National public health study to focus on obesity prevention

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A National FINRISKI 2007 survey on public health and health risks is to be launched next week. The purpose of the study is to use new methods in order to spot the reasons for the Finns' growing levels of obesity.
      In the study, participants will be directed to a special obesity-related physical examination. The blood samples of those being examined will be screened for factors that can lead to obesity.
     
"The Finns' weight increase has been continuing in a way that makes me anticipate a change for the worse in terms of mortality, while the life expectancy starts to become shorter. The present young people might not experience as healthy senior years as today's OAPs", noted Professor Erkki Vartiainen, who is in charge of the study, speaking in Oulu on Monday.
      The National Public Health Institute will invite 10,000 Finns aged 25 to 74 to participate in a physical examination. The study will cover five regions: the provinces of North Karelia and North Savo, the Province of Oulu, and the cities of Helsinki, Vantaa, Turku, and Loimaa, as well as nine municipalities in Finland Proper, a region in Southwestern Finland.
     
In addition to a normal physical examination, a specific "obesity visit" will involve a glucose tolerance test.
      "The focus of the study will be on the overweight, which represents the biggest national health challenge in Finland. Particularly blood cholesterol will be screened closely. Furthermore, a collection of blood samples for DNA analysis will be conducted, in order to study the genes related to obesity risk factors", reported Professor Vartiainen further.
      Preliminary results will be published next autumn. For about half of the participants the study will continue on risk factors of diabetes and obesity for the next five years.
      The fast food culture of the young population stopped the promising health development in Finland in its tracks. While the older generation has reduced the use of butter and fat milk, the young have been devouring pizza and chocolate.
      "For young men, pizza is the third highest source of saturated fat, while for young women it is chocolate. This fact shows the change of the Finnish food culture best."
     
The whole world is getting fatter. "No nation has been able to put a check on the growing overweightness of its own population as yet", Vartiainen remarked.
      However, the National Public Health Institute is optimistic. "A recent study indicated that in 60 per cent of cases at risk of developing type 2 diabetes, the disease could be prevented by a campaign advising people to lose a couple of kilos of weight and to increase their level of physical exercise. In the future, 90 per cent of outbreaks of diabetes will be preventable by taking these steps", Vartiainen believes.
     
A second theme for the FINNRISKI 2007 survey is a study on allergies. The aim is to examine the incidence of various forms of allergy, including atopy and asthma in the population. Allergic reactions are increasing noticeably in western countries, while hardly any reasons for the situation are known.
      "We have recently compared the occurrence of allergies in children in the Finnish region of North Karelia and in the Republic of Karelia in Russia. In Finland, one in four children got skin symptoms from at least one allergen, while in Russian Karelia only two to three per cent of children were hypersensitised", Vartiainen concluded.


Previously in HS International Edition:
  Study shows Finns seriously overweight in all parts of the country (8.1.2007)

Links:
  National Public Health Institute

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