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  • Pohto, Essi (2019)
    Teknologiaa on viime vuosikymmeninä alettu yhä enenevässä määrin käyttää kielitaidon arvioinnissa. Tämä trendi on havaittavissa myös Suomessa, jossa ylioppilaskokeiden sähköistyminen on viime vuosina puhuttanut paljon. Kielten ylioppilaskokeisiin on kaavailtu kirjallisen kokeen oheen myös suullista osiota, joka olisi tarkoitus toteuttaa lähivuosina sähköisenä. Tämä tutkielma pyrkii ottamaan selvää siitä, onko lukiolaisten suullisessa tuotannossa eroja riippuen siitä, suorittavatko he kokeen kasvotusten arvioijan kanssa vai tietokoneen avulla. Tutkielma pyrkii lisäksi selvittämään, millaisia asenteita ja mielipiteitä lukiolaisilla on eri suoritusmuodoista. Tutkimukseen osallistui 15 opiskelijaa yhdestä pääkaupunkiseudun lukiosta. He suorittivat ensin kasvokkain tehtävän kokeen ja kolmen viikon kuluttua tietokonepohjaisen kokeen. Tulosten verrattavuuden vuoksi kokeet suunniteltiin siten, että ne ovat mahdollisimman samanlaiset. Molemmat kokeet koostuivat neljästä eri tehtävästä. Opiskelijoiden suoritettua kokeet heitä pyydettiin vastaamaan kyselyyn, jonka tarkoituksena oli selvittää, kummasta koemuodosta he pitivät enemmän ja miksi ja kummassa he kokivat pystyvänsä antamaan paremman näytön suullisesta kielitaidostaan. Ryhmähaastatteluissa opiskelijoita pyydettiin täydentämään kyselyssä antamiaan vastauksia, minkä jälkeen keskustelu eteni suullisen kielitaidon testaamiseen ja kokeiden sähköistymiseen liittyviin kysymyksiin. Opiskelijoiden suoritukset kahdessa eri koemuodossa litteroitiin, jonka jälkeen transkriptiot analysoitiin sekä kvantitatiivisin että kvalitatiivisin menetelmin. Suorituksissa verrattiin oikeakielisyyden (accuracy), kieliopillisen sekä sanastollisen kompleksisuuden (complexity) sekä sujuvuuden (fluency) näkökulmista. Kyselyvastaukset käytiin läpi kysymys kerrallaan ja haastatteluista litteroitiin ne osat, jotka olivat analyysin kannalta merkityksellisiä. Tulokset osoittavat, että lukiolaisten suullisessa tuottamisessa on eroja eri koemuodoissa, mutta nämä erot jäivät pieniksi. Tutkimuksen pohjalta on kuitenkin mahdotonta päätellä, johtuvatko erot koemuodosta vai joistakin muista seikoista. Lukiolaiset tuottivat keskimäärin virheettömämpää englantia kasvokkain suoritettavassa kokeessa, ja osallistujat pitivät kyseisessä kokeessa vähemmän taukoja. Suuri osa opiskelijoista kuitenkin tuotti kompleksisempaa puhetta tietokonepohjaisessa kokeessa. Yksilöllisiä eroja oli tosin havaittavissa jokaisen mittarin kohdalla. Tutkimuksen tuloksista selvisi myös, että osallistujat suosivat kasvokkain suoritettavaa koemuotoa sen vuorovaikutuksellisuuden vuoksi. He pystyivät mielestään myös antamaan siinä paremman näytön suullisesta kielitaidostaan, kokivat sen olevan helpompi ja olivat vähemmän hermostuneita sitä suorittaessaan. Tätä aihetta tulee tutkia jatkossa enemmän erityisesti siksi, että suullisen kielitaidon testaamisella on suuret vaikutukset kielten ylioppilaskirjoituksiin, mikäli suullinen osio lisätään ja se suoritetaan tietokonekokeena.
