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This study identified the trajectories of organized youth sports over 9 years in youths aged 9-18 years and examined whether the trajectories predicted physical activity, sedentary behavior, and obesity in midlife.Self-reported organized youth sports trajectories were identified for participants between 1980 and 1989 (N=3,474). Accelerometer-derived physical activity was quantified for participants (n=1,349) in 2018-2020. Sociodemographic, physical activity, and TV viewing data were collected through questionnaires either at baselines or follow-up. Adult BMI was calculated to clarify obesity. Associations of organized youth sports trajectories with adult physical activity, sedentary behavior, and obesity were evaluated using mixture models, which were stratified by sex and conducted in 2022.Three organized youth sports trajectories were identified for boys and girls (sustained high-sports participation, 12.0%/7.5%; sustained moderate-sports participation, 14.0%/13.3%; and low-sports/nonparticipation, 74.0%/79.2%). Boys sustaining both moderate- and high-sports participation had higher levels of adult self-reported physical activity (β=0.59, p=0.007; β=0.69, p0.001) than low-sports/nonparticipating boys. Girls sustaining both moderate- and high-sports participation accumulated more total physical activity (β=113.4, p=0.009; β=144.3, p=0.002), moderate-to-vigorous physical activity (β=7.86, p=0.016; β=14.01, p0.001), step counts (β=1,020, p=0.003; β=1,045, p=0.005), and self-reported physical activity (β=0.79, p0001; β=0.63, p=0.003) in midlife than their low-sports/nonparticipating counterparts. Girls sustaining moderate-sports participation accumulated more light-intensity physical activity (β=19.79, p=0.012) and less sedentary time (β= -27.65, p=0.002), and those sustaining high-sports participation had lower obesity prevalence (OR=0.41, p=0.009) 40 years later than low-sports/nonparticipating girls.Sustained participation in organized youth sports is independently predictive of physical activity patterns, sedentary time, and obesity in midlife, especially in girls, thus contributing to the development of a healthy and active lifestyle across the life course.

This study examined longitudinal associations between parenthood-related factors and physical activity from young adulthood to midlife over a 19-year follow-up period. Participants (n=761) at the ongoing Cardiovascular Risk in Young Finns Study responded to a self-report questionnaire in their adulthood (in 1992, 2001, 2007 and 2011). Participants were classified as meeting or not meeting an aerobic physical activity recommendation. Parenthood related factors included the age of having their first child, as well as the number and age of the children. Analyses of Generalized Estimation Equations were performed and adjusted for several demographic and health-related covariates. Both mothers and fathers with children under six years were less likely to be involved in physical activity than participants without children. However, meeting the aerobic physical activity recommendations did not differ between parents with a youngest child who was six years old or older as compared to the childless participants. The older the youngest child was, the more likely the parents were to be physically active. Participants who became a parent relatively late, at the age of 30 or older, seemed less likely to meet the aerobic physical activity recommendation during follow-up than those who had their first child at the age of 26-29. The results indicate that parenthood does not seem to have a long-lasting negative impact on adults’ physical activity, and the individuals reached a similar level of physical activity in midlife than they had before parenthood. peerReviewed

We investigated the association of parental physical activity (PA) trajectories with offspring's youth and adult PA. Self-reported PA data were extracted from the Young Finns Study with three follow-ups for parents between 1980 and 1986 and nine follow-ups for their offspring in youth between 1980 and 2011 (aged 9-39 years, n = 2402) and in adulthood in 2018. Accelerometer-derived PA was quantified in 2018-2020 (aged 43-58 years, n = 1134). Data were analyzed using mixture models and conducted in 2022. We identified three trajectories for fathers and mothers (high-stable activity, 20.2%/16.6%; moderate-stable activity, 50.5%/49.6%; and low-stable activity, 29.4%/33.7%) and four for youth male and female offspring (persistently active, 13.4%/5.1%; increasingly active, 32.1%/43.1%; decreasingly active, 14.4%/12.6%; and persistently low-active, 40.1%/39.1%). Compared to low-stable active parents, high-stable active fathers had a higher probability of having their sons and daughters classified as persistently active, increasingly active, and decreasingly active in youth (Brange = 0.50-1.79, all p

