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At least 109 records · Page 6Linked to original sources
PubMed1999

Quit and Win campaigns as a long-term anti-smoking intervention in North Karelia and other parts of Finland.

OBJECTIVE: To evaluate Quit and Win campaigns repeated in North Karelia and rest of Finland. DESIGN: Repeated comparisons of participation rates, abstinence rates, and other measures between North Karelia and the rest of Finland. SUBJECTS: Adult daily smokers in Finland participating in the Quit and Win contests in 1986-1997. INTERVENTIONS: Quit and Win smoking cessation campaigns targeted at adult daily smokers throughout Finland in 1986, 1989, 1994, 1996, and 1997, including more intensive activities in North Karelia. MAIN OUTCOME MEASURES: Participation rates, self reported six-month abstinence rates, other effectiveness measures (% of smokers who attended, intended, tried, and succeeded in cessation). RESULTS: North Karelia's participation rates were significantly higher in each campaign compared with the rest of Finland. The abstinence rates in North Karelia were also higher, the difference being significant in 1986 and 1994 (p < 0.05). In the target population in 1996 over 75% of smokers in North Karelia, compared with 40% of smokers surveyed elsewhere, reported awareness of the campaign (p < 0.001). Approximately 9% of the smokers in North Karelia and 6% elsewhere intended to participate (p = NS). Over 2% in North Karelia, compared with less than 1% elsewhere, tried to quit (p < 0.001). Among the targeted group, 0.3% of North Karelian smokers were complete abstainers throughout the 12 months of follow up, compared with an average of 0.1% in other areas (p < 0.001). CONCLUSIONS: The Quit and Win campaign is a feasible cessation method in long-term community-wide programmes. Intensified community activities are associated with higher success. In repeat campaigns, high participation and abstinence rates can be maintained.

Adolescent↗
PubMed2000

International Quit and Win 1996: comparative evaluation study in China and Finland.

OBJECTIVES: To compare background and process variables, as well as follow up status, of the participants in the International Quit and Win '96 contests of China and Finland, and analyse factors contributing to sustained maintenance. DESIGN: A standardised 12 month follow up was conducted in both countries with random samples of participants. The sample sizes were 3119 in China and 1448 in Finland, with response rates of 91.2% and 65.2%, respectively. INTERVENTIONS: The International Quit and Win '96 contest was the second coordinated, multinational smoking cessation campaign targeted at adult daily smokers. Altogether 25 countries participated, including China with 15 000 and Finland with 6000 smokers registered. MAIN OUTCOME MEASURES: Conservative (considering all non-respondents relapsed) and non-conservative (based on respondents only) estimates were calculated for one month abstinence, 12 month continuous abstinence, and point abstinence at the time point of follow up. RESULTS: Great differences were found in the background and process variables, as well as in the outcome measures. At one year follow up, the conservative continuous abstinence rates show that the Chinese participants maintained their abstinence better (38%) compared to the Finnish ones (12%). In China women reached higher abstinence rate (50%) than men (36%), whereas in Finland men achieved a better result (14%) than women (9%). CONCLUSIONS: The Quit and Win contest is a mass smoking cessation method feasible in countries showing great variance in smoking habits and rates. However, in countries with different stages of anti-smoking development, such as China and Finland, different practical implementation strategies may be needed.

Adolescent↗
PubMed2002

Nationwide prevalence of sporadic and familial idiopathic pulmonary fibrosis: evidence of founder effect among multiplex families in Finland.

BACKGROUND: The prevalence of sporadic and familial idiopathic pulmonary fibrosis (IPF) cases in Finland was evaluated according to the revised recommendations of the American Thoracic Society. METHODS: All Finnish pulmonary clinics (n=29) were included in the primary screening. Hospital data bases were used to identify patients with the diagnosis "alveolitis fibroticans idiopathica" (J84.1 in ICD-10 classification). The total number of patients with IPF was extrapolated based on the evaluation of random samples of case records in different centres. Families with more than one potentially affected member were identified from a questionnaire study and the diagnosis was verified from the medical records. RESULTS: Using this approach, the nationwide prevalence of IPF in Finland was estimated to be 16-18/100 000. In 90% of the patients lung involvement was assessed by high resolution computed tomographic (HRCT) scanning and in 31% a surgical biopsy specimen was available, further confirming the diagnosis. Seventeen multiplex families with 2-5 affected family members were identified, giving a prevalence of 5.9/million for familial IPF in Finland. Both multiplex and sporadic families were clustered in Eastern Finland. This clustering reflects the demographic history of Finland in the 16th century and suggests that multiplex families may share a common ancestor in the last 20-25 generations. CONCLUSION: The familial form explained 3.3-3.7% of all Finnish cases of IPF diagnosed according to the revised international guidelines. Geographical clustering of multiplex families suggests a recent founder effect in patients with familial IPF.

