Research and expert activities focus on changes and
socio-demographic differences in health behaviours, especially food
behaviours, and on interactions between the various domains of
health behaviour. The expert group applies methods obtained from
medical sociology, nutrition, sport sciences and epidemiology.
National and international health monitoring data are utilised in
collaboration with other units of the KTL and with Finnish and
European researchers and public health experts. Information
obtained from large population-based data will be complemented with
small qualitative data and with registers. The current projects are
dealing with international comparisons of health behaviours, meal
patterns, with socio-economic health inequalities, their origins
and means to reduce them, as well as, planning of health monitoring
among children.
KTL is monitoring tobacco use of
adults and dependency at national level and carries wide number of
risk assessment and mortality studies on tobacco related
diseases. KTL conducts research
on methods of preventing tobacco use and develops intervention
methods in collaboration with other research parties and
organisations. Cessation promotion studies include developing tools
for dependency measurements and assessment of obstacles of
cessation and providing cessation services. Research areas
and activities are divided into three entities: smoking prevention,
tobacco control (including monitoring tobacco use and diseases),
tobacco use prevention and tobacco dependency and cessation. More
details from www.ktl.fi/tobaccocontrol
Research on health and functional
capacity among ageing population is done in several projects in
collaboration with national and international partners. Large
population based surveys in the National Public Health Institute
enable the etiological research on functional capacity especially
on cognition and memory and their association with cardiovascular
disease risk factors. Resent projects concentrate on the
association between cardiovascular risk factors at midlife, and
dementia and Alzheimer disease at late life, the etiology of
cardiovascular disease among women and the health and functional
capacity of war veterans.
Development and implementation of
national and international health monitoring is an essential part
of work in the Unit. International health monitoring activities are
mainly carried out in neighbourhood areas in Russia and in Baltic
countries. Neighbourhood area collaboration is described under International
Health Promotion activity area. Nationally development projects
are currently targeted in child health monitoring system
development and in assisting municipalities in local health
monitoring activities. Municipalities and regions are also
supported in strengthening the health promotion and disease
prevention and work in diminishing health inequalities.
The Unit is involved in several international research
projects and health promotion programmes and networks. It works in
close collaboration with especially WHO Regional Office for Europe
and with European Union in chronic disease prevention activities
and health promotion.
Department of Health Promotion and Chronic Disease Prevention
is a WHO Collaborating Centre
for Noncommunicable Disease Prevention, Health Promotion and
Monitoring. Chronic Disease Prevention Unit coordination the joint
activities.
Research and health promotion collaboration is most active with
Baltic countries and neighbouring areas in Russia. One of the main
objectives in collaboration is to develop health monitoring systems
and utilization of health research data in disease prevention
planning. Data gathered in health surveys is also used for
epidemiological research on prevalence and etiology of chronic
diseases. Also planning and implementation of chronic disease
prevention interventions, training and other expert functions are
an important part of collaboration.