Background Regular physical activity (PA) has been found to be important for cardiovascular health and longevity. However, notable proportion of adult population does not meet the national PA recommendations. Active transport is one domain of physical activity, that could be a time-efficient way to increase PA and reach the national recommendations. Additionally, it could have a positive effect to body composition. Methods Based on longitudinal cohort study, active commuting modes and objectively measured PA were used to determine the influence of commuting mode to steps, aerobic steps, BMI and waist circumference. Linear regression models were fitted to test the associations between the change groups of commuting mode and the longitudinal changes of the response variables. Results When compared to passive commuters, participants with public transport (p = 0.09) and walking (p > 0.001-0.021) showed higher amounts of steps and aerobic during summertime and wintertime. Cyclers showed higher amounts of steps and aerobic steps only in wintertime (p = 0.001-0.002). Passive commuters had higher BMI than walkers (p = 0.05) and cyclers (p = 0.023) in summertime. Also, cyclers had lower waist circumference than passive commuters (p = 0.016-0.02). Among those who remained persistently active, number of steps did not change. When compared to persistently active, among those who changed from active to passive commuting, steps (-900 - -885) and aerobic steps (-500) declined (p = 0.010-0.036) while among those who changed from passive to active commuting steps (+900-1000) and aerobic steps (+650-750) increased (p = 0.023-0.011). Conclusions Commuting actively to work and changing passive mode to active mode has a positive effect to number of daily steps and aerobic steps. Since the active commuting is part of the daily routine, promoting active commuting could be one of the key factors tackling the obesity and insufficient PA among adults. Continuity of active commuting seemed to be effective way to maintain body weight in balance over the years.

Purpose This study aimed to investigate the tracking and changes of steps per day in adults and their determinants over 13 yr. Methods A total of 2195 subjects (1236 women) 30-45 yr of age were randomly recruited from the ongoing Cardiovascular Risk in Young Finns Study in 2007 and were followed up in 2020. Steps per day, including both total and aerobic steps per day, were monitored for seven consecutive days with a pedometer in 2007-2008 and 2011-2012 and with an accelerometer in 2018-2020. Tracking was analyzed using Spearman's correlation. Stability and changes of steps per day over time in both low-active and high-active groups (based on median values) were described by percentage agreements, kappa statistics, and logistic regression. Associations of sex, age, and body mass index with the initial number and changes in steps per day were analyzed using linear growth curve modeling. Results Tracking correlations of total steps per day at 4-, 9-, and 13-yr intervals were 0.45-0.66, 0.33-0.70, and 0.29-0.60, while corresponding correlations for aerobic steps per day were 0.28-0.55, 0.23-0.52, and 0.08-0.55, respectively. Percentage agreements were higher than 54%, and kappa statistics ranged from slight to fair over time. Compared with the low-active group, the high-active group at baseline had a higher probability of being active later in adulthood. Female sex and higher age were associated directly with the initial number of steps per day and inversely with changes in the number of steps per day. Body mass index was inversely associated with the initial number of steps per day and changes in the number of total steps per day. Conclusion The 13-yr tracking of steps per day in adulthood was found to be low to moderately high. Daily ambulatory activity is essential to maintaining an active lifestyle throughout adulthood. Changes in the amount of adult steps per day vary by sex, age, and BMI. publishedVersion

BACKGROUND Moose (Alces alces L.) populations and moose damage in forests are debated in Nordic countries with dense moose populations. Moose populations and food resources vary greatly, both spatially and temporally, and reliable data covering both variables simultaneously at the same scale have seldom been available. We modelled the effect of moose population density and forest resources on the area of moose damage at regional scale, referring to moose management areas (MMA). Forest data and moose damage data originated from the Finnish National Forest Inventory, and the moose population data came from a Bayesian moose model. For modelling, average values of moose population, damage and forest variables were calculated for the periods 2004–2008 and 2009–2013 for each MMA. The MMAs were further classified into one of four larger geographical zones. The area of moose damage was used as a dependent variable, and the proportions of different types of forests and moose population densities per land area or area of seedling stands as explanatory variables. The relationships were modelled with a linear mixed‐effects model with an exponential spatial correlation structure. RESULTS The area of moose damage was best explained by total forest area, proportions of plantations and mature forests, and moose population density per land area or the proportion of plantations. There were differences among the biogeographical zones in how different variables explained the amount of damage. CONCLUSION The results provide tools for analyzing the regional effects of moose population density and the amount of food resources on the amount of moose damage. This information can be used in reconciling sustainable moose population levels and the amount of damage., We modelled the amount of moose damage with linear mixed effects models by using regional forest structure parameters. The model can be used as a tool in moose management. © 2020 The Authors. Pest Management Science published by John Wiley & Sons Ltd on behalf of Society of Chemical Industry.