Aged↗
PubMed2004

Continuous 15-year decrease in incidence and mortality of stroke in Finland: the FINSTROKE study.

BACKGROUND AND PURPOSE: The purpose of this study was to analyze the incidence and mortality trends in stroke events among persons 25 to 74 years of age in Finland during 1983 to 1997. METHODS: The population-based FINSTROKE register recorded 5650 new strokes among persons 25 to 74 years of age in 2 geographical areas of Finland: 2770 in the Kuopio area (east central Finland) and 2880 in Turku (southwestern Finland). Of these, 3065 were men and 2585 were women. RESULTS: The rates of acute stroke events fell during the whole study period in both men and women. In both FINSTROKE areas combined, the average annual decline in the age-standardized incidence of first stroke events was 2.0% (95% confidence interval [CI], -2.8 to -1.2; P<0.001) among men and 1.7% (95% CI, -2.6 to -0.8; P<0.001) among women. The decline in the incidence of ischemic stroke was even steeper, 2.9%/y (95% CI, -4.9 to -1.1; P<0.001) among men and 3.1%/y (95% CI, -5.0 to -1.1; P<0.001) among women, whereas the incidence of intracerebral hemorrhage and subarachnoid hemorrhage did not change. Mortality from all stroke events declined in the FINSTROKE areas by 3.7%/y (95% CI, -5.3 to -2.0; P<0.001) among men and by 4.1%/y (95% CI, -5.9 to -2.4; P<0.001) among women. The 28-day case fatality of all stroke events also tended to decline, but the decline was of borderline statistical significance only (P=0.07 among men, P=0.05 among women). CONCLUSIONS: Incidence and mortality of stroke events declined significantly in these 2 register areas in Finland during the 15-year period of 1983 to 1997.

Adult↗
PubMedDate not supplied

Trends in stomach cancer and stroke in Finland. Comparison to northwest Europe and USA.

The mortality rates of stomach cancer and stroke were found to decrease in a similar way over a given time in different countries. The same phenomenon can be observed in Finland for both sexes. Salt is suggested to be the linking factor in the stroke-stomach cancer relationship. Recent studies indicate that salt intake in Finland is very high. Actual salt consumption levels are in Finland as high as they were in Belgium 15 years ago. The same observations can be made for cerebrovascular and stomach cancer mortality, making the salt hypothesis plausible. In contrast from 1972-73 on stroke mortality decreases faster than stomach cancer mortality. This could be observed in other western countries: USA, Austria, England and Wales, Belgium, West Germany, etc. The steeper decline may be the consequence of mass drug treatment of hypertension which started in Finland during the early years of 1970's, and also the consequence of changes in dietary habits, especially in fat intake in Finland.

Aged↗
PubMed1993

Stroke mortality and case-fatality rates in three geographic areas of Finland from 1983 to 1986.

BACKGROUND AND PURPOSE: Our aim was to describe the mortality and early case-fatality rates of stroke in three geographic areas of Finland during 1983 to 1986 by means of a community-based stroke register and to estimate the accuracy of registration of stroke deaths in the official statistics compared with the FINMONICA stroke register. METHODS: Annual and average mortality and case-fatality rates of stroke were derived from data collected in the FINMONICA stroke register during 1983 to 1986. Age-specific and age-standardized rates were calculated for the three areas, and the results were compared with the official mortality statistics and with the case-fatality figures published previously in the literature for Finland and elsewhere. RESULTS: Mortality from stroke in the three FINMONICA areas was between 73 and 90 per 100,000 per year among men aged 25 to 74 years and between 42 and 55 per 100,000 per year among women in the same age group. Average case-fatality was similar in the three areas and globally high: 20% to 27% in men and 24% to 28% in women. Approximately half of the fatal strokes occurred within less than 2 days from the onset of the attack, and a further 25% within the first week. Hemorrhagic strokes accounted for 54% to 81% of all fatal strokes occurring in less than 2 days among men, while among women the corresponding proportions varied in the three areas between 35% and 74%. Of cerebral infarctions, approximately 28% to 37% among men and 19% to 20% among women were fatal within less than 2 days. Although the number of fatal strokes was similar in both the FINMONICA register and official mortality statistics, only 82% to 85% of the stroke cases were common in both registers; a further 13% to 14% of the cases classified as stroke deaths in the FINMONICA register could also be found in the official mortality statistics, but the underlying cause of death was something other than stroke. CONCLUSIONS: The reliability of the Finnish official mortality statistics with regard to stroke deaths is reasonably good in aggregate numbers, but at the individual level considerable discrepancies seem to occur. Mortality from stroke in Finland has not declined further after 1979 and remains high internationally. Early case-fatality of stroke also seems higher in Finland than in most other countries. We believe that both the high incidence of stroke and the severity of the attacks are contributing to mortality and case-fatality rates of stroke in Finland.

