Finbalt Health Monitor is a system for
monitoring health related behaviour, practices and lifestyles in
Finland and in the Baltic countries. The collaborative work to
develop health behaviour monitoring and research has been carried
out since 1994. The data gathering comprises postal surveys
conducted every second year among adult populations of the
participating countries. The data are used to carry out comparative
studies related to major public health problems with the emphasis
on the changes in smoking, alcohol consumption, food habits and
physical activity in different countries and population groups. The
results can be used in planning national health policies and health
promotion activities. The Finbalt Health Monitor ‑project has
served as an example for corresponding monitoring surveys also
elsewhere in Europe (see CINDI Health Monitor). Contact
persons:
Ritva Prättälä.
The project launched in 2002 aims to
describe the use and quality of food services provided by
institutional kitchens to different age groups, and to develop
means to monitor these services. The project focuses on the
nutritional quality of meals and on the use of food services in
different socio-demographic groups. The project uses national
monitoring data collected by the KTL and other Finnish research
institutes. Studies included in the project will examine e.g.
trends and socio-economic differences in meal patterns during
working hours, associations of meal patterns with quality of diet,
well-being and functional capacity. The most important
collaborators are Finnish Heart Association, Finnish Institute of
Occupational Health and STAKES. Contact person: Ritva Prättälä and Susanna Raulio.
Specific determinants perspective to health inequalities
(SPEDE)
Low socio-economic position is
associated with poor health. This research project, initiated in
2003, is based on the assumption that socio-economic position has a
causal effect on health through specific behavioural and
psychosocial determinants. The study will examine the associations
of occupation, education and income with health behaviours (e.g.
smoking, alcohol consumption, food habits) and the contribution of
health behaviours and psychosocial factors to the socio-economic
mortality differentials. Information and expertise provided by the
project will be used in the TEROKA partnership project aiming to
reduce health inequalities. The data sets used in the study include
the Health Behaviour and Health among the Finnish Adult Population
-surveys. The survey data have been linked with register based data
on socio-economic factors and mortality. Contact person: Ritva Prättälä.
Socio-economic determinants of physical activity
among Finnish men and women since the 1970s (SOPHY)
Health behaviours play an important
part behind socio-economic inequalities in mortality, but the role
of physical activity in this is poorly understood. The project
examines the variation of different forms of physical activity by
education, occupational class and income among Finnish men and
women since 1972. In addition the variation of physical activity by
age, marital status, place of residence, smoking, alcohol
consumption and overweight is examined. The study will use the
large cross-sectional population surveys collected by the KTL, the
Finrisk, Health Behaviour and Health among the Finnish Adult
Population and Health2000 –surveys. Contact person: Ritva Prättälä
Impact of work and socioeconomic circumstances on physical
activity and fitness at different stages of life (WOSPA)
Health behaviours play an important part behind
socio-economic inequalities in mortality, but the role of physical
activity in this is poorly understood. The project examines the
variation of different modes of physical activity and physical
fitness by childhood living conditions, working conditions and
socioeconomic circumstances (education, occupational class and
income) among Finns at different stages of life. The variation of
physical activity and fitness by smoking, alcohol consumption and
overweight is also examined. In addition, the study will examine
whether the effect of working conditions to physical activity is
similar between European countries. The study will use the large
cross-sectional population surveys collected by the KTL, the
FINRISK, Health Behaviour and Health 2000 –surveys.In
addition, data from European health surveys will be used. Contact
person: Ritva Prättälä