12, no 6, p. 1022-1022Article in journal (Refereed) Published
Abstract [en]

Previous research suggests that the characteristics of both patients and physicians can contribute to the overuse of antibiotics. Until now, patients’ psychosocial characteristics have not been widely explored as a potential contributor to the overuse of antibiotics. In this study, the relationship between a patient’s psychosocial characteristics (self-reported in postal surveys in 2003) and the number of antibiotics they were prescribed (recorded in Finnish national registry data between 2004–2006) were analyzed for 19,300 working-aged Finns. Psychosocial characteristics included life satisfaction, a sense of coherence, perceived stress, hostility, and optimism. In a structural equation model, patients’ adverse psychosocial characteristics were not related to increased antibiotic prescriptions in the subsequent three years. However, these characteristics were strongly associated with poor general health status, which in turn was associated with an increased number of subsequent antibiotic prescriptions. Furthermore, mediation analysis showed that individuals who used healthcare services more frequently also received more antibiotic prescriptions. The current study does not support the view that patients’ adverse psychosocial characteristics are related to an increased number of antibiotic prescriptions. This could encourage physicians to actively discuss treatment options with their patients.

Place, publisher, year, edition, pages
MDPI, 2023
Keywords
antibiotic prescribing, antibiotic consumption, psychosocial, structural equation modeling, excess antibiotic use, antimicrobial stewardship
National Category
Public Health, Global Health, Social Medicine and Epidemiology Social and Clinical Pharmacy
Research subject
Research on Citizen Centered Health, University of Skövde (Reacch US)
Identifiers
urn:nbn:se:his:diva-23048 (URN)10.3390/antibiotics12061022 (DOI)001016894700001 ()37370341 (PubMedID)2-s2.0-85163704231 (Scopus ID)
Note

CC BY 4.0

This article belongs to the Special Issue Antimicrobial Prescribing and Antimicrobial Use in Healthcare Settings

Correspondence: sade.stenlund@utu.fi

This research was funded by a personal grant for S.S. (Säde Stenlund) from the Signea nd Ane Gyllenberg Foundation, grant number 5723. K.C.A. is funded by a Social Sciences and Humanities Research Council Partnership Development Grant, grant number 890-2019-0015, and a University of British Columbia Grant for Catalyzing Research Clusters, grant number n/a. L.C.M. received salary support from the BC Children’s Hospital Research Institute. D.S. is funded through a personal grant from the Magnus Ehrnrooth Foundation, grant number 182282, and the Swedish Cultural Foundation in Finland, grant number n/a.

Available from: 2023-07-20 Created: 2023-07-20 Last updated: 2024-07-04Bibliographically approved
Organisations
Identifiers
ORCID iD: ORCID iD iconorcid.org/0000-0001-6648-603X

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