  • Niskanen, Riikka (2016)
    Introduction: Working conditions have not only been found to impact work ability and productivity, but the overall health of employees. The working environment is a relevant health factor for a considerable part of the population. In research, work-related mental strain has been associated with body weight change, yet no causal relationship can be confirmed based on the existing evidence. Of the psychosocial factors, low job control, as well as both high and low job demands have been associated with weight gain. Most of the research so far has been done with cross-sectional data; long-term follow-ups are scarce and only little research has been done on the association between changing working conditions and body weight change. Aim: The general aim of this study was to examine the association between changes in psychosocial working conditions and body weight change among midlife women and men. The association between two psychosocial work characteristics, job demands and job control, and weight gain during the follow-up was examined in a cohort study among the employees of the City of Helsinki in Finland. The main research question was: (i) Is change in job demands and job control associated with major weight gain during a 10- to 12-year follow-up period among midlife employees? In addition, the contribution of several background and lifestyle factors were taken into account. Especially the contribution of baseline BMI-status, dietary habits and leisure-time physical activity to the association between psychosocial working conditions and major weight gain was studied. Methods: The data were collected from a mail survey among the employees of the City of Helsinki in 2000–2002, 2007 and 2012. The study sample consisted of employees who were 40, 45, 50, 55 and 60 years old at the beginning of the survey in 2000–2002. Exclusion criterions were BMI <18.5kg/m2 in phase 1, retiring before phase 2, and drop out before phase 3. Hence, the final study sample (n=4,630) consisted 52% of the original study population, of which 83% were women. Psychosocial working conditions were assessed with a validated Job Content Questionnaire (JCQ) by Karasek and Theorell in phase 1 and 2. Weight change was assessed between phases 1 and 3, and major weight gain was defined as at least 10% weight gain during that time period. Dietary habits were assessed using a 20-item Food Frequency questionnaire (FFQ). Based on the current national dietary recommendations, nine food habits were chosen and their usage frequency was used as a determinant of healthy food habits. Leisure time physical activity was assessed with metabolic equivalent tasks (METs). Logistic regression analysis was used to examine the associations between changing job demands, job control, and major weight gain. All the analyses were stratified by gender. In addition, further stratification was made by the baseline BMI. Results: Weight gain was common among the study population. Major weight gain was observed among 27% of women and 15% of men. A weak association between change in job demands and major weight gain was found among both genders. Among women, the risk of major weight gain was higher among those who reported persistent high job demands (OR 1.22 95% CI 1.02–1.48 full adjusted model) compared with those with persistent low job demands. Among men, in contrast, the risk was higher among those who reported decreased job demands compared with those who reported persistent low job demands (OR 1.80 95% CI 1.02–3.16 full adjusted model). When further stratified by the BMI in phase 1, the risk was higher only among overweight or obese women, whereas among men the increase in risk was seen among both normal weight and overweight or obese participants. Dietary habits and leisure time physical activity did not affect the association of changing psychosocial working conditions with major weight gain. However, they had a minor own effect on the risk. Change in job control was not associated with the risk of major weight gain. Conclusions: The study shows that change in job demands is weakly associated with major weight gain. Future research is needed especially among other employers than municipalities, and especially among men. Changing working conditions should be studied with shorter follow-up periods, while taking into account also the role of social support at the workplace.
  • Syrjälä, Iina (2020)
    Objectives: This study examines the association between childhood attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) symptoms with executive functions (EF) in adulthood by using Boston Qualitative Scoring System (BQSS) analysis of the Rey-Osterrieth Complex Figure (ROCF). In addition, correlations between the BQSS EF scores and self-reported EF difficulties on the Behaviour Rating Inventory of Executive Function- Adult version (BRIEF-A) are explored. ADHD is a developmental disorder diagnostically defined by symptoms of inattention and hyperactivity/impulsivity, in addition to which it has a component related to EF. The symptoms can persist into adulthood and they can affect daily functioning even if the full diagnostic criteria are no longer met. Methods: This study is part of a larger longitudinal cohort study of children with perinatal risk factors and their healthy peers. The children have been studied at multiple points during their lives since their birth. Those participants with sufficient information on their childhood ADHD symptoms, and a completed ROCF from the 40-year neuropsychological assessment (n=445) were chosen for this study. The perinatal risk group (n=376) was divided into three groups according to their childhood ADHD symptoms: no symptoms, a medium level of symptoms, and a high level of symptoms. The controls (n=69) had no reported history of ADHD. The association between symptom group and BQSS sub-scales was examined using logistic regression. Results: The following ROCF attributes predicted ADHD symptom group membership: Fragmented drawing style in the copying phase, a horizontally expanded reproduction with more perseveration in immediate recall, and a less neat reproduction in both immediate and delayed recall. The differences, barring immediate perseveration, became nonsignificant when gender, level of education and general intelligence (FSIQ) were considered. The correlations between BQSS and BRIEF-A scores were modest, and mostly statistically nonsignificant. Conclusions: Based on the findings, those with childhood ADHD symptoms in addition to perinatal risk factors show a slight tendency for less organized and precise performance in the ROCF, albeit one masked by variables such as education and IQ. In line with earlier literature, the correlations between performance-based EF tests and self-reports were mostly slim.
  • Kurki, Terhi (2024)
    Prior research has shown that climate worry is related to fertility preferences, yet the research on the association between climate worry and the actual fertility in Western countries is scarce. The objective of this study was to examine the association between climate worry and the likelihood of becoming a parent utilizing nationally representative longitudinal data from Germany. In addition, the role of neuroticism and the interaction between education and climate worry in the association between climate worry and the likelihood of becoming a parent were analysed separately. The data comprised n=34,523 observation from n=10,463 participants, derived 2009-2019 from a German, nationally representative and broad panel survey (SOEP). Cox-regression was utilized to analyse the likelihood of becoming a parent over time, with the level of climate worry as a predictor. Control variables included gender, partnership status, region of Germany, and education. Neuroticism and the interaction term between education and climate worry were added as independent variables in separate models. The analysis was conducted separately for the overall sample, men, and women. Moreover, the interaction between climate worry and gender was examined. According to the results, the individuals who were very worried about the consequences of climate change were 16% less likely to have their first child compared to those who were not worried about them. Adding the level of neuroticism to the model did not affect the association. However, education appears to moderate the association between climate worry and becoming a parent, with the likelihood of becoming a parent being higher among those worried participants who had above high school education. The results showed some evidence that the association between climate worry and becoming a parent may be stronger among women than men. This study showed that climate worry is related to the actual likelihood of having a child, in addition to fertility preferences. In line with the theory of planned behaviour and the narrative framework, climate worry is shaping future narratives. These narratives form a basis for beliefs related to having a child which affect fertility intentions and, eventually, the actual fertility. Higher education appeared to enable creating and maintaining optimistic future narratives regardless of climate worry. From this perspective, the decision to remain childless due to severe climate worry can be understood as a form of “eco-paralysis” rather than adaptive pro-environmental behaviour.
