Cohort Profile: The 1987 Finnish Birth Cohort

Abstract

There is ample evidence showing how marginalization and inequalities in well-being and health have roots in childhood. Preand perinatal factors affect childhood and adolescent outcomes—such as mortality and morbidity, behavioural problems, delinquent and criminal behaviour, cognitive and motor functioning and teenage pregnancies, but the extent to which these effects are sustained through adulthood is less clear. Epidemiological research has identified various early childhood determinants for social exclusion in adolescence and adulthood. These include preand perinatal, genetic as well as environmental risk factors across childhood years. Problems also run in families as a result of both social and biological processes. There is information about several risk factors that contribute to adolescent mental health problems. However, little is known about the protective factors. The Finnish welfare system provides many services to children in at-risk groups, yet little is known about the long-term effects of different official actions and at times reports have been unfavourable. In addition, significant health differences have been observed according to gender and region, but the reasons for these remain unknown. Most data on child and adolescent health and social coping are sample based, cross-sectional or based on short-term outcome. The increased routine collection of administrative register data has created new possibilities for life-course epidemiological research. Previously, such data have not been widely used for follow-up purposes. The Academy of Finland launched a research programme on Responding to Public Health Challenges (SALVE) in 2008. This programme is set to provide applicable information in order to respond to current and future key public health issues, and to bring together approaches applied in public health research as well as in behavioural sciences, social sciences and biosciences. The programme is divided into four thematic areas: health-protecting and health-promoting factors, life-course approaches and critical periods of life, health inequalities and clustering of ill health, and predicting future health. Follow-up of the 1987 Finnish Birth Cohort is funded by the consortium ‘Life-course Determinants of Mental Health, Marginalization and Social Coping’ through the Academy of Finland’s SALVE research programme.