Adult↗
PubMed2004

Age and meanings of violence: women's experiences of partner violence in Finland.

The first survey carried out in Finland specifically to study men's violence against women showed that partner violence is quite common in Finland and it is directed especially toward young women. The statistical findings don't support the idea that violence has become more widespread in Finland. Life situation factors that are usually viewed as making women vulnerable to spousal violence, such as having children, cohabiting, low educational level, and financial dependency on the male partner, failed to explain partnership violence against women in Finland as such, too. The author's objective is to find out whether meanings of violence have changed and whether this could be one reason why young women report in a survey such cases of violence that other women would not. This could explain why violence in partnerships is so common among young women in Finland.

Adolescent↗
PubMed1999

Individual differences in adolescent religiosity in Finland: familial effects are modified by sex and region of residence.

Data from 16-year-old Finnish twin pairs were used to estimate familial effects on religiosity and the modification of those effects by sex and residential region. The sample of 2265 twin boys and 2521 twin girls formed 779 monozygotic and 1614 dizygotic pairs, 785 of the same sex and 829 of opposite sex. We compared religiosity scores of twins living in more rural and traditional northern Finland with those living in the more urban and secular southern region. Girls had higher religiosity scores than did boys, and twins living in northern Finland had higher religiosity scores than those resident in southern Finland. Correlations for monozygotic twins were slightly higher than those for dizygotic twins, and covariance modeling found modest heritability of religiosity [11% (95% CI 0-24) for girls; 22% (95% CI 6-38) for boys], and substantial shared environmental effects [60% (95% CI 49-69) and 45% (95% CI 31-57)] among girls and boys, respectively. The correlation between shared environmental effects in boys and girls was estimated to be 0.84 (95% CI 0.73-0.99). In analyses distinguishing region of residence, girls living in southern Finland were found to have significantly higher unshared environmental effects than girls in northern Finland, while boys living in the urban south appeared to have lower shared environmental effects, and higher additive genetic effects, than boys living in the rural north.

Adolescent↗
PubMed2007

Signs of beta-cell autoimmunity in nondiabetic schoolchildren: a comparison between Russian Karelia with a low incidence of type 1 diabetes and Finland with a high incidence rate.

OBJECTIVE: We sought to study the prevalence of autoantibodies to various islet cell antigens in the background population of two neighboring countries with a sixfold difference in the incidence of type 1 diabetes. RESEARCH DESIGN AND METHODS: Serum samples were obtained from 3,652 nondiabetic schoolchildren in Finland and from 1,988 schoolchildren in the adjacent Karelian Republic of Russia. The Karelian children were divided into three groups (Finns/Karelians, Russians, and others) based on the ethnic background of their mother. The samples were analyzed for islet cell antibodies (ICAs), insulin autoantibodies (IAAs), GAD antibodies (GADAs), and the tyrosine phosphatase-like insulinoma antigen 2 (IA-2A) protein and HLA class II genotypes. RESULTS: The frequency of ICAs, IAAs, and GADAs did not differ significantly between the Karelian (3.5, 0.6, and 0.9%, respectively) and Finnish children (2.8, 0.9, and 0.5%, respectively). Similarly, the frequency of multiple (> or = 2) autoantibodies was similar in both countries (0.5 vs. 0.6%). The frequency of IA-2A was, however, four times higher in Finland (0.6 vs. 0.15% in Russian Karelia; P = 0.03). There were no significant differences in autoantibody prevalence among the three ethnic groups in Russian Karelia. There was a falling frequency of GADAs and of positivity for multiple autoantibodies along with decreasing HLA-conferred disease susceptibility among the Finnish schoolchildren. CONCLUSIONS: These data indicate that beta-cell autoimmunity among schoolchildren is as frequent in Russian Karelia as in Finland, although the incidence of clinical type 1 diabetes is six times higher in Finland. However, in contrast to this general trend, IA-2As were more common in Finland. Since IA-2As usually appear late in the preclinical process, this suggests that progressive beta-cell autoimmunity is more rare in Russian Karelia.