  • Molina Bustamante, Susana (2022)
    This study aims to reveal how executive functions are related to early numeracy skills. Several articles have been published in this respect. The present one focuses on just two executive functions, inhibition and switching, and two early numeracy skills, counting and numerical relational skills. The study wants to determine how the accuracy and reaction time in inhibition and switching tasks correlate with the counting and numerical relational skills in four-year-old preschoolers, and if there is any general latent condition under which these relations are modified. The participants of this study are 4-year-old preschoolers (N=189) from preschools in the Helsinki Area (N=21), Finland. They have done two different tests that have been used to gather the data. A digital version of the Flanker tasks (modified from Fan, et al. (2002)) has measured inhibition and switching accuracy and reaction time. The Early Numeracy Test (Aunio, Hautamäki, Heiskari, & Van Luit, 2006) has measured the preschoolers’ performance in counting and relational skills. The data has been quantitatively analysed with SPSS and R. A correlation analysis has been performed to understand how the variables are related (calculation of Spearman’s rank correlation). A latent profile analysis has been run using the mclust package, to see if there could be extracted any latent variable that could drive the correlation in different directions. The main results reveal that accuracy in inhibition and switching tasks have a weak to moderate positive correlation with the successful use of counting and relational skills in 4-year-old preschoolers. Reaction time seems to be a variable whose implications change depending on the participants’ EN-performance, as visible in the latent profile analysis. However, there have not been yielded any robust conclusions about the existence of latent variables.
  • Forsman, Cecilia (University of HelsinkiHelsingin yliopistoHelsingfors universitet, 2014)
    Clinical signs associated with equine gastric ulceration are commonly reported in the literature, but are vague and often unsubstantiated. Clinical signs of gastric ulceration in yearlings and mature horses are less well recognized than in foals, but may be more important economically. There are no studies in the literature that have investigated the statistical association between clinical signs and gastric ulceration. The aim of this study was to determine whether there is a statistical association between commonly reported clinical signs of gastric ulceration and gastric ulcer severity as determined by endoscopic examination of the stomach. The hypothesis of this study was that there is no association between the severity of gastric ulceration and the owners perception of clinical signs of gastric ulceration. To achieve statistical significance, the study included 100 horses. A gastroscopic examination was performed on all the horses and documented on video. Owners were then asked to fill in a questionnaire documenting the clinical signs exhibited by their horses in the 3 months prior to the examination. The ulcers where graded into four categories1) presence or absence of gastric ulcers; 2) presence or absence of clinical significant gastric ulcers (i.e. needing treatment or not); 3) presence or absence of glandular ulcers; and 4) presence or absence of non-glandular ulcers. The four categories where compared to the clinical signs using a Pearson Chi-Square or Mann- Whitney U-test. Significance was set at p<0.05. A statistical association was found between clinical significant ulcers and losing weight (p=0,01) and between ulcer or no ulcer and losing weight (p=0,051). The results suggest that an owners perception of their horse losing weight could be associated with the presence of gastric ulcers and an increased severity of gastric ulcers, and can be used as an indication to perform gastroscopy on these individuals. There was no association between gastric ulcer severity and the owners perception of colic, crib-biting, flank-biting, fussy eating, changes in behaviour, chronic diarrhoea, bruxism, poor body condition, poor coat condition and poor performance, and requests from owners to have gastroscopy performed on their horses based upon these clinical signs should be approached with caution.
  • Sammallahti, Joel (2017)
    Goals Intelligence and temperament are two essential concepts in the study of interpersonal psychological variation. The connections between these two domains of variation have, however, been the subject of only limited research. With the exception of a well-replicated association between intelligence and effortful control, a trait comprising attention, focus, restraint, and goal-oriented behavior, results have been highly varied. The purpose of this study was to examine the associations between intelligence and temperament at ages 8 to 12 and whether temperament is associated with cognitive development during the years in question. Methods This study utilizes data collected as part of the Glaku longitudinal research project, on 468 child-parent pairs. The parents filled in questionnaires concerning their child's temperament at ages 8 and 12, and the children were concurrently administered four subtests of the WISC-III, two of which represented verbal and two nonverbal cognitive ability. At each age, three higher-order temperament traits and their constituent lower-order dimensions were estimated from the questionnaire data. The associations between these intelligence and temperament measures were subjected to a series of linear regression analyses. Results and Conclusions As predicted from prior research, effortful control is strongly associated with intelligence at ages 8 and 12. In addition, higher effortful control at age 8 is associated with greater improvement in vocabulary from age 8 to age 12. Of the other temperament traits assessed, shyness is associated with poorer verbal performance at age 12, and a tendency to negative emotionality is associated with better cognitive performance at age 12. The latter result is surprising in the light of prior research.
