Antti Uutela

• Finnish Institute for Health and Welfare

Background: Low levels of physical activity (PA), more prevalent among those with low education, require effective interventions. Fewer trials have tested interventions to decrease sedentary behaviour (SB). No school-based interventions have shown lasting effects on PA or sedentary behaviour in vocational schools. Purpose: To examine whether the Le...

Background: Visualisations and readily-accessible web-based supplementary files can improve data reporting and transparency. In this paper, we make use of recent developments in software and psychological network analysis to describe the baseline cohort of a trial testing the Let’s Move It intervention, which aimed to increase physical activity (PA...

THIS IS A LATE DRAFT VERSION OF A MANUSCRIPT TO BE SUBMITTED; freely available here: https://psyarxiv.com/46rzm/. Draft of a supplementary website: https://git.io/fhxvu. Background: Let's Move It is a complex whole-school system intervention aiming to reduce sedentary behaviours (SB) and increase physical activity (PA) among adolescents in vocation...

Background Physical activity (PA) has been shown to decline during adolescence, and those with lower education have lower levels of activity already at this age, calling for targeted efforts for them. No previous study has demonstrated lasting effects of school-based PA interventions among older adolescents. Furthermore, these interventions have ra...

We examined the views of army catering foods in 19-20-year-old Finnish male conscripts. Four to six weeks before starting their service, the conscripts (n=407) rated the pleasantness of 36 foods in general, and their expectation of pleasantness “when these foods are served in the army”. After two months of service, they rated the experienced pleasa...

Prevalence estimates may be biased if the characteristics of respondents differ from those of non-respondents in surveys. In this study, we used a follow-up telephone interview of initial non-respondents to examine the differences-in terms of self-rated health and health behaviours-to initial postal respondents and to assess improvements in prevale...

AimTo assess whether sense of coherence (SOC) predicts the 4-year incidence of periodontal disease in adults.Methods Data from 848 adults who participated in both the Health 2000 Survey and the Follow-Up Study of Finnish Adults’ Oral Health were analysed. At baseline, participants provided information on demographic characteristics, education level...

Tavoite: Arvioida sähköpyörätuolin tai -mopedin hyötyjä asiakkaan arjessa. Menetelmät: Kymmenestä apuvälinekeskuksesta rekrytoitiin vähintään 18-vuotiaita asiakkaita, joille luovutettiin ensimmäistä kertaa sähköpyörätuoli tai -mopedi. Asiakkaita haastateltiin ennen apuvälineen saamista, 1-2 kk apuvälinepalvelun jälkeen sekä yhden vuoden jälkeen (NO...

Background: Prevalence of tobacco use is higher in the rural than urban areas of India. Unlike tobacco cessation clinics located in urban areas, community-based smoking cessation intervention has the potential to reach a wider section of the community to assist in smoking cessation in the rural setting. The present study aimed to assess the effect...

Background: To illustrate multiple approaches and to assess participation rates adopted for a community based smoking cessation intervention programme in rural Kerala. Materials and methods: Resident males in the age group 18-60 years who were 'current daily smokers' from 4 randomly allocated community development blocks of rural Thiruvananthapu...

Background Gambling problems currently affect approximately 100 000 Finns. In order to prevent and reduce gambling-related harms it is crucial for the Finnish public health authorities to gain a stronger understanding of the association between gambling problems and related socio-demographic factors, other commonly co-occurring dependencies (e.g. a...

Objective There is increasing interest in whether positive and negative psychological constructs are bipolar opposites of the same phenomenon. We examine whether a positive construct-sense of coherence (SOC)-has independent predictive power over and above depressive symptoms for cardiovascular disease (CVD) and all-cause mortality.Methods Participa...

This study assesses whether sense of coherence (SOC) predicts incidence of tooth decay over 4 years and the role of dental behaviours in explaining the effect of SOC on incidence of tooth decay. Data from 994 adults who participated in both the Health 2000 survey and the Follow-Up Study of Finnish Adults' Oral Health were analysed for this study. A...