Adolescent↗
PubMed1998

Comparison of the seasonal pattern in the clinical onset of IDDM in Finland and Sardinia.

OBJECTIVE: To examine the seasonal pattern for the clinical onset of IDDM in Finland and Sardinia, two areas where the incidence of IDDM is the highest in the world, and to determine the effect of climate and temperature on the clinical onset of IDDM. RESEARCH DESIGN AND METHODS: Analysis of seasonality for the diagnosis of IDDM was based on 1,405 cases in Finland and 425 cases in Sardinia diagnosed at < or = 14 years of age from 1989 to 1992. The average annual incidence of IDDM was 36.4/100,000 in Finland and 34.4/100,000 in Sardinia. Seasonal patterns were estimated presenting the data as short Fourier series up to three harmonics together with a possible linear trend. Likelihood ratio tests and Akaike's information criterion were used to determine the number of harmonics necessary to model the seasonal pattern. Seasonal patterns in both countries were compared between sexes and between the three 5-year age-groups, each controlling for the other's effect. RESULTS: In both countries, a significant seasonal pattern during a calendar year was found for the sexes combined and for two age-groups (0-9 and 10-14 years). In Sardinia, two distinct cycles were found in the younger age-group, with a decreased incidence during May through August and an increased incidence during the autumn months. Two cycles were apparent in the older age-group, with the nadir occurring during June through September. In Finland, one cycle was found in the younger age-group, with a decreased incidence in June. In the older age-group, there were two distinct cycles, with a decreased incidence in June and in the September through December period. CONCLUSIONS: Differences between Finland and Sardinia in the seasonal pattern for the incidence of newly diagnosed IDDM cannot be explained by differences in climate, temperature, a longer warm period in Sardinia, or other climatic phenomena. The results do not provide evidence in favor of a specific viral etiology of IDDM. It may be suggested that there are triggering events at certain times, but they are likely to be unspecific. Nevertheless, why the incidence of IDDM in these two populations is equally high despite differences in climate, environment, and genetic background remains an unsolved question.

Adolescent↗
PubMed2000

Mortality in patients with childhood-onset type 1 diabetes in Finland, Estonia, and Lithuania: follow-up of nationwide cohorts.

OBJECTIVE: To assess mortality of population-based cohorts of childhood-onset type 1 diabetic patients from the Eastern European countries of Estonia and Lithuania and compare this information with recent data from Finland. RESEARCH DESIGN AND METHODS: Estonian (n = 518) and Finnish (n = 5,156) type 1 diabetic cohorts were diagnosed between 1980 and 1994, and the Lithuanian (n = 698) cohort was diagnosed between 1983 and 1994. The mortality of these cohorts was determined in 1995. Life-table analysis, Cox survival analysis with covariates, and standardized mortality ratios (SMRs) were used. Causes of death were analyzed. RESULTS: Survival after 10 years duration of type 1 diabetes was similar in Estonia (94.3%) and Lithuania (94.0%), but much higher in Finland (99.1%). In the Cox survival analysis with covariates, the country of origin and age at diagnosis were found to be significant predictors of mortality. The SMR for the Estonian cohort was 4.35 (95% CI 2.25-7.61), the highest for the Lithuanian cohort was 7.55 (4.89-11.15), and the lowest for the Finnish cohort was 1.62 (1.10-2.28). The most common cause of death in Estonia and Lithuania was diabetic ketoacidosis (DKA), and in Finland, it was violent causes. No deaths from late complications of diabetes have been documented so far in any of the three countries. CONCLUSIONS: Our results demonstrate a high rate of short-term deaths due to DKA and inferior survival of childhood-onset type 1 diabetic patients in Estonia and Lithuania compared with Finland. In Finland, the survival of childhood-onset type 1 diabetic patients has improved and is only slightly inferior to that of the background population.

Adolescent↗
PubMed2003

Long-term mortality in nationwide cohorts of childhood-onset type 1 diabetes in Japan and Finland.