  • Sallinen, Riikka (2022)
    Non-adherence to drug therapy is a serious public health problem that increases the risk of disease and mortality. Despite long-term adherence to statins is a key element in preventing cardiovascular disease (CVD) and myocardial infarction (MI), previous studies have shown that the level of adherence drops already within the first six months of treatment. Risk factors for non-adherence are older age, comorbidities, being nonmarried and a lower socioeconomic position. Less is known about the role of living arrangements in non-adherence. The aim of this study is to provide new information on the association between living alone and non-adherence to statin drug therapy after MI, and analyze whether household income mediates or moderates the association. The analysis utilizes a register-based dataset consisting of an 11 % sample of the Finnish population with an 80 % oversample of people who died between 1988 and 2007. The study population included patients with first hospitalization for MI and at least one purchase of statins. Individuals are followed for five years after MI and censored at the time of emigration, moving to institutional care, a recurring MI or death. General estimating equations (GEE) method, an application of logistic regression for correlated data, is used to analyze the associations. All analyses are conducted separately for men and women and are adjusted for age and year of medicine purchase. Non-adherence to statin drug therapy increased over the first four years after MI, and a sharp increase occurred after the first three months of follow-up. Among men, the risk of non-adherence was higher for those living alone (odds ratio [OR] =1.24, 95% confidence interval [CI] 1.14–1.36) and those with lower incomes (OR=1.28, 95% CI 1.14-1.42 for lowest quintile). Adjustment for income somewhat attenuated the risk associated with living alone, while adjusting for education and labor market status had a negligible effect. Living alone predicted non-adherence similarly across all income groups among men. No statistically significant associations emerged among women. In conclusion, men living alone have a higher risk of being non-adherent compared to men living with others. Lack of spousal support and generally poorer health behaviors can be mechanisms behind the observed association. Health care professionals should pay special attention to men living alone to identify patients in high risk of non-adherence. By improving medication adherence, lives and unnecessary healthcare costs can be saved.
  • Peters, Olubusola (2023)
    We assessed the association between hair cortisol concentration (HCC), a biomarker for long-term stress, and pre-schoolers’ diet on the macronutrient level in this cross-sectional study. The data was collected in 2015-16 from a population of 655 Finnish children of ages 3-6 years. Hair samples of 2cm from the scalp were collected to represent the HCC from the past two months. Macronutrient intake was examined using food diaries filled out by the parents and Early childhood education and Care (ECEC) on behalf of the pre-schoolers. For the socioeconomic status (SES) the parents reported their highest education level reached and family income. We evaluated the association between the pre-schoolers’ HCC and energy percentage (E%) macronutrient intake with univariate and multiple linear regression models. We evaluated three models which we adjusted for varying confounders; Model 1 had no adjustments, model 2 was adjusted with the ISO BMI and energy intake (KJ) and Model 3 had further adjustments with the highest education level and the relative household monthly income. There was no association found between the pre-schoolers’ HCC and macronutrient intake. Our results are in line with a previous study which also assessed the association between HCC and macronutrient intake in E% but not in g/day. Further studies are needed to gain a deeper understanding of the relationship between HCC and macronutrient intake in young children.
  • Stalchenko, Natalia (2022)
    Some previous findings suggest the effectiveness of physical activity (PA) on children's cognitive outcomes. Studying preschool PA enables to understand children’s considerable part of daily PA and to examine its relation to other skills specifically within preschool context. Early numeracy (EN) refers to young children’s mathematical proficiency, including relational and counting skills, as in understanding and operating with quantities, number relation, classification, and the concept of numbers. EN skills are shown to strongly predict later mathematical competence and academic achievements. Thus, it is important to study and support the development of children’s EN skills. However, previous research has mainly focused on school-age children, while research in early ages is scarce. No previous studies have used device-based measurement of PA with an individual test of EN to understand the associations between young children’s preschool PA and EN performance. The aim of this thesis is to investigate the relationship between PA during preschool hours and EN performance in children aged 4 to 5 years. More specifically, the following research questions are addressed: 1) How are PA intensity levels during preschool hours associated with EN performance in 4- to 5-year-old children? 2) What kind of profiles regarding PA intensity levels during preschool hours and EN performance can be identified among 4- to 5-year-old children? The sample consisted of children (N = 95, Mage = 4.6) attending preschools in Helsinki, Finland. PA was measured during 5 consecutive preschool days using hip-worn accelerometers, while EN performance was assessed using Van Luit and colleagues’ (2006) Finnish Early Numeracy Test. The data is analysed using quantitative research analysis. To answer the first research question, correlation matrix is performed to reveal relation between the variables of interest. For the second research question, latent profile analysis is used to identify children’s profiles according to their PA data and EN test scores, while the differences in profiles are compared using ANOVA. The results of the correlation analysis revealed no significant correlation between PA level during preschool hours and EN scores in children of ages 4 to 5 years. Latent profile analysis identified three profiles of children with high, medium, and low PA, whereas EN performance did not significantly differ among the profiles. In conclusion, while the results show significantly different amounts of PA among children during preschool, the main finding of the current study is in line with previous research, suggesting no direct relation between preschool PA and EN performance. Further research controlling for other factors that may influence the results is needed to examine how variation in PA level is related to EN performance in preschool.
