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Biomedical subjects

A Rimpelä

Publications and source records attributed to A Rimpelä.

At least 37 records · Page 2Linked to original sources
PubMed1997

Trends in toothbrushing frequency among Finnish adolescents between 1977 and 1995.

OBJECTIVE: To analyse trends in development of the toothbrushing frequency of Finnish adolescents and the socio-economic factors associated with these trends between 1977 and 1995. DESIGN: The data were collected as part of a nation-wide research programme, the Adolescent Health and Lifestyle Survey, which started in 1977. Since then a 12-page questionnaire has been sent every other year. Dental health behaviour was studied from the outset. SUBJECTS: The sample represented 12-, 14-, 16- and 18-year-old children and adolescents in Finland. The sample size varied between 3,205-10,626, making a total of 66,687 participants. OUTCOME MEASURES: The recommended toothbrushing frequency, twice-a-day, was studied. The socio-economic factors included age, gender, self-assessed school performance, level of education, socio-economic status of the householder, and socio-economic category of the residential area. RESULTS: Among boys, daily toothbrushing increased from 1977 to 1995, but among girls it remained stable. Among boys, the prevalence of twice-a-day toothbrushing frequency varied from 13 per cent to 25 per cent between the ages of 12 and 18 years, and among girls from 32 per cent to 60 per cent, respectively. Among 12- to 14-year-old boys, the socio-economic differences almost disappeared. There were no changes among 12- to 14-year-old girls but there was an unexpected declining trend in toothbrushing among 16- to 18-year-old girls. Apparently further improvement in the toothbrushing frequency of girls had stopped. CONCLUSIONS: Although there was a clear trend towards improvement of toothbrushing frequency among boys, their toothbrushing frequency still lagged far behind that of girls.

Achievement↗
PubMed1996

Socio-regional context as a determinant of adolescents' health behaviour in Finland.

Until recently, the role of socio-regional context as a determinant of adolescents' health behaviour has been largely neglected in health studies. Usually the focus is on characteristics of individuals, while the potentially equally strong effect of the context is left unanalysed. Using multi-level data we studied whether socio-regional context influences health behaviour and whether it modifies differences by socio-economic background of adolescents. The individual level data derive from the (Finnish) Adolescent Health and Lifestyle Survey. In the survey, nationally representative data of 16- and 18-year old Finns were collected in 1991 and 1993 by mailed questionnaires (total n = 9121, response rate = 76%). These data were linked with a database that included socio-economic characteristics of municipalities. Three dimensions of the socio-regional context were measured: level of services, occupational structure and self-sufficiency of employment. In a series of logistic regression models, factors related to daily smoking, weekly alcohol use, use of high milk fat products and frequent physical activity were analysed. Socio-economic background of the adolescent was a strong determinant of all four health behaviours. Drinking and use of high milk fat products were, however, also related to the socio-regional context. The relationship between socio-regional context and these behaviours was dissimilar, so that the dimensions of the socio-regional context that were related to the behaviours were different among boys than among girls. Our study shows that socio-regional context associates with adolescents' alcohol use and use of high milk fat products, while the more detailed nature of this relationship remains unclear.

Adolescent↗
PubMed1996

Chewing of xylitol gum--a well adopted practice among finnish adolescents.

The adoption of xylitol chewing gum in Finland was studied using data from two comparable postal surveys for national samples of 12- to 18-year-olds in 1977 (response rate 79%, n = 2,528) and 1991 (77%, n = 7,672). In 1977 only 12% of this age group used xylitol chewing gum but, by 1991 it had become common (64% of boys, 81% of girls). Daily use increased from 1 to 15% among boys and from 1 to 32% among girls. Use of sucrose chewing gum decreased; in 1991 only 2% used it daily. Daily use of xylitol chewing gum did not vary according to socioeconomic status or level of urbanization. The increase in use of xylitol chewing gum is an example of the positive effect of health education given by a comprehensive, preventively oriented system of dental health care in association with commercial interests.

Abdominal Pain↗
PubMed1996

Toothbrushing frequency between the ages of 12 and 18 years-- longitudinal prospective studies of Finnish adolescents.

The purpose of this study was to analyse the establishment of the toothbrushing frequency as a healthy habit by Finnish adolescents between 12 and 18 years of age. The data were collected as part of the nation-wide research programme, the Adolescent Health and Lifestyle Survey. All Finns born in 1968 with birthdays on 20-25 July formed the sample (N=1106). Questionnaires were mailed to the whole sample in February 1981 (12 years of age), -83 (14 years), -85 (16 years) and -87 (18 years). The rate of return for all four questionnaires was 62 percent (six-year follow-up) and for two questionnaires (two-year follow-up studies) 79 percent (12 and 14 years), 72 percent (14 and 16 years) and 68 percent (16 and 18 years). Those adolescents who brushed their teeth more than once a day at age 12, were more stable in their behaviour during the following six years than those who brushed their teeth less often. Over two thirds of the respondents, both boys and girls, indicated one or more changes in their toothbrushing frequency in the four questionnaires during the six-year follow-up. The rate of improvement in toothbrushing frequency was higher among girls than boys, and the rate of deterioration in toothbrushing frequency was higher among boys than girls. One sixth of the adolescents still showed a deterioration in their brushing frequency between the ages of 16 and 18. It may be concluded that although toothbrushing frequency will be gradually adopted as a health habit when the adolescents mature between 12 and 18 years, only half the girls and one fifth of the boys adopt the recommended frequency. Health education should still improve performance in those groups which have not established the recommended toothbrushing frequency.

