Diminishing regional contrasts? The East–West-divide in health behaviour among Finnish adolescents

Karvonen, J. T.; Rimpelä, Arja

doi:10.1016/s1353-8292(98)00008-2

Cited by 8 publications

(8 citation statements)

References 14 publications

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“…For example, cultural and religious factors in Northern Finland differ from those of the rest of the country, which may affect the role and effects of lifestyle variables in health production. However, according to a recent study among Finnish adolescents, the regional differences in health behaviour reflect more socio-economic variation than cultural factors [31]. For example, adolescents' smoking and physical activity were determined merely by individual characteristics, and of those behaviours (drinking and diet) that where influenced by socioeconomic context (i.e.…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Health, schooling and lifestyle among young adults in Finland

et al. 2006

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SummaryThis was a longitudinal, general population study based on a Northern Finland 1966 Birth Cohort, using a structural equation approach to estimate the health production function and health input functions for four lifestyle variables (smoking, alcohol consumption, exercise and unhealthy diet) for males and females. In particular, we examined the productive and allocative effects of education on health. We used 15D, a generic measure of healthrelated quality of life, as a single index score measure but we also estimated models for some of its dimensions. Among the males, the important factors impacting on health were education and all the four lifestyle factors, as well as some exogenous variables at 31 years and variables describing parents' background, and health and behaviour at 14 years. An increase of five years in schooling increased the health score by 0.008, of which about 50% was due to direct effect and 50% due to indirect effects. Among the females, education does not impact on health, but health was affected by the use of alcohol, exercise and diet, but not by smoking.Our results indicate that policy options that increase education among men will increase their health indirectly via healthier lifestyles. However, since the total effect was rather modest and the direct effect insignificant, an increase of schooling is not a cost-effective way to increase health given the present high educational level of Finland. The young adults' and particularly women's internationally high educational status in Finland might be a reason why we find only a modest effect of schooling on health and the non-existence of such effects among women.

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Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Health, schooling and lifestyle among young adults in Finland

et al. 2006

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“…A series of studies conducted in Finland in the 1990s revealed significant variations in health behaviors. 8-11 The study by Karvonen et al 8 found that modernization played an important role in regional differences in adolescent smoking. Torsten et al 9 documented the influence of religiousness on the regional differences in alcohol drinking.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…Torsten et al 9 documented the influence of religiousness on the regional differences in alcohol drinking. Karvonen and Rimpelä 10 found that socioregional context is a determinant of adolescents’ health behavior in Finland and discussed measures to diminish regional contrasts. The study by Kemptner et al 12 in Bavaria found consistent links between behavioral risk factors and regional differences in mortality.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Regional Differences in Smoking, Drinking, and Physical Activities of Chinese Residents

Wang

Chen

et al. 2012

Asia Pac J Public Health

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“…Earlier Finnish studies on the regional variation in adolescent health behaviours have found that the regional differences were, to some extent, explained by the socioeconomic structures of the regions. 23 24 Finland has a Swedish speaking population that makes up 6% of the total population and is concentrated in the western and south western coast and the islands as well as in the capital Helsinki and in some locations in the surrounding Uusimaa region. Earlier studies have revealed that they have higher life expectancy and they remain active in working life longer than their Finnish speaking compatriots, the differences being astonishingly large for a highly monocultural and egalitarian society like Finland.…”

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confidence: 99%