  • Henriksson, Annamari (2014)
    Introduction. According to previous studies, regulatory problems such as excessive crying and problems with eating and sleeping in infancy and toddlerhood are associated with behavioral problems in childhood. Especially multiple regulatory problems (2-3 regulatory problems at the same measurement point) and persistent regulatory problems (regulatory problems found at more than 1 measurement point) are strongly associated with externalizing behavioral problems but also with internalizing behavioral problems. The association between regulatory problems and mental disorders is not well understood yet. The aim of this study is to find out whether multiple or persistent regulatory problems at 5, 20 and 56 months of age are associated with mental disorders in young adulthood, whether there are specific associations with certain disorders and whether the possible associations persist when a number of key pre- and postnatal variables are controlled for. In addition, gender differences in the associations are analyzed. Methods. The data consisted of participants in the Arvo Ylppö longitudinal study born in 1985 to 1986. There were 718 participants in total, of whom 592 with regulatory problems at 5, 20 and/or 56 months of age. A structured psychiatric interview was administrated by using the computer based diagnostic interview program M-CIDI. The interview accounted for all DSM-IV (2000, 4th ed.) axis I mental disorders, and their combined prevalence is studied in the thesis. Also, mood-, anxiety- and substance use disorders are studied more specifically. Results and conclusions. On the basis of logistic regression analyses, multiple regulatory problems at 5 months of age were associated with mental disorders in young adulthood. After controlling for the key pre- and postnatal variables, the association between feeding and sleeping problems at 5 months of age and mood disorders in young adulthood was statistically significant (p<.05). More specifically, the risk (Odds Ratio, OR) of bipolar disorder diagnosis was 14.62 times higher for those who had feeding and sleeping problems at 5 months of age when compared with the participants without feeding and sleeping problems (p<.01). However, wide intervals indicate that the association between multiple regulatory problems and bipolar disorder should be interpreted cautiously. In addition, indications were found that multiple regulatory problems are associated with major depressive disorder and alcohol use disorder in young adulthood. Persistent regulatory problems were not associated with mental disorders in young adulthood. Also, the interaction between multiple or persistent regulatory problems and sex was not found. The results of this study increase knowledge of the association between regulatory problems and mental disorders and underline the importance to target the early preventions and interventions in a more effective manner among those with regulatory problems.
  • Urnberg, Heidi (2021)
    Aims: Healthcare workers commonly suffer from workplace aggression, so it is important to understand factors that may increase its risk. Previous studies have shown that job demands increase the risk of inappropriate treatment at workplace. Furthermore, poorly functioning, and constantly changing information systems form a major work stressor for doctors. Therefore, the current study examines if physicians that re-port higher levels of stress related to information systems are also more likely to re-port experiencing workplace aggression. Methods: The sample for the study (n=3327) was collected in the cross-sectional Finnish Physicians’ Working Conditions and Health 2019 -study. Both physical and non-physical aggression were measured, and a combined variable for general aggression was also formed from them. For non-physical aggression, also the perpetrator of aggression was examined: patients or their relatives, and co-workers or superiors. For each type of aggression, logistic regression analysis was used with stress related to in-formation systems as the predictive variable. Results and conclusions: Higher levels of stress related to information systems were associated with higher likelihood of aggression in all types of aggression. The association was strongest with non-physical aggression. These results emphasize the importance of designing functional information systems to improve both the wellbeing of physicians and the quality of patient care in the future. However, the current findings warrant more research, especially regarding the possible mediating factors between stress related to information systems and workplace aggression.
  • Rehn, Jasmin (2023)
    Background: We studied two different visual effects: In brightness induction, the perceived brightness of the stimulus is altered by the luminance of its surround, and in orientation selective contrast suppression the contrast of the stimulus appears lower when surrounded by a collinear surround of higher contrast. In previous studies, orientation selective contrast suppression has been found to be altered in patients who have been diagnosed with depression. Objectives: We measured symptoms of anxiety and depression in our non-clinical sample in order to compare them to their performance in the visual experiments. The goal of our online experiment was also to replicate both of the visual effects without a tightly controlled environment. Methods: Our online experiment consisted of a repeated measures design, with separate blocks for randomised brightness trials, randomised contrast trials, and self-report mental health questionnaires. In the visual trials participants were asked to estimate the brightness or contrast level of a central stimulus, while its surround was varied in luminance or contrast. Our sample consisted of 76 healthy participants with a mean age of 25. Results and conclusions: We managed to replicate both the brightness induction and the orientation selective contrast suppression effects, and found that the use of different electronic devices in completion of the study had no significant effect on the results. Participants reported varying levels of symptoms of anxiety and depression, and 61.6 % of them crossed clinically relevant cut-off points. We did not find a statistically significant connection between the visual effects and symptoms of anxiety and depression. This is encouraging, as it indicates that having only a few symptoms of mental disorders does not alter contrast perception. However, finding out at what point is the contrast perception altered, warrants further study.