Purpose The longitudinal influence of parental leisure-time physical activity (LTPA) on their offspring's LTPA is poorly understood. This study examined the longitudinal associations between parental LTPA and offspring's LTPA at two-time intervals. Method Child (offspring) participants (N=3596) were enrolled from the Cardiovascular Risk in Young Finns Study in 1980. Their LTPA was self-rated through nine phases from baseline to 2018 and categorized by year into youth (1980-1986) and adult (1992-2018) LTPA. Parental LTPA was assessed with a single self-reported question at three phases from 1980 to 1986. Latent growth curve modeling stratified by gender was fitted to estimate the potential pathways between parental LTPA and offspring's youth and adult LTPA. Results Higher initial levels of paternal and maternal LTPA were independently associated with greater initial levels of youth and adult LTPA of offspring in both genders respectively, except maternal LTPA that did not associate with male offspring's adult LTPA. The initial levels of paternal LTPA were directly related to changes in male offspring's youth LTPA after adjusting for age, residential place, paternal education and occupation, having siblings, and offspring's body mass index. Conclusion Our study demonstrates that the initial levels of parental LTPA are directly linked to the initial levels of offspring's LTPA during youth and adulthood, while changes in parental LTPA are unrelated to changes in offspring's youth and adult LTPA for either gender over time. These results imply that higher initial levels of LTPA in parents may serve as a predictor of offspring's LTPA across life stages.

Grey wolf Canis lupus is often the main predator of moose Alces alces. Therefore it can be expected that moose are able to recognize the presence of wolves and react to them to avoid predation. We examined the effect of predation risk by wolves on movement patterns by moose in eastern Finland where moose and wolves have co-existed for centuries. The level of wolf predation risk experienced by 20 radio-collared adult moose was classified according to the proportion of their fixes in wolf territories. Our results suggest that moose adjust their movement speed according to the degree they are exposed to the presence of wolves. The adjustment occurred in summer but not in winter. In summer the moose more exposed to wolves moved faster than the moose less exposed to wolves. Season and the structure of the surrounding forests also affected moose movement patterns. Both movement speed and the linearity of movement decreased in winter and with increasing canopy cover. We suggest that by increased moving when exposed to higher risk of predation moose try to keep distance to the predator and/or try to keep themselves spatially and temporally unpredictable to their predator. Our results differ from those obtained in Scandinavia where no response of moose movement to predation risk by wolves has been detected. It might be that wolves' continuous presence in eastern Finland compared to Scandinavia provide a reason why moose in our study area reacted to the presence of wolves.

tCollisions with wild ungulates are an increasing traffic safety issue in boreal regions. Crashes involvingsmaller-bodied deer species usually lead to vehicle damage only, whereas collisions with a large animal,such as the moose, increase the risk of personal injuries. It is therefore important to understand boththe factors affecting the number of moose-vehicle collisions (MVCs) and the underlying causes thatturn an MVC into an accident involving personal injuries or fatalities. As a basis for temporal mitigationmeasures, we examined the annual and monthly variation of MVCs with and without personal injuries.Using a 22-year-long (1990–2011) time series from Finland, we tested the effect of moose populationdensity and traffic volume on the yearly number of all MVCs and those leading to personal injuries. Wealso examined the monthly distribution of MVCs with and without personal injuries, and contrasted theFinnish findings with collision data from Sweden (years 2008–2010) and Norway (years 2008–2011). Bothmoose population abundance indices and traffic volume were positively related to the yearly variationin the number of MVCs in Finland. The proportion of MVCs involving personal injuries decreased duringour 22-year study period. The monthly distribution of all MVCs peaked during the autumn or winterdepending on country, while MVCs involving personal injury peaked in summer. Our study indicatesthat efforts to reduce MVCs involving personal injuries need to address driver awareness and attitudesduring summer, despite most MVCs occurring in autumn or winter.© 2016 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved Animal-vehicle collision, Traffic safety, Population management, Mitigation measures, Injury risk, Deer