An attempt was made to understand the nicotine dependence of smokers selected for an ongoing smoking cessation intervention programme in rural Kerala, India. Data were collected from resident males in the age group of 18 to 60 years from 4 randomly allocated community development blocks of rural Thiruvananthapuram district (2 intervention and 2 con...

Objective: To assess whether Sense of Coherence (SOC) predicts caries increment and the role of dental behaviors in explaining the effect of SOC on caries increment in adults. Methods: The Health 2000 Survey was a nationally representative survey of 8028 subjects, aged 30 years or older living in mainland Finland. Approximately four years later,...

Nowadays, most patients with celiac disease are diagnosed in adulthood. However, undetected disease may already have been present in childhood and may have subsequently affected growth. Earlier data on the eventual adult height of patients with celiac disease have been scant and inconsistent. We aimed to assess the final height in a large cohort of...

The Beck Depression Inventory (BDI) and the General Health Questionnaire (GHQ) are commonly used in population studies as measures of depression. We examined in a population sample the validity of four scales for depressive symptoms, the GHQ-12, the 21- and 13-item versions of the BDI, and a new 6-item version of the BDI developed for this study. A...

ABSTRACT. Objective: This study investigated relationship between self-reported functional limitations and measured physical performance among aged homecare clients. Design: Baseline measurement of a physical performance intervention. Setting: Health centers in six semi-urban and rural municipalities in Finland. Participants: One hundred and sevent...

To analyse changes in food choices, diet-related risk factors and their association during 6 months of military service. Longitudinal cohort study in Finland, where all men are liable to military service and a clear majority of each age group completes service. Dietary intake data were collected by self-administered questionnaire before and at 6 mo...

The present study examined time trends and associations in exposure to secondhand smoke (SHS) at work in Finland in 1985-2008 and compliance with national smoke-free workplace legislation that has been enforced since 1995. The study population comprised respondents of nationally representative annual postal surveys from 1985 to 2008. The difference...

The study explores young men's (n=290) attitudes towards food and eating before and during military service and their associations with eating of sweet and fatty foods. Before service eating of sweet foods was associated negatively with health interest and positively with craving for sweet foods and using food as a reward, and eating of fatty foods...

To explore the role of sense of coherence (SOC) as a mediator in the relationship between childhood socioeconomic position (SEP) and tooth retention in adulthood. Data from 5401 dentate adults aged 30 and over who participated in the nationally representative Finnish Health 2000 Survey were analysed. Participants provided information on demographic...

Objectives: Our aim was to study the relationship between cynical hostility and subjective oral impacts among 30- to 64-year-old dentate adult Finns. Methods: The study was part of the Health 2000 Survey in Finland (http://www.terveys2000.fi/indexe.htm) and the sample consisted of 4548 30- to 64-year-old dentate adults (2165 men, 2383 women). The q...

An attempt was made to compare tobacco prevalence and socioeconomic factors of two groups (intervention and control) from a selected rural community in Thiruvananthapuram, Kerala, India. Data were collected from resident males in the age group of 18.0 to 60.0 years from 4 randomly allocated Community Development Blocks of rural Thiruvananthapuram d...

To assess the relationship between sense of coherence (SOC) and oral health, and the role of oral health-related behaviours in this relationship. This is a cross-sectional study of 5401 dentate adults who participated in the nationally representative Health 2000 Survey in Finland. The survey gathered information on SOC, demographic characteristics,...

The association between adverse health and loneliness among aging people is known, but most of the studies are cross-sectional. In addition, the associations between changes in loneliness with health are less well known, especially in the case of aging people. The present study examined whether absence of loneliness in 2005 predicted subsequent goo...

This study examined a proposed mechanism by which exposure to cigarette advertising may mediate the subsequent smoking of youth. We hypothesized that children's exposure to cigarette advertising leads them to overestimate the prevalence of smoking, and that these distorted perceptions, in turn, lead to increased intentions to smoke. Children in Fin...

To examine in a prospective setting whether different hostility measures, including Cynical Distrust, Trait Anger, Anger Out, Anger In, and Anger Control, are related to cardiovascular disease (CVD) and ischemic heart disease (IHD). Participants comprised 25- to 74-year-old men (n = 3850) and women (n = 4083), followed up for 10 to 15 years. Trait...