  • Nurminen, Milka (2018)
    Tavoitteet. Aiemmissa tutkimuksissa on havaittu yksittäisten stressaavien elämäntapahtumien olevan yhteydessä voimakkaampaan masennusoireiluun. Poikittaistutkimuksissa on myös havaittu stressaavien elämäntapahtumien korkeamman kumulatiivisen kertymän olevan yhteydessä voimakkaampaan masennusoireiluun. Sosiaalisen tuen vaikutusta tätä yhteyttä muuntavana tekijänä on tutkittu, mutta tulokset ovat olleet ristiriitaisia. Tämän tutkimuksen tavoitteena oli pitkittäisasetelmalla tutkia stressaavien elämäntapahtumien kumulatiivisen kertymän yhteyttä masennusoireiluun sekä selventää sosiaalisen tuen roolia mahdollisena yhteyttä muuntavana tekijänä. Menetelmät. Tutkimuksen aineisto oli peräisin suomalaisesta Lasten Sepelvaltimotaudin Riskitekijät -pitkittäistutkimuksesta. Otokseen valittiin ne henkilöt (N=753), jotka olivat vastanneet kaikkiin tutkimuksessa tarkasteltaviin kyselyihin. Masennusoireilua arvioitiin osallistujien vuosina 2007 ja 2012 täyttämällä Beckin Depressiokyselyllä (Beck Depression Inventory II; BDI-II). Sosiaalista tukea arvioitiin osallistujien vuonna 2001 tai 2007 täyttämällä Multidimensional Scale of Perceived Social Support (MSPSS) -kyselylomakkeella. Stressaavien elämäntapahtumien määrää arvioitiin osallistujien vuosina 2001 ja 2007 täyttämien kyselylomakkeiden avulla, joissa osallistujat raportoivat olivatko he olleet työttöminä, kokeneet avioeron, oliko heidän puolisonsa tai lapsensa kuollut, tai olivatko he muuttaneet toiselle paikkakunnalle. Stressaavien elämäntapahtumien määrän sekä stressaavien elämäntapahtumien ja sosiaalisen tuen interaktion vaikutuksia masennusoireiluun tutkittiin lineaarisilla regressiomalleilla, joissa kontrolloitiin sukupuoli, ikä, sosioekonominen asema, terveyskäyttäytyminen ja aiempi masennusoireilu. Tulokset ja johtopäätökset. Stressaavien elämäntapahtumien suurempi määrä oli yhteydessä korkeampaan masennusoireiluun riippumatta sosiaalisen tuen määrästä. Stressaavat elämäntapahtumat eivät kuitenkaan ennustaneet muutosta masennusoireilussa pidemmän ajan kuluessa. Tulosten perusteella ennaltaehkäisevien toimien suuntaaminen useita stressaavia elämäntapahtumia kokeneille henkilöille voisi mahdollisesti vähentää elämäntapahtumien kertymän aiheuttamaa masennusoireilua ja siten myös masennushäiriöitä.
  • Uusi-Ranta, Noora (2020)
    Background: Majority of studies on the association of diet and physical activity are conducted in high-income countries and to date, none have been conducted in Kenya although unhealthy lifestyle behaviours are on the rise and may pose more severe risk in low-to-middle-income than in high-income countries. Methods: Study consists of 9-14-year old pre-adolescents (N=104) living in a middle- or low-income area in Nairobi. Dietary data was collected using 7-day FFQ and physical activity data by accelerometer. Dietary patterns were formed through principal component analysis and Dietary Diversity Score created by counting the number of food groups that were used daily. Statistical analysis was conducted using linear regression analysis with wealth index, area, age, gender and BMI as confounding variables. Results: Time spent in moderate-to-vigorous physical activity (MVPA) was weakly and negatively associated with the Snacks, fast food and meat dietary pattern alone and in combination with age and gender and significantly in combination with BMI (p=0.041), while time spent in sedentary behaviour showed no relation. Time spent in MVPA could not explain the variation in adherence to the Traditional Kenyan pattern while time spent in sedentary behaviour showed weak, negative association with adherence to this diet pattern, although it did not reach significance. Neither time spent in sedentary behaviour nor time spent in MVPA could explain variation in Dietary Diversity Score or adherence to the Dairy and plant protein pattern. Conclusions: Physical activity showed some association with diet, but the connections were mostly weak, and the socio-economic position and environment are possibly stronger determinants of lifestyle behaviour in urban Kenya.
