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Background: Stimulating activities are associated with a decreased risk of dementia. However, the extent to which this reflects a protective effect of activity or non-participation resulting from dementia is debated. We investigated the association of stimulating leisure-time activity in late adulthood with the risk of dementia across up to two decades' follow-up. Methods: We used data from five prospective cohort studies from Finland and Sweden. Mental, social, outdoor, consumptive and physical leisure-time activities were self-reported. Incident dementia was ascertained from clinical diagnoses or healthcare and death registers. Cox regression was used to estimate hazard ratios (HRs) and 95% confidence intervals (CIs). Results: Of the 33 263 dementia-free individuals aged ≥50 years at baseline, 1408 had dementia during a mean follow-up of 7.0 years. Active participation in mental (HR: 0.52, 95% CI: 0.41 to 0.65), social (HR: 0.56 95% CI: 0.46 to 0.72), outdoor (HR: 0.70, 95% CI: 0.58 to 0.85), consumptive (HR: 0.67, 95% CI: 0.53 to 0.94) and physical (HR: 0.62, 95% CI: 0.51 to 0.75) activity, as well as variety (HR: 0.54, 95% CI: 0.43 to 0.68) and the overall frequency of activity (HR: 0.41, 95% CI: 0.34 to 0.49) were associated with a reduced risk of dementia in <10 years' follow-up. In ≥10 years' follow-up all associations attenuated toward the null. Conclusion: Stimulating leisure-time activities are associated with a reduced risk of dementia in short-term but not long-term follow-up. These findings may reflect a reduction in leisure-time activity following preclinical dementia or dilution of the association over time., CC BY 4.0 Deed© 2024 The Author(s)Correspondence Address: K. Heikkilä; Department of Public Health, University of Turku, Turku, Kiinamyllynkatu 10, 20520, Finland; email: katriina.heikkila@utu.fi; CODEN: AANGASNAC-K receives financial support from the Swedish Research Council (Vetenskapsrådet, 2011-6,243; 2017-06088), the Swedish Research Council for Health, Working Life and Welfare (FORTE, 2016-07175), and is supported by the Swedish Ministry of Health and Social Affairs and the participating County Councils and Municipalities. MK was supported by Wellcome Trust (221854/Z/20/Z), UK Medical Research Council (S011676, Y014154), US National Institute on Aging (NIH, R01AG056477, R01AG062553), and Research Council Finland (350426). JV was supported by the Academy of Finland (321409 and 329240). S Stenholm was supported by Research Council Finland (332030), Juho Vainio Foundation and Signe and Ane Gyllenberg Foundation. S Stenlund was supported by Signe and Ane Gyllenberg Foundation. The authors thank the research teams that collected, linked and curated data and especially all the individuals who participated in the longitudinal cohort studies.

Background: Previous research has shown that the Swedish speaking minority in Finland has slightly but significantly better health compared with the Finnish speaking majority. However, a clear explanation for this is lacking. Aim: The aim of the study was to explore differences of perceived health comparing three groups: Swedish speakers with reported dominance of Swedish also in the preceding generation; contemporary Finnish speakers with reported dominance of Finnish in the preceding generation and a group with a reported mixed-language structure of Finnish and Swedish between generations. Individuals and methods: Health and Social Support is an on-going population-based survey initiated in 1998 (N = 64,797), aimed at working-age adults. The present study is based on the 2012 follow-up survey, which included a question on the dominating language (Swedish or Finnish) of the respondents and their parents. The outcome was perceived health, which in this study was dichotomized to very good/good and intermediate/poor/very poor. The statistical analysis was carried with logistic regression, using SAS software. Age, gender and occupational training were included as covariates in the multivariable analysis. Results: This study found that the Swedish-speaking group in Finland report better perceived health compared with the Finnish-speaking group (odds ratio 1.28, 95% confidence interval 1.04–1.57, p < 0.001). The health of the mixed language-speaking group fell between the other two groups. Conclusions: The results gave some support to a culturally mediated mechanism for the health advantage of Swedish speakers. Cultural features of Swedishspeaking groups in Finland may also support health promotion of the Finnish-speaking majority., CC-BY 4.0Correspondence: S Suominen, University of Skövde, School of Health SciencesEmail: sakari.suominen@his.seErratum: Aktuell affiliering för Stark Ekman är egentligen Högskolan i Skövde/University of Skövde.The authors disclosed receipt of the following financial support for the research, authorship, and/or publication of this article: This work was supported by the Swedish Cultural Foundation in Finland (grant numbers 104896 and 149948).