Varusmiesten ravitsemus ja muut elintavat sekä terveyden riskitekijät palveluksen aikana Kuuden kuukauden seurantatutkimus 16 | 2010 Tässä raportissa kuvataan varusmiespalvelusta suorittavien miesten elintapoja sekä terveyden riskitekijöitä ja niiden kehittymistä palveluksen aikana aina kuuteen kuukauteen asti. Elintapojen osalta raportin päähuomio...

To decrease the intake of sucrose, increase the intake of fibre and the consumption of fruit and vegetables among secondary-school pupils. Intervention study among eighth grade pupils during one school year. Data were collected by questionnaires and from a subgroup of pupils by 48 h dietary recall at baseline in spring 2007 and after the interventi...

Eating habits of Finns have improved dramatically in 40 years. The proportion of fat in the diet has decreased and vegetable and fruit consumption increased. Knowledge of Finnish young men's dietary habits is limited. The aim was to assess food choices and quality of diet among young men and to analyse how background and health behaviour factors ex...

Literature from the past year was examined to learn whether economic recessions have an effect on mental disorders including depression and suicides. Economic recessions and crises have a context-dependent negative impact on mental health disorders. These appear in low-income and middle-income countries whereas some affluent countries are offering...

To examine trends in adult alcohol consumption by age, gender and education from 1982 to 2008 and evaluate the effects that a significant reduction in alcohol prices in 2004 had on alcohol consumption in different population subgroups. The study population comprised respondents aged 25-64 (n = 79,100) replying to nationally representative annual po...

Gender differences in lifestyle-related mortality and morbidity suggest a need to investigate gender-specificity of health behaviour change process and factors influencing it. We tested whether changes in self-efficacy beliefs and planning, as well as the level of social support predict change in exercise. Finnish men and women, aged 50-65 years, a...

Little is known about psychosocial mechanisms that may underlie differences in lifestyle change between socioeconomic groups. The purpose of this study is to examine how educational level influences middle-aged participants' (N = 385) psychosocial responses to the GOAL Lifestyle Implementation Trial. The measurements of self-efficacy and planning f...

Our aim was to investigate the mutual relationship between oral and general health behaviours and oral and general subjective health among adults, and to explore whether sense of coherence (SOC) could be a common health-promoting correlate for them. The present study included data for 4096 30- to 64-year-old dentate adults (2177 females and 1919 ma...

This study assessed the independent and interactive associations between sense of coherence (SOC) and socio-economic status (SES) with oral health-related behaviours. Data from 5,399 dentate adults regarding their demographic characteristics, years of education, SOC score, and oral health-related behaviours were analysed. Household income was obtai...

Our aim in this study was to determine whether there is an association between cynical hostility and clinically determined poor oral health, and whether this association is confounded by socioeconomic position and mediated by health behavior. The sample consisted of 4,207 dentate Finns, 30-64 yr of age. Oral health was measured in terms of numbers...

We examine the relationships between depressive symptoms and all-cause mortality and cardiovascular disease (CVD) in a representative sample of the Finnish population. Subjects included men (N Z 3,850) and women (N Z 4,083) aged 25-74 years who had participated in risk factor surveys (The FINRISK Study) conducted in Finland in 1992 and 1997. Depres...

OBJECTIVE We study the effectiveness of the GOAL Lifestyle Implementation Trial at the 36-month follow-up. RESEARCH DESIGN AND METHODS Participants (n = 352, type 2 diabetes risk score FINDRISC = 16.2 ± 3.3, BMI 32.6 ± 5.0 kg/m2) received six lifestyle counseling sessions over 8 months. Measurements were at baseline, 12 months (88.6%), and 36 mont...

To examine the structure of the sense of coherence (SOC) scale in a general population. This study analysed the responses of 6,217 subjects aged 30 years and over who participated in the Finnish Health 2000 survey (response rate 77.4%). Participants completed an abbreviated 12-item version of the SOC scale. Two alternative structures were tested us...