  • Imran, Haleemah (2024)
    Background and aims: Caffeine is a widely known psychoactive compound with pharmacological effects including mild central nervous system stimulation, wakefulness, and decreased reaction time. The average caffeine consumption in Finnish adults is more than 400 mg per day. However, the Nordic Nutrition Recommendations (NNR) 2023 and EFSA have set the limit for pregnant women at 200 mg of caffeine per day. Feeling fatigued in the morning results in increased caffeine consumption, which is followed by sleep impairment, which may be referred to as a “coffee cycle. Increased caffeine consumption is known to cause adverse birth outcomes. Therefore, the aim was to examine the association of caffeine intake during pregnancy with maternal sleep and fatigue. Methods: This study used the baseline data from the Finnish Institute for Health and Welfare (THL) CHILD-SLEEP study (2011-2013), which was conducted in the Pirkanmaa Hospital District, Finland. 1667 women in the 32nd week of their pregnancy were included in the study. Sleep parameters were measured using the Basic Nordic Sleep Questionnaire (BNSQ), tiredness was measured using the Epworth Sleepiness Scale (ESS) and caffeine consumption was measured using a food frequency questionnaire (FFQ). Logistic regression models were used to examine the association of sleep variables with caffeine consumption and the Chi Square test was carried out to see the prevalence of sleep problems in the low and high caffeine consumption groups. Results: Sleep latency > 20 min was reported by 22.1% of the women and poor sleep quality by 27.2%. Only 4.5%, 9.7%, and 4.6% of the women reported sleep times less than 6 hours, insomnia score >4, and severe daytime somnolence (ESS>11), respectively. 67.3% women kept their caffeine consumption within the 200 mg per day recommendations while 32.7% reported higher caffeine consumption. When the 200 mg caffeine cut-off was used, a statistically significant association between high caffeine intake and better sleep quality was seen (AOR 0.75, 95% CI: 0.57-0.99, p-value= 0.039). When a more stringent cut-off of 257.65 mg was used, there was a significant association (OR 1.61, 95% CI: 1.00-2.59, p-value= 0.046) between high caffeine intake and higher insomnia score (≥ 4). Conclusions: Poor sleep quality, less duration of sleep, insomnia, and fatigue were quite prevalent. Additionally, increased caffeine consumption may lead to more insomnia and daytime tiredness. This shows that the recommendations set by NNR 2023 and EFSA are quite beneficial, as higher caffeine consumption not only adversely affects sleep and tiredness but also results in negative birth outcomes. Therefore, it may be beneficial to study sleep quality during pregnancy and the factors that may affect it, to establish causal relationships and formulate specific healthcare guidelines.
  • Eerola, Verner; Helanterä, Ilkka; But, Anna; Lempinen, Marko; Mäkisalo, Heikki; Nordin, Arno; Isoniemi, Helena; Sallinen, Ville (2021)
    Munuaisensiirto parantaa potilaan elämänlaatua, pidentää elämää ja vähentää kustannuksia dialyysiin verrattuna. Suurin osa munuaissiirteistä saadaan Suomessa ja länsimaissa aivokuolleilta luovuttajilta. Aivokuoleman aiheuttamat muutokset luovuttajan hemodynamiikassa ja samanaikainen sytokiinimyrsky vaurioittavat elimiä, ja on kliinisesti merkittävää tarkastella, tuleeko elimet irrottaa mahdollisimman varhain lisävaurioiden kehittymisen estämiseksi. Suomessa elimet irroitetaan nopeasti, mutta käytännöt vaihtelevat maittain. Tarkoituksenamme oli tutkia, miten elinirrotusviive assosioituu munuaissiirteen tuloksiin. Keräsimme todetun aivokuoleman ja elinirrotuksen välisen ajan, sekä luovuttajan ja siirteensaajan tiedot Suomen Elinsiirtorekisteristä 2004–2017, sekä Yhdysvaltojen Scientific Registry of Transplant Recipients-rekisteristä 2008–2018. Analysoimme elinirrotusajan assosiaatiota päätemuuttujiin monimuuttujamalleissa vakioimalla luovuttajan riski-indeksillä, sekä siirteensaajan iällä, diabeteksella ja dialyysin kestolla. Assosiaatio mallinnettiin restricted cubic spline-funktioiden avulla. Kaikkiaan 2 388 Suomessa ja 101 474 Yhdysvalloissa tehtyä munuaisensiirtoa otettiin analyysiin. Mediaaniaika aivokuolemasta elinirrotukseen oli 9,8 tuntia (interkvartiiliväli 7,8-12,4) Suomessa ja 34,8 tuntia (interkvartiiliväli 26,3-46,3) Yhdysvalloissa. Monimuuttujamalleissa korkein siirteen myöhästyneen käynnistymisen riski assosioitui hyvin lyhyisiin ja pitkiin elinirrotusviiveisiin. Matalin riski myöhästyneeseen käynnistymiseen oli 20-50 tuntia elinirrotuksesta. Pidempi elinirrotusviive assosioitui lineaarisesti matalampaan siirteen menetyksen riskiin (riskisuhde 0,9/1 tunti, 95% luottamusväli 0,88-0,92; p=0,001). Akuutit rejektiot eivät assosioituneet elinirrotusviiveen kanssa. Pidempi elinirrotusviive ei assosioitunut huonompiin munuaissiirteen tuloksiin, vaan saattaa olla jopa edullista.