OBJECTIVE: This study compares mortality from type 1 diabetes in Japan and Finland and examines the effects of sex, age at diagnosis, and calendar time period of diagnosis on mortality. RESEARCH DESIGN AND METHODS: Patients with type 1 diabetes from Japan (n = 1,408) and Finland (n = 5,126), diagnosed from 1965 through 1979, at age <18 years, were followed until 1994. Mortality was estimated with and without adjustment for that of the general population to assess absolute and relative mortality using Cox proportional hazard models. RESULTS: Overall mortality rates in Japan and Finland were 607 (95% CI 510-718) and 352 (315-393), respectively, per 100,000 person-years; standardized mortality ratios were 12.9 (10.8-15.3) and 3.7 (3.3-4.1), respectively. Absolute mortality was higher for men than for women in Finland, but relative mortality was higher for women than for men in both cohorts. Absolute mortality was higher in both cohorts among those whose diabetes was diagnosed during puberty, but relative mortality did not show any significant difference by age at diagnosis in either cohort. In Japan, both absolute and relative mortality were higher among those whose diagnosis was in the 1960s rather than the 1970s. CONCLUSIONS: Mortality from type 1 diabetes was higher in Japan compared with Finland. The increased risk of death from type 1 diabetes seems to vary by sex, age at diagnosis, and calendar time period of diagnosis. Further investigation, especially on cause-specific mortality, is warranted in the two countries.

Age of Onset↗
PubMed1998

Role of known risk factors in explaining the difference in the risk of coronary heart disease between eastern and southwestern Finland.

We analysed to what extent cardiovascular risk factors may explain the observed difference in the risk of coronary heart disease (CHD) between two areas with markedly different CHD incidence. The study included 7049 men aged 25-64 years who had participated in a baseline survey in 1982 or in 1987 in the Kuopio and North Karelia provinces of eastern Finland and in the Turku-Loimaa region of southwestern Finland. During the baseline surveys the following factors were determined: smoking, blood pressure, cholesterol, high-density lipoprotein cholesterol, diabetes, height, body mass index, family history of CHD and socioeconomic status. The cohorts were followed for coronary events until the end of 1994. CHD risk was about 40% higher in eastern than in southwestern Finland. The levels of most of the measured risk factors were also higher in eastern Finland. Differences in risk factor levels explained about 40% of the excess CHD risk in eastern Finland. The impact of the classical risk factors, such as smoking, cholesterol and blood pressure, on the regional difference was smaller than expected. Single risk factor measurements in our population surveys, however, may not have correctly reflected the long-term exposure of individuals to these risk factors, particularly because the surveys were carried out within a period during which these risk factors were undergoing favourable changes in the Finnish population. In addition to the classical risk factors, regional differences in body height and socioeconomic status were associated with the regional differences in CHD risk.

Adult↗
PubMed2001

[Frans Johan Rabbe: the father of the history of medicine in Finland].

F. J. Rabbe is the one who can be regarded as the real father of the history of medicine in Finland and who also was a member of the Medical Board. It was Rabbe who already in 1843 wrote the first paper on the history of different types of hospitals such as the leper hospitals, the county hospitals, the hospitals for veneral diseases as well as the military and psychiatric hospitals which gradually had been established in Finland since the middle of the 14th century. Rabbe also collected and published all the medical laws and decrees issued in Finland between 1683 and 1845. Later Rabbe published a lot of different statistical material on medical conditions in Finland as well as biographies of medical doctors. He also made a comprehensive work on the history of medicine in Finland, about 3000 handwritten pages, which unfortunately only has been saved as a manuscript and has not been published(5).

Finland↗
PubMed2003

Timing and effect of fissure sealants on permanent molars: a study in Finland and Sweden.

Fissure sealants are frequently used in the Nordic countries for the prevention of caries in children. The aim here was to analyse their use and effect on dental health in children and adolescents in Finland and Sweden. A retrospective longitudinal population-based study was performed in northern Finland and Sweden, where different strategies have been adopted for sealing teeth. The timing of sealant and restoration placements up to 18 years was studied in representative samples of subjects born in the early 1980s in Kemi, Oulu, Raahe and Tornio in Finland (n = 908) and compared with a random sample of subjects from Norrbotten, Sweden (n = 634). A sensitive survival analysis method was applied to all the permanent molars separately (Virtanen et al. 1996). About 80-90% of molars had been sealed in the Finnish subjects, and approximately 30% in the Swedish cases, employing selective criteria. The filling increments were statistically significantly higher in Sweden than in Finland, although the differences were not of the same magnitude as the reduction in sealants. More than 30% of first molars and 50% of second molars had not been treated, i.e. were without sealants or fillings, by the end of the follow-up in Sweden, compared with 10% and 20%, respectively, in Finland. Fissure sealants were effective in preventing caries in molars in children and adolescents, and the use of selective criteria for targeting this treatment can yield savings in effort and costs in a low caries situation, although more research is needed to find the optimum cost-effective strategy.