Health risk perception and behavior of tourists during epidemics is a challenge for behavioral medicine. The purpose was to analyze associations of psychosocial factors and willingness to take health risks on holiday and business trips. Subjects (survey n = 338) were Finnish tourists visiting South-East Asia during the avian influenza epidemic of 2...

This paper studies the sensitivity of various health indicators to income inequality as measured by regional Gini coefficients, using individual microdata from Finland over the period 1993-2005. There is no overall association between income and health at the regional level. We discovered that, among men, there are no significant associations betwe...

Previous studies have found self-rated health to be associated with social capital. However, there is lack of studies examining social capital among aging people and its impact on self-rated health in the urban-rural context. The purpose of this study was to investigate associations between self-rated health and indicators of social capital (trust,...

To investigate the association of sense of coherence (SOC) with clinical findings of temporomandibular disorders (TMD) among 30- to 64-year-old subjects. A nationally representative health examination survey called the Health 2000 Survey was carried out from 2000 to 2001. The data for this study were obtained from 4859 subjects aged 30 to 64 years...

This study examined whether trust predicted subsequent self-rated health over time at 3 years follow-up among aging people, and whether changes in trust were associated with self-rated health. Longitudinal, questionnaire-based data were collected from three age cohorts (born in 1926-1930, 1936-1940, and 1946-1950) living in the Province of Päijät-H...

The SARS outbreak served to test both local and international outbreak management and risk communication practices. The study compares SARS knowledge, perceptions, behaviors, and information between Finns and the Dutch during the SARS outbreak in 2003. The participants of the study, who used a modified SARS Psychosocial Research Consortium survey,...

Aggregate time-series evidence has shown that overall per capita alcohol consumption is associated with sickness absence. This study re-examines the relationship between alcohol consumption and sickness absence by using individual-level microdata and methods that yield results which are less likely to be due to spurious correlations. Data on sickne...

Studies from different time periods have shown that consumption of vegetables is more common in higher socioeconomic groups and among women. However, there are only few studies of changes of socioeconomic differences in vegetable consumption over time. Our aim was to determine whether socioeconomic differences, measured by educational level and hou...

The strong negative correlations observed between the sense of coherence (SOC) scale and measures of depression and anxiety raise the question of whether the SOC scale inversely measures the other constructs. The main aim of the present study was to examine the discriminant validity of the three measures by comparing their associations with health...

This study examined associations between self-rated health and combinations of social participation and trust among ageing people in three living areas of Finland (N=2815, 66% response rate). Social participation and trust combinations were: low social capital (low participation/low trust), traditionalism (low/high), "the miniaturisation of communi...

To assess the impact of the 1976 Tobacco Control Act (TCA) on smoking initiation across socioeconomic groups. Nationwide data from independent annual cross-sectional postal surveys in 1978-2002 in Finland. Subjects were 25-64-year-old men and women born 1926-1975 (n=68 071). Socioeconomic status was derived individually from population census data....

This paper examines the relationship between the physical strenuousness of work and the BMI in Finland, using individual microdata at 5-year intervals over the period 1972--2002. Data came from the National FINRISK Study which contains self-reported information on the physical strenuousness of a respondent's occupation. Our estimates show that the...

This study examined associations between self-rated health and specific forms of leisure activities - i. e. singing in a choir, art painting, playing music; art exhibitions, theatre, movies, concerts; religious events; studying and self-development; voluntary work - and investigated how confounding factors contribute to these associations among age...

This paper examines the relationship between alcohol consumption and sickness absence. We use regional panel data from Finland over the period 1993-2005. The data on individuals’ health that we are using originates from Health Behaviour and Health among the Finnish Population conducted by the National Public Health Institute. The results show that...

To explore physicians' and nurses' views on patient and professional roles in the management of lifestyle-related diseases and their risk factors. A questionnaire study with a focus on adult obesity, dyslipidemia, high blood pressure, type 2 diabetes, and smoking. Healthcare centres in Päijät-Häme hospital district, Finland. Physicians and nurses w...

ABSTRACT : This paper examines the relationship between relative income inequality and health in Finland, using individual microdata over the period 1993-2005. Our data allows us to analyse a large spectrum of health indicators. Overall, our results suggest that income inequality is not associated with increased morbidity in the population. The res...