  • Karhunen, Oona (2021)
    Objective Fertility ideals play a crucial role in defining how many children people have during their lifetime. By studying fertility ideals and early family environment, we can better understand how attitudes towards childbearing are formed and increase our knowledge on present fertility trends. This study examined the associations between fertility ideals and several aspects of early family environment which have received little attention in previous studies. Methods Two samples derived from representative cross-sectional survey data from the Finnish Family Barometer 2015 was examined: a total sample including men and women aged 20–46 (n = 1966), and a sample including childless men and women aged 20–36 (n = 572). Poisson regression models were used to examine the associations between the ideal number of children and number of siblings, parental separation, childhood happiness, perception of one’s parents and long-term financial difficulties. The models were adjusted for age, parity, income, area of residence, employment status, partnership status and education level. Results Lower number of siblings, parental separation, and the perception of at least one parent as a bad parent were associated with lower fertility ideals regardless of parity. Unhappiness and long-term financial difficulties during childhood were associated with lower fertility ideals for childless individuals. Conclusions Family structure, events regarding parent’s marriage, and the overall perceptions of childhood and family life are associated with fertility ideals. The results suggest that the family of origin provides a compelling model for one’s own family size and shapes attitudes towards family life and parenthood.
  • Halonen, Anniina (2022)
    Background and aim Complementary feeding is defined as the period during which there is a progressive reduction of breastfeeding or formula while the infant is gradually introduced to solid foods at 4-6 months of age. Improper complementary feeding practices, such as introducing solid foods beyond 6 months of age or having a low dietary diversity could lead to negative infant health outcomes. Therefore, it is important to identify factors that might detrimentally affect complementary feeding, such as maternal stress. This thesis aimed to study the associations between maternal stress indicators, the age of solid food introduction, and dietary diversity during complementary feeding within a Finnish birth cohort. Methods The Health and Early Life Microbiota (HELMi) is a longitudinal birth cohort study. Participants of the HELMi cohort included 1055 healthy infants and their parents, mainly residing in the capital region of Finland. Pre-collected data from the HELMi study were used. The data collection occurred between 2016-2018. The main variables used in this thesis were collected via extensive online questionnaires. Binomial logistic regression analyses were used to study whether prenatal and postpartum stress indicators were associated with the age of solid food introduction and/or the infant’s dietary diversity during complementary feeding. Results Late introduction of solid foods (> 6 months) was less likely among infants whose mothers reported moderate or high prenatal stress (moderate prenatal stress OR=0.66, 95%CI 0.45-0.97, high prenatal stress OR 0.62, 95%CI 0.39-0.98), when compared to infants whose mothers reported low prenatal stress. Maternal stress indicators were not associated with low dietary diversity (0-3 food groups introduced) at 6 months of life. Among infants with a low dietary diversity at 9 months of age, mothers were more likely to report high levels of prenatal stress (OR=4.88, 95%CI 1.27-18.79), when compared to mothers with low levels of prenatal stress. Further, infants with a low dietary diversity at 9 months were less likely to have mothers report low to moderate levels of life satisfaction (OR=0.25, 95%CI 0.06-1.02) when compared to mothers with very high life satisfaction. They were also less likely to report moderate levels of infant health worry (OR=0.18, 95%CI 0.05-0.67) when compared to mothers with no infant health worry. Conclusions This is the first study to look at the associations between maternal stress indicators and dietary outcomes during complementary feeding. Maternal stress indicators were associated with the age of solid food introduction and the infant’s dietary diversity at 9 months, but not at 6 months. In future studies on this topic, a more socio-demographically representative sample should be recruited, and validated tools should be used to collect dietary and psychological data. Health practitioners and family clinic workers should be made aware of the possibly long-lasting effects of prenatal stress and consider its possible effects on dietary outcomes during complementary feeding.
  • Lavanko, Saila-Maaria (2023)
    Aims of the study. Evidence from previous studies suggest that poor sleep quality is associated with the experience of pain, and animal models show that the quality of REM sleep is important for pain sensitivity. However, the possible associations between REM sleep fragmentation and the subjective experience of pain in humans have not been studied before. The aim of this study was to examine whether REM sleep fragmentation percent is associated with self-reported multisite pain, meaning pain occurring in two or more pain sites, and/or with self-reported pain in general. The relationship between subjective sleep quality (Pittsburgh Sleep Quality Index, PSQI) and multisite pain was also examined. Methods. The data used in this study consisted of the sleep EEG data collected from 135 adolescents aged 16-17 (61% girls) in an urban community-based cohort. Linear and logistic regressions were used to explore the associations between REM sleep fragmentation, self-reported pain symptoms and multisite pain, and logistic regressions were used to explore the association between PSQI score and multisite pain. Anxiety symptoms and depression symptoms were included in the models as control variables and their independent effect was also of interest. Results and conclusions. No statistically significant relationships were found between REM sleep fragmentation and multisite pain. Additionally, no statistically significant relationships were found between REM sleep fragmentation and self-reported pain symptoms. However, there was a statistically significant relationship found between PSQI score and multisite pain. The results do not support the hypothesis that REM sleep fragmentation would be associated with the experience of pain. The relationship between sleep and pain is complex and understanding the processes and underlying mechanisms of this connection warrants further research. Results indicate that sleep problems in adolescence may be a risk factor for experiencing more pain. The results of this study provide information for clinical application and suggest that it might be possible to prevent multisite pain by enhancing the quality of sleep.