Adolescent↗
PubMed1995

Health status: does it predict choice in further education?

STUDY OBJECTIVE: To study the significance of a young person's health to his or her choice of further education at age 16. DESIGN: A cross sectional population survey SETTING: The whole of Finland. PARTICIPANTS: A representative sample of 2977 Finnish 16 year olds. The response rate was 83%. MEASUREMENTS AND MAIN RESULTS: The three outcome variables reflected successive steps on the way to educational success: school attendance after the completion of compulsory schooling, the type of school, and school achievement for those at school. Continuing their education and choosing upper secondary school were most typical of young people from upper social classes. Female gender and living with both parents increased the probability of choosing to go on to upper secondary school. Over and above these background variables, some health factors had additional explanatory power. Continuing their education, attending upper secondary schools, and good achievement were typical of those who considered their health to be good. Chronically ill adolescents were more likely to continue their education than the healthy ones. CONCLUSIONS: School imposes great demands on young people, thus revealing differences in personal health resources. Adaptation to the norms of a society in which education is highly valued is related to satisfying health status. In a welfare state that offers equal educational opportunities for everyone, however, chronically ill adolescents can add to their resources for coping through schooling. Health related selection thus works differently for various indicators of health and in various kinds of societies. Social class differences in health in the future may be more dependent on personally experienced health problems than on medically diagnosed diseases.

Adolescent↗
PubMed1995

Common genetic influences on BMI and age at menarche.

Genetic influences on variability of body weight and onset of menarche are well known. To investigate the genetic and environmental contributions to the association of body weight with onset of menarche, we studied Finnish twins from consecutive birth cohorts (the FinnTwin16 study) ascertained from the national population registry, which identifies nearly 100% of all living twins. Baseline questionnaires were mailed to the twins within 60 days of their sixteenth birthday and later to older sibs of the twins. Pairwise response rates (approximately 85% across gender and zygosity) and 30 months of data collection yielded results from 1283 twin pairs. The questionnaires included a survey of health habits and attitudes, a symptom checklist, MMPI personality scales, and a survey of relationships with parents, peers, and the co-twin. Age at menarche was reported by 468 monozygotic (MZ) girls, 378 girls from like-sex dizygotic (FDZ) pairs, 434 girls from opposite-sex (OSDZ) pairs, and 141 older female sibs of the twins. The one-month test-retest reliability of age at menarche in an independent sample (N = 136) of 16-year-olds from a national survey was 0.96. Girls from OSDZ pairs had a significantly higher mean age at menarche (13.33 yr) than FDZ girls (13.13 yr) (difference, 0.20 yr; 95% confidence interval, 0.05-0.35). The MZ correlation for age at menarche was 0.75, the DZ correlation was 0.31, and the sib-twin correlation was 0.32. A bivariate twin analysis of age at menarche and body mass index (wt/ht2) indicated that 37% of the variance in age at menarche can be attributed to additive genetic effects, 37% to dominance effects, and 26% to unique environmental effects. The correlation between additive genetic effects on age at menarche and body mass index was 0.57, indicating a substantial proportion of genetic effects in common.

Adolescent↗
PubMed1994

Sex differences of infant and child mortality in China.

The purpose of this paper was to study the sex differences in infant mortality and mortality before the age of 5 in China, and the differences between urban and rural areas on the one hand and urban areas of mainland China and Hong Kong on the other. Published data from the 1982 and 1990 national censuses, the mortality survey of 1976, and UN's publications were used to calculate sex differences and sex ratios of mortality. Infant mortality of both sexes decreased notably from the 1970's onwards, the sex ratios of mortality being 1.15 in 1973-75, 1.06 in 1981 and 0.86 in 1990. A remarkable decline of mortality before the age of 5 was also seen in both sexes, but the sex ratios of mortality were not greatly altered, remaining less than 1 from the 1970's on. In rural areas female infants and young children had a higher mortality compared with males than in urban areas. In Hong Kong, the sex differences of infant and early child mortality were much smaller than in urban areas of mainland China.

Child, Preschool↗
PubMed1992

Bar coding--a functional tool in survey research.

