Maternal weight, smoking, and diabetes provided early predictors of longitudinal body mass index growth patterns in childhood

AIM

The aim of this study was to identify factors affecting overweight growth development using extended body mass index (BMI) data combined with birth and maternal records from Finnish national registries.

METHODS

The longitudinal data consist of growth measurements of 7372 from six birth cohorts in Finland: 1974 (n = 1109), 1981 (n = 983), 1991 (n = 607), 1994-1995 (n = 829), 2001 (n = 821), and 2003-2004 (n = 3023). Anthropometric data were collected from birth to age 15 years from the health records. Pregnancy health data were included for the four most recent birth cohorts (n = 2810). A statistical method called trajectory analysis was used to identify different BMI development trajectories. Factors associated with abnormal growth tracks were analysed using logistic regression models.

RESULTS

High pre-pregnancy BMI, gestational diabetes mellitus, maternal smoking, and greater gestational weight gain than the Institute of Medicine (United States) recommendations were associated with the overweight growth track. Two of the trajectories didn't seem to follow the normal growth pattern: overweight growth track appeared to lead to overweight, while low birth BMI track showed accelerating growth after the adiposity rebound point of BMI growth.

CONCLUSION

These findings suggest that maternal overweight before pregnancy, excessive gestational weight gain, gestational diabetes mellitus, and smoking could potentially be associated with the risk of obesity in children.

Citizens' digital footprints to support health promotion at the local level-PUHTI study, Finland

BACKGROUND

We aimed to explore to the possibilities of utilizing automatically accumulating data on health-owned for example by local companies and non-governmental organizations-to complement traditional health data sources in health promotion work at the local level.

METHODS

Data for the PUHTI study consisted of postal code level information on sport license holders, drug purchase and sales advertisements in a TOR online underground marketplace, and grocery sales in Tampere. Additionally, open population register data were utilized. An interactive reporting tool was prepared to show the well-being profile for each postal code area. Feedback from the tool's end-users was collected in interviews.

RESULTS

The study showed that buying unhealthy food and alcohol, selling or buying drugs, and participating in organized sport activities differed by postal code areas according to its socioeconomic profile in the city of Tampere. The health and well-being planners and managers of Tampere found that the new type of data brought added value for the health promotion work at the local level. They perceived the interactive reporting tool as a good tool for planning, managing, allocating resources and preparing forecasts.

CONCLUSIONS

Traditional health data collection methods-administrative registers and health surveys-are the cornerstone of local health promotion work. Digital footprints, including data accumulated about people's everyday lives outside the health service system, can provide additional information on health behaviour for various population groups. Combining new sources with traditional health data opens a new perspective for health promotion work at local and regional levels.

Epidemiology of classic and nodular lymphocyte predominant hodgkin lymphoma in Finland in 1996-2015

Background: The aim was to describe the incidence and mortality of Hodgkin lymphoma (HL) in Finland in 1996-2015 including classic Hodgkin lymphoma (cHL) subtypes and nodular lymphocyte predominant Hodgkin lymphoma (NLPHL).Material and Methods: This study included 2851 HL cases registered in the population-based Finnish Cancer Registry between 1996 and 2015. All not otherwise specified (NOS) morphology codes were manually checked and re-coded into cHL subtypes or NLPHL according to the International Classification of Diseases for Oncology 2011, if possible. Thereafter, we analyzed the incidence and mortality of HL by age, gender and time trends and by subtypes.Results: According to our registry-based study, the incidence of HL was increasing with a 5-year rate of change of 0.3% (95% confidence interval 0.2-0.5), and the mortality was decreasing with -2.8% (95%CI -3.8 to -1.8) correspondingly. The incidence of nodular sclerosis (NS) was 1.57/100 000 person years (n = 1529) and the incidence and mortality remained constant over 1996-2015. The incidence of mixed cellularity (MC) was 0.32/100 000 (n = 453) and it was decreasing with -2.2% (95%CI -3.7 to -0.5), yet the mortality was increasing with 2.7% (95%CI 1.9-3.6). The incidence of NLPHL was 0.29/100 000 accounting for 13% of all HL diagnoses (n = 374), and the incidence and mortality remained constant over the study period. The incidence of lymphocyte-rich (LR) subtype was 0.20/100 000 (n = 252) and remained constant while the mortality decreased. There were only 30 cases of lymphocyte depletion (LD) HL. In this study, 36% of all HL patients were over 50 years old.Conclusion: The incidence of HL is slightly increasing and the mortality is decreasing in Finland. NLPHL represents 13% of all HL cases in Finland. Over one third of HL patients are over 50-year-old.