Perceived health and cause-specific mortality among Finnish men and women aged 30 and over

Perceived health is strongly associated with subsequent mortality, but the causes of this association are not known. The purpose of the paper is to analyze the association between perceived health and mortality after controlling for sociodemographic characteristics, and to estimate whether the association varies by cause ofdeath. The study analyzed data from the Mini-Finland Health Survey, a nationally representative sample of 7,217 adults aged 30 and over in 1978-1980. A 12-year mortality follow-up was established by record linkage to death certificates at Statistics Finland. The study showed that perceived health was very strongly associated with mortality after sociodemographic adjustments; men reporting fairly poor or poor health had a 2.41 (95% confidence interval 1.96-2.96) times higher adjusted mortality than men reporting fairly good or good health. Among women, the corresponding relative risk was 1.71 (95% confidence interval 1.37-2.15). The strength of the association varied by cause of death. Future attempts to better understand the association between perceived health and mortality should begin at the cause-specific level. The explanations for the association are likely to vary for different diseases and causes of death

Indoors illumination and seasonal changes in mood and behavior are associated with the health-related quality of life

<p>Abstract</p> <p>Objective</p> <p>Seasonal changes in mood and behavior are common in a general population, being of relevance to public health. We wanted to analyze whether the HRQoL is associated with the seasonal changes in mood and behavior. Because the shortage of exposure to daylight or artificial bright light has been linked to the occurrence of the seasonal changes, we wanted to know whether illumination indoors contributes to the HRQoL.</p> <p>Methods</p> <p>Of the sample of 7979 individuals, being representative of the Finnish general population aged 30 and over, 88% were interviewed face to face, and 84% participated in the health status examination after which the self-report assessment of the HRQoL and the seasonal changes in mood and behavior took place. The illumination levels experienced indoors were asked during the interview and the 12-item General Health Questionnaire (GHQ-12) was filled in before the health examination.</p> <p>Results</p> <p>The HRQoL was influenced by both the seasonal changes in mood and behavior (P < 0.001) and the illumination experienced indoors (P < 0.001). Greater seasonal changes (P < 0.001) and poor illumination indoors (P = 0.0035) were associated with more severe mental ill-being.</p> <p>Conclusion</p> <p>The routinely emerging seasonal changes in mood and behavior are associated with the HRQoL and mental well-being. Better illumination indoors might alleviate the season-bound symptoms and thereby enhance the HRQoL and mental well-being.</p

Risk factors for first hospitalization due to meniscal lesions - a population-based cohort study with 30 years of follow-up

Background: Meniscal lesions are among the most common injuries of the knee, yet limited epidemiologic data is available on their risk factors. We investigated the association of lifestyle factors and physical strenuousness of work on knee injuries with a focus on meniscal lesions. Methods: We examined a nationally representative sample of persons aged 30 to 59 years, who participated in a comprehensive health examination (the Mini-Finland Health Survey). Subjects without any injury or osteoarthritis in the knee joint at baseline (n = 4713) were subsequently followed via the National Hospital Discharge Register up to 30 years. Results: During the follow-up, 338 knee injuries were identified of which 224 were meniscal lesions. Obesity and regular leisure time physical exercise were associated with an increased risk of first hospitalization due to meniscal lesions (hazard ratio (HR) 1.62 and 95% confidence interval (CI) 1.06-2.48 and 1.53, 95% CI 1.05-2.23, respectively). The types of sports predicting the highest risk of meniscal lesions were ballgames, gymnastics and jogging. Physical strenuousness of work did not predict meniscal lesion. The hazard of other knee injury was increased among those reporting irregular or regular physical exercise at baseline (HR 1.64, 95% CI 1.03-2.64 and 1.88 CI 1.05-2.36, respectively). Smoking or alcohol intake were not associated with knee injuries. Conclusions: Better safety measures in high-risk sports and weight control would likely improve the prevention of meniscal lesions in populations.Peer reviewe

Kansalliset terveystarkastukset tutkimustyössä : Kelan Autoklinikkatutkimuksesta 2000-luvun Terveys-tutkimuksiin

Tässä kirjassa kuvataan vuonna 1966 alkaneet kansalliset terveystarkastukset ja niiden käyttö tutkimustyössä. Kirjassa kuvatut terveystarkastukset ovat Kelan autoklinikan moniseulontatutkimus (1966 1972), Autoklinikan uusintatutkimus (1973 1976), Mini-Suomi-tutkimus (1978 1980) sekä Terveys 2000- ja Terveys 2011- tutkimukset. Mini-Suomi-tutkimus oli Suomessa ja Euroopassa ensimmäinen kansallisesti edustava tutkimus, joka kattoi tärkeimmät sairaudet ja toimintakyvyn vajavuudet. Kirja sisältää myös varhaisten tutkimuksien kysely- ja haastattelulomakkeet. Kaikkien terveystarkastuksiin osallistuneiden lähes 80 000 suomalaisen verinäytteet on talletettu ja heidän terveytensä kehittymistä on seurattu kansallisten rekisterien avulla. Tämä kokonaisuus muodostaa myös merkittävän osan THL:n biopankkiaineistosta. Kirjaa tarvitaan rinnan verkkosivustolla julkaistujen tietojen kanssa. Lisätietoja: www.thl.f