STUDY OBJECTIVE: The aim was to assess the value of bar coding, together with developed microcomputer programs, as a tool to speed up mailing and handling of return responses of a survey where over 4000 adolescents received a mailed questionnaire. DESIGN: Bar codes were used for displaying the identification number of a questionnaire, as well as each response alternative and number of the question. These bar codes were read by a wand, a handhold scanner, connected to a microcomputer and the data were automatically entered into a computer data file. RESULTS AND CONCLUSIONS: Compared with previous similar surveys, the use of bar codes did not seem to affect a manner of responding. Bar coding saved human steps in handling of return responses, reduced an error rate, and helped to control the process of work. Bar coding is recommended as a new technical tool for preparations of future large scale surveys.

Attitude to Computers↗
PubMed1989

Respiratory symptoms and low tar cigarette smoking--a longitudinal study on young people.

Longitudinal data on the effect of low tar cigarette smoking on respiratory symptoms was collected from a sample of Finnish young people born in 1966, by mailed questionnaires in 1979, 1983 and 1985. Cough was 3 to 6 times more common than expected after starting smoking low tar brands (1-10 mg tar). The increase in cough was the same as with those who started middle tar cigarette smoking (11-18 mg). Before starting smoking, the low tar cigarette smokers did not report more symptoms than the middle tar or nonsmokers. After a few years smoking cough and phlegm were 2 to 3 times more common in the low tar cigarette smokers than in the non-smokers but on the same level as in the middle tar cigarette smokers. Tar yield was not a significant predictor of symptoms in logistic regression analysis.

Adolescent↗
PubMed1988

Coffee drinking among Finnish youth.

The suggestion that coffee may have negative health effects has made coffee-drinking habits medically interesting. This paper reports upon coffee use among young people and describes how coffee-users differ from non-users. Data comes from questionnaires from representative nationwide samples of 12-18-year-old Finnish youth in 1977-1985. Their coffee use decreased from 1977 to 1985, and the decrease could be seen in all age and socio-demographic groups studied. In 1981, 35% of the girls and 45% of the 12-year-old boys drank coffee daily. For 18-year-olds the corresponding percentages were 67 and 75, and the mean number of cups consumed per day was 2.3 and 3.1. Compared to the non-users, the coffee-users were from lower social classes, lived more often in the countryside, and had poorer school achievement. Health-damaging habits such as smoking were more common among the coffee-users, their perceived health was somewhat poorer, and they seemed to mature earlier. The difference in regard to health disappeared after adjusting for differences in socio-demographic background and health habits. The heavy users (four cups or more a day) usually differed more from the non-users than did the moderate users (one to three cups daily).

Adolescent↗
PubMed1984

Use of fluorides by Finnish adolescents.

According to the recommendations of the National Board of Health in Finland fluoride tablets should be used daily from the age of 6 months to 15 yr in fluoride deficient areas. Topical fluorides are recommended in addition to systemic fluorides. The aim of this study was to analyze the use of fluoride tablets and topical fluorides by Finnish adolescents. Teenagers (n = 4705) representing Finnish youth aged 12, 14, 16 and 18 yr were sent mail questionnaires in February 1981. The response rate was 88%. The proportion of daily fluoride tablet users was 12% among 12-yr-old girls, 3% among 14-yr-old girls and among boys 10% and 4%, respectively. Fluoride rinses at home were used daily by only 1%. During the most recent school term, 34% had several times, and 8% once, participated in classroom fluoride rinsing. In the same period 14% had used fluoride gel several times, and 10% once. Thus despite dental health education, fluoride tablets and rinses are used very rarely at home by Finnish teenagers. The recommendations of the National Board of Health are far removed from the behavior of adolescents. Use of fluoride tablets and topical fluorides do not seem to be a practical alternative to drinking-water fluoridation, because of the low level of compliance.

Adolescent↗
PubMedDate not supplied

Pubertal timing and educational careers: a longitudinal study.

BACKGROUND: Pubertal timing is related to several dimensions of adolescent development. No studies concern its associations with educational careers. AIM: To investigate whether pubertal timing predicts attained educational level and how school achievement, educational track and sociodemographic background in adolescence mediate this relationship. SUBJECTS AND METHODS: Survey data (1981, 1983, 1985) from samples of 12-16-year-old Finns (n = 7674) were linked with the respondents' attained education in 1998 (ages 27-33). Ages of menarche and of first ejaculation were indicators of pubertal timing. RESULTS: Among boys who by age 16 had experienced early, average or late pubertal timing, 13%, 12%, and 6% reached upper tertiary educational level, respectively. Boys with early or average puberty often came from high social strata and selected educational tracks with good prospects. In girls, sociodemographic factors rather than pubertal timing predicted attained educational level. CONCLUSIONS: Early or average onset of puberty plays a role in dividing boys into educational tracks after compulsory schooling. Support should be given to boys, whose delayed pubertal development makes them immature to making appropriate educational decisions and to boys who may have experienced early puberty but fail to exploit educational opportunities available for them.

Adolescent↗