Background: Previous follow-up studies have demonstrated the association between good health behavior and good sexual functioning for men, but the longitudinal relationship between multiple health behaviors and satisfaction with sex life remains understudied. Aim: The aim of the study was to explore whether good health behavior associates with improved satisfaction with sex life for men and women in a follow-up of 9 years. Methods: This cohort study utilized survey data from the population-based Health and Social Support study. It includes responses from 10 671 working-aged Finns. Using linear regression models, we examined a composite sum score representing 4 health behaviors (range, 0-4) in 2003 as a predictor of satisfaction with sex life in 2012. The analyses adjusted for various covariates in 2003, including satisfaction with sex life, living status, age, gender, education, number of diseases, and importance of sex life in 2012. Outcomes: The outcome in the study was satisfaction with sex life in the year 2012. Results: Participants who exhibited better health behavior at baseline demonstrated improved satisfaction with sex life when compared with those with poorer health behavior (beta = -0.046, P = .009), even when controlling for the aforementioned covariates. The positive effect of reporting all beneficial health behaviors vs none of them was greater than having none vs 3 chronic conditions. Furthermore, this was almost half the effect of how satisfaction with sex life in 2003 predicted its level in 2012. These findings were supported by an analysis of the congruence of health behavior in the observation period from 2003 to 2012 predicting changes in satisfaction with sex life. Clinical Implications: The results could serve as a motivator for a healthy lifestyle. Strengths and Limitations: The current study used a longitudinal large sample and a consistent survey procedure, and it explored the personal experience of satisfaction instead of sexual function., CC BY-NC 4.0 DeedPublished: 05 March 2024Corresponding author: School of Population and Public Health, University of British Columbia, Vancouver, V6T 1Z3, Canada. Email: sade.stenlund@utu.fiThis work was supported by a personal grant for S. Stenlund from the Signe and Ane Gyllenberg Foundation (grant 5723). The other authors have salary support from their respective universities.

Background: No previous research of university students in Finland assessed lifestyle behavioral risk factors (BRFs), grouped students into clusters, appraised the relationships of the clusters with their mental well-being, whilst controlling for confounders. The current study undertook this task. Methods: Students at the University of Turku (n = 1177, aged 22.96 ± 5.2 years) completed an online questionnaire that tapped information on sociodemographic variables (age, sex, income sufficiency, accommodation during the semester), four BRFs [problematic alcohol consumption, smoking, food consumption habits, moderate-to-vigorous physical activity (MVPA)], as well as depressive symptoms and stress. Two-step cluster analysis of the BRFs using log-likelihood distance measure categorized students into well-defined clusters. Two regression models appraised the associations between cluster membership and depressive symptoms and stress, controlling for sex, income sufficiency and accommodation during the semester. Results: Slightly more than half the study participants (56.8%) had always/mostly sufficient income and 33% lived with parents/partner. Cluster analysis of BRFs identified three distinct student clusters, namely Cluster 1 (Healthy Group), Cluster 2 (Smokers), and Cluster 3 (Nonsmokers but Problematic Drinkers). Age, sex and MVPA were not different across the clusters, but Clusters 1 and 3 comprised significantly more respondents with always/mostly sufficient income and lived with their parents/partner during the semester. All members in Clusters 1 and 3 were non-smokers, while all Cluster 2 members comprised occasional/daily smokers. Problematic drinking was significantly different between clusters (Cluster 1 = 0%, Cluster 2 = 54%, Cluster 3 = 100%). Cluster 3 exhibited significantly healthier nutrition habits than both other clusters. Regression analysis showed: (1) males and those with sufficient income were significantly less likely to report depressive symptoms o, CC BY 4.0 DEED© The Author(s) 2024.Correspondence Address: S. Suominen; School of Health Sciences, University of Skövde, Skövde, 541 28, Sweden; email: sakari.suominen@his.seRene Sebena was supported by the Slovak Research and Development Agency under the contract No. APVV-19-0284. Open access funding provided by University of Skövde.