This study examined changes in adult daily smoking in 1981-2005 in Finland, in order to evaluate the impact of the 1995 Tobacco Control Act Amendment (TCAA) and accompanying measures on the proportion of daily smokers. The main focus of the TCAA was to prohibit smoking at workplaces (designated rooms excluded) in order to protect workers from envir...

"Real-world" implementation of lifestyle interventions is a challenge. The Good Ageing in Lahti Region (GOAL) Lifestyle Implementation Trial was designed for the primary health care setting, with lifestyle and risk reduction objectives derived from the major diabetes prevention efficacy trials. We report on the program's effectiveness as well as fi...

The present study was aimed to examine associations of current and ex-smoking status with obesity and diabetes among elderly people. Nationwide study of Finnish elderly people based on biennial surveys from 1985 to 1995, were used to study 7482 people aged 65-79 years. Smoking status included non-, ex-light, ex-heavy, current light, and current hea...

The purpose of this study was to analyze trends and disparities in obesity by education among Finnish men and women aged 65-84 years from 1993 to 2003. METHOD.: Data were derived from nationally representative monitoring surveys conducted biennially from 1993 to 2003 by the National Public Health Institute (KTL). In total, 5740 men and 5746 women w...

To explore social functioning and psychological well-being in a population-based cohort of epilepsy patients compared to matched controls. A random sample of patients with epilepsy (N = 347) and a healthy control group (N = 430) matched for age, gender and domicile were identified through National Registry of Social Insurance Institution in Finland...

This paper explores the relationship between the physical strenuousness of work and the body mass index in Finland, using individual microdata over the period 1972-2002. The data contain self-reported information about the physical strenuousness of a respondent’s current occupation. Our estimates show that the changes in the physical strenuousness...

This paper examines associations between self-rated health, three indicators of SES (self-reported education, disposable household income, adequacy of income) and three types of communities (urban, densely or sparsely populated rural areas) among ageing men and women in the Province of Päijät-Häme, Southern Finland. There is a lack of knowledge reg...

This paper explores the relationship between height-adjusted weight and economic conditions in Finland, using individual microdata for the period 1978-2002. If anything, the results reveal that an improvement in regional economic conditions measured by the employment rate produces a decrease in BMI, other things being equal. The Finnish evidence pr...

To (1) describe the setting and design of the Good Ageing in Lahti Region (GOAL) programme; (2) by using the baseline results of the GOAL cohort study, to examine whether living in urban, semi-urban, or rural communities is related to risk factors for chronic diseases and functional disability in ageing individuals. The baseline data of a cohort st...

This study examined 10 year trends in functional capacity by gender, age, and education among elderly Finns aged 65-84 years, focusing on difficulties in basic activities of daily living (BADL). Educational disparities and their trends in the prevalence of these difficulties were also assessed. Data were derived from nationally representative monit...

This paper explores the connection between alcohol-related mortality, drinking behavior, and macroeconomic conditions in Finland using both aggregate and microlevel data from recent decades. The aggregate data reveal that an improvement in economic conditions produces a decrease in alcohol-related mortality. Microlevel data show that alcohol consum...

Our aim was to investigate whether cynical hostility, self-reported toothbrushing frequency and objectively assessed levels of oral hygiene were associated. The present study sample consisted of 4156 30-64-year-old dentate Finns. The questionnaire and the home interview included information about socioeconomic and sociodemographic factors and behav...

Antonovsky's salutogenic theory seeks to find general health-promoting factors in individuals as distinct from characteristics that function as risks for specific diseases. A central construct of the theory is sense of coherence (SOC). Individuals with a strong SOC have the ability to define events as less stressful (because of comprehensibility);...

Strong sense of coherence (SOC) has been shown to be associated with good, perceived health both in cross sectional and longitudinal studies. To find out if level of SOC was associated to incidence of disability pension. A prospective cohort study based on survey data on sense of coherence in 1989 or 1993 and data on disability pensions in 1990-199...

