Health and health behaviour trends and differentials among students in Swedish and Finnish speaking schools in Finland

Health is a resource for children and adolescents in everyday life, and circumstances during this period of life can have a huge impact on the health development further on. Knowledge about health, wellbeing and health behaviour as well as influencing factors and changes over time is needed to support decision-making and health promotion work at different societal levels.

In the study, we explore perceived health and wellbeing – also mental health and loneliness – health behaviours and social contexts and changes in these among 7–15-year-old students, – as well as among upper secondary students and students in vocational schools, in a new study that started in 2020. Factors influencing health and health differences, in particular empowerment-enabling factors, including health literacy, are investigated. Moreover, we explore possible differences in these indicators and trends between students in Swedish- and Finnish-speaking schools, in order to generally understand health development better. We use data from 1. the Finnish and Nordic sample of school children of the international multi-center study Health Behaviour of School-aged Children, HBSC’, coordinated by the World Health Organization WHO and University of Jyväskylä (in Finland), and 2. the study Physical Activity Behaviours of Children and Adolescents in Finland (LIITU-study) coordinated by University of Jyväskylä. Both studies collect nationally representative data, and are done in cooperation with FHRC, and thus data also from Swedish-speaking schools in Finland is ensured.

In cooperation with University of Jyväskylä we have worked with developing the Swedish-language application ‘Study Health with HBSC’. With the application different health-related themes can be explored using data from HBSC. The application can be found here.

The Good Diabetes Care – research project

Rising prevalence of type 2 diabetes (T2D), also among younger adults, is an increasing public health challenge in Finland and worldwide, which also puts growing pressure on health systems. The ‘Good Diabetes Care’ research project focuses on the effectiveness of diabetes care. The aim is to find the best possible means by which primary healthcare and municipalities can achieve favourable outcomes in diabetes care. The sample was drawn from a nationwide register, and nearly 2 900 adults with T2D, in five municipalities in Finland, participated in the postal mail survey in 2011, yielding a 57% response rate.

The research project investigates:

1) quality of care in primary healthcare, with a focus on how person-centred coordinated care (congruent with the Chronic Care Model), continuity of care, autonomy supportive healthcare climate, and trust in health care personnel are associated with outcomes of care, such as, diabetes self-management incl. healthy lifestyles, empowerment and health outcomes, and

2) which other important life-contextual factors, such as, age, life-stress, diabetes-related distress, chronic pain, emotional wellbeing and social support, also community support incl. possibility to influence health and life-quality issues in the community, are associated with outcomes of care among patients with type 2 diabetes.

Health promotion in a Nordic perspective

The Nordic countries are known for their extensive welfare regimes, good living conditions and relatively good public health. Research comparing and contrasting health promotion strategies, contexts and outcomes with a Nordic perspective is one way to strengthen the knowledgebase and also develop the theoretical understanding of health promotion. This study is part of a collaboration within the Nordic Health Promotion Research Network (NHPRN), having a special focus on healthy ageing. However, also other point of views are explored.

Healthy ageing in a Nordic perspective

Ageing linked to health is an important issue when the older population increases. Healthy Ageing has been defined as the process of optimizing opportunities for physical, social and mental health to enable older people to take an active part in society without discrimination and to enjoy an independent and good quality of life.

With the definition above as a point of departure, the study applies theory and perspectives from the humanities and social sciences in order to understand the impact of specific contexts in which people age. The Nordic welfare states and their ongoing changes are an important background for the study. The research applies primarily qualitative methods, recognizing the importance of the voices of the older persons, with an empirical focus on interviews, narratives and text analysis. Central concepts and values explored empirically and theoretically are dignity, autonomy, participation and a sense of security. This study is a collaboration within the ‘Healthy Ageing’ group, as part of the NHPRN.