Adolescent↗
PubMed1988

Effect of selenium supplementation to fertilizers on the selenium status of the population in different parts of Finland.

Concentrations of selenium in the soil are very low in most regions in Finland, which explains the low selenium contents of agricultural plants and the low dietary intake of selenium. The poor selenium status of the population in Finland has been considered a possible risk to public health. In 1984, it was decided to increase the selenium intake by adding selenate to common agricultural fertilizers. In this study, the selenium concentrations of whole blood and plasma, as well as erythrocyte glutathione peroxidase activities, were measured in blood samples from four different localities in Finland, in 1984 and 1986, before and during the agricultural selenium supplementation. A low blood level of selenium in the inhabitants of central Finland was demonstrated in 1984. The selenium level of people from the south-west archipelago was a little higher, and that from the northern part of Finland considerably higher than the level in the rest of the country. By 1986, differences between these localities had almost disappeared, and most levels had increased. Plasma selenium concentrations were lower than those in whole blood samples; the concentrations showed a significant correlation. The glutathione peroxidase activities were at the same level in all four localities in 1984. By 1986, they had all increased to a slightly higher level. A weak correlation was found between erythrocyte glutathione peroxidase activity and blood selenium level.

Adult↗
PubMed1983

Epidemiologic background for the need of rotavirus vaccine in Finland. Preliminary experience of RIT 4237 strain of live attenuated rotavirus vaccine in adults.

Epidemiologic evidence from Finland indicates a dramatic change in the seasonal pattern of acute diarrhoea over the past 30 years. While in the 1950's the majority of cases occurred in late summer the seasonal peak in the 1970's was in winter and spring, coinciding with the prevalence of rotavirus infections. It is not possible to determine retrospectively the aetiologic agents involved in the summer diarrhoea, but EPEC may have been one of them, as EPEC are quite rare in Finland today compared to the 1950's. Another change over the time period is a shift in the age distribution of acute diarrhoea from neonates towards older infants. Rotavirus is today associated with approximately 50% of the cases of acute diarrhoea in children in Finland. Based on experience in one Central Hospital it was estimated that the treatment of rotavirus infections may require some 7300 hospital days in Finland annually, which figure is comparable to that of mumps. As a recent cost-benefit analysis in Finland indicated that a mumps vaccination programme would be economically quite efficacious, the same could be assumed to be true for rotavirus vaccination, provided that an effective and safe vaccine was available. In a preliminary trial of RIT 4237 strain of live attenuated rotavirus vaccine in 20 healthy adult volunteers no clinical symptoms and no excretion of vaccine virus were observed. Rotavirus ELISA antibody booster response was found in 1/20 vaccinees.

Adult↗
PubMed1994

Vibration exposure and prevention in Finland.

The number of annually compensated occupational diseases due to exposure to hand-arm vibration (HAV) has decreased during the last 15 years. The number of exposed workers has been declining in Finland, especially in forestry work, as harvesters have increasingly replaced manual chain saw operations. During the entire 1970s, forest work caused more cases of vibration-induced occupational diseases than all industrial branches together. The decrease is mainly due to the technical development of chain saws, but also to the effective health care services in Finland. Other factors such as warm transport, warm rest cabins in which to take pauses at work, warm meals, adequate protective clothing, and vocationally adjusted early medical rehabilitation have helped to cut down health hazards, especially in forest work. The number of new cases has been decreasing in Finland not only in forestry but also in other industries. In Finland a considerable amount of research has been conducted to hand-arm vibration, resulting in the increased awareness of the health risks related to certain occupations. This has helped to carry out the Primary Health Care Act (1972) followed by the Occupational Health Care Act (1979) which obligates employers to arrange occupational health care for their employees. We believe that the research activity has contributed significantly to achieving the present health in Finnish work places. The purpose of the present paper is to describe the cases of occupational exposure to HAV, and the effectiveness of different preventive measures in Finland.

Finland↗