Association between neighborhood health behaviors and body mass index in Northern Norway: evidence from the Tromsø Study.

AIM: The prevalence of overweight and obesity has risen rapidly worldwide, and the ongoing obesity pandemic is one of the most severe public health concerns in modern society. The average body mass index (BMI) of people living in Northern Norway has also steadily increased since the late 1970s. This study aimed to understand how individuals' health behavior is associated with the general health behavior of the people in their neighborhood. METHODS: Using the population-based Tromsø Study, we examined the life course association between average leisure time physical activity at the neighborhood level and the BMI of individuals living in the same neighborhood. We used a longitudinal dataset following 25,604 individuals living in 33 neighborhoods and performed a linear mixed-effects analysis. RESULTS: The results showed that participants living in neighborhoods whose residents were more physically active during their leisure time, were likely to have a significantly lower BMI (-0.9 kg/m², 95% CI -1.5 to -0.4). Also, individuals living in neighborhoods whose residents were doing mainly manual work, had significantly higher BMIs (0.7 kg/m², 95% CI 0.4-1.0). CONCLUSIONS: Our results showed a strong association between the average leisure time physical activity level of neighborhood residents and the higher BMI levels of residents of the same neighborhood.

Transgenerational health effects of in utero exposure to economic hardship: Evidence from preindustrial Southern Norway.

We studied whether in utero exposure to economic hardship during a grandmother's pregnancy has a transgenerational effect on her grandchildren's health condition. We used an individual-level three-generation data set covering people born between 1734 and 1840 in the municipality of Rendalen in Norway. We found a culling effect in which grandchildren whose grandmothers gave birth in years of economic hardship lived approximately ten years longer than grandchildren whose mothers were born in years of economic well-being. This impact was only observed among the grandmothers who belong to the lowest social classes. Our results also showed that in higher social classes, economic hardship during a grandmother's pregnancy deteriorated her grandchildren's health by "scarring" the mother's health.

Uptake of ¹³7Cs by berries, mushrooms and needles of Scots pine in peatland forests after wood ash application.

Increasing use of wood fuels for energy production in Finland since the 1990s implies that large quantities of the generated ashes will be available for forest fertilization. The aim of this study was to analyse the effect of wood ash application on ¹³7Cs activity concentrations in Scots pine (Pinus sylvestris L.) needles and certain berries and mushrooms on drained peatlands. The study was based on field experiments carried out on two mires in Finland in 1997-1998. Two different types of wood ash were applied at dosages of 3500, 3700, 10 500 and 11 100 kg ha⁻¹. Wood ash did not increase ¹³7Cs activity concentration in plants in the second growing season following application. On the contrary, a decrease in ¹³7Cs activity concentration was seen in the plants of the ecosystem on drained peatlands. This result is of importance, for instance, when recycling of ash is being planned.

Economic gains from electronic message exchange: the importance of working procedures.

BACKGROUND AND PURPOSE: There are several cost-benefit evaluations of introducing new technology for administrative purposes in the health care sector. Whereas some of these recognise the importance of adapting the working procedures to the new technology, very few look into the consequences of delays in adaptation to the new technology. In this paper, we focus on the consequences of keeping old working procedures, although new technology is implemented. METHODS: Based on on-site observations we have estimated the economic gains of implementing electronic message exchange in the health care sector depending on which working procedures are applied. Then we continue by using a dynamic cost-benefit analysis (CBA) in order to take into account that conversion to new working procedures takes place over time, and we demonstrate the loss in potential gains due to such a delay. RESULTS: Keeping working procedures fit to old technology when new technology is implemented may imply that only between 40 and 50% of the potential time savings (benefits) are realised. In a dynamic perspective, the keeping of double procedures for 10 years and more will jeopardise the economic gains for surgeries, whereas hospitals still may have an economic gain. The delay in conversion to new working procedures implies that only 50% of the dynamic net present value of the gains is realised. The longer it takes before the old procedures are abandoned the lower is the dynamic net present value of the gains. This is due to the discounting of future gains. CONCLUSIONS: These are all arguments for emphasising and putting resources into training and motivation programs for employees when new technology is being implemented. LIMITATIONS OF THE STUDY: We have only considered quantifiable effects of electronic message exchange in the health care sector, and only for hospitals and surgeries.

Differences in the etiology of mandibular fractures in Kuwait, Canada, and Finland.

We studied causes of mandibular fractures treated in oral and maxillofacial units in three countries in years 1990-2000 in Kuwait (n=596), 1995-2000 in Canada (n=228), and 1990-99 in Finland (n=268). Of the Finnish patients, 27% were women. Corresponding percentages in Kuwait and Canada were 13 and 17%, respectively. Traffic crashes were the cause of injury in 55% of the cases in Kuwait and 33% in Oulu, but only 7% in Toronto. In Kuwait, the victims were often young people, which is why more traffic education, more control of speed, and more control of the use of safety belts should be implemented. Assault was the cause in 54% in Toronto, 12% in Kuwait, and 37% in Oulu. Falling was the cause in 22% of the cases in Kuwait. Alcohol was implicated in 21% of cases in Canada and 15% in Finland.