Our aim was to investigate the relationship among the oral health-related quality of life, the sense of coherence (SOC), and socio-economic and demographic factors, oral behavioural variables and oral health variables. The sample of this study consisted of 4,039, 30-64-yr-old dentate adults (1,899 men and 2,140 women). The questionnaire and home in...

The main purpose of this study was to determine whether functional ability among the elderly associates with body mass index (BMI) and health-related behavior. The secondary aim was to examine whether health behavior and BMI can be seen as mechanisms explaining sociodemographic disparities in functional ability. Cross-sectional biennial surveys fro...

Mutations in hepatic nuclear factor 1alpha cause a monogenic form of diabetes, maturity onset diabetes of the young type 3 (MODY3). Our aim was (1) to assess the uptake of genetic testing for MODY3 and to determine factors affecting it, and (2) to compare attitudes to predictive genetic testing between families with MODY3 and a previously studied g...

The plant stanol ester margarine Benecol is a functional food that has been shown to lower effectively serum total and LDL-cholesterol. The purpose of this post-marketing study is to characterize users of plant stanol ester margarine with and without cardiovascular disease. A cohort of plant stanol ester margarine users was established based on a c...

BMT (bone marrow transplantation) is acknowledged as one of the most stressful treatments in modern cancer care. When investigating the impact of BMT on patients it is crucial that the analytic method employed captures direct patient perceptions, allowing the patient to define the domains under investigation. In this study, a multivariate analytic...

This paper provides a survey on studies that analyze the macroeconomic effects of intellectual property rights (IPR). The first part of this paper introduces different patent policy instruments and reviews their effects on R&D and economic growth. This part also discusses the distortionary effects and distributional consequences of IPR protection a...

To investigate the relationship between the sense of coherence (SOC) and dental attendance pattern. It was hypothesised that the subjects with a stronger SOC have a more regular dental attendance. In the nationally representative sample including 8,028 persons aged 30, or more, 88% were surveyed. The questionnaire and home interview included inform...

Cholesterol-lowering drugs may metabolically interact with cholesterol-lowering bread spreads. This study analyses the prevalence of use of drugs, bread spreads or the combination of both in people aware of their high/elevated cholesterol level, and compares users of the three therapies on health behavior and demographics. Participants (9581, 25-74...

The present study investigated relationships between global QOL perceptions and well-being dimensions. Especially our goal was to evaluate the impact of generally recognised four broad dimensions of QOL (physical, functional, social and emotional well-being) on global QOL perceptions, additionally person's satisfaction with life achievements and ec...

To examine patterns of ever smoking among Finnish adults by gender and birth cohort from 1978 to 2001, with special emphasis on the possible effects of the 1976 Tobacco Control Act (TCA). The data were derived from independent, annual cross sectional postal surveys among 15-64 year olds (n = 91,342), average response rate 75%. For the analyses 13 f...

Despite their clear association with health, smoking and alcohol consumption among elderly people have not been extensively researched. This study examined changes in smoking and alcohol consumption and their sociodemographic patterning among the Finnish population aged 65-79 years over the period 1985-2001. Population-based monitoring surveys cond...

Objective: The aim of this study is to analyse the impact of quality of life (QOL) dimensions on perceived life satisfaction. Methods This study is a baseline assessment of Ikihyvä Päijät-Häme Project, a comprehensive health promotion programme within a hospital district (including 14 municipalities) in Finland. The study population includes a repr...

Objectives: The aim of this study is to examine whether depressive symptoms are related to mortality and whether they moderate the educational mortality differences. Methods: The subjects were participants of two similar FINRISK cardiovascular risk factor studies in Finland including, 3938 males and 4419 females. First, done in 1992, include age-gr...

Objective: The objective is to study comparative optimism and its associations with sociodemographic factors both in perceived risk of SARS and that of infectious diseases in general in Finland with a few suspected SARS cases at the time of the study. Methods: The data are gathered by an internet panel (n = 308, age 17-66, 54% females, Finnish spea...

The aims of this study were to investigate the consistency of use of plant stanol ester margarine and to characterise consistent and inconsistent users. A cohort of plant stanol ester margarine users was established based on 14 national surveys conducted by the National Public Health Institute in Finland between 1996 and 1999. A follow-up study que...