The effect of improving psychosocial stressors on psychological distress: a quasi-experiment of Finnish health and social care workers.

AIMS: To examine how a positive change in one to three psychosocial stressors (job demands, job rewards, and workplace social capital) influenced psychological distress. METHODS: The analysis included 3605 Finnish health and social services workers who completed surveys in 2019, 2020 and 2021. A logistic regression model was used to estimate the propensity score of experiencing a positive change in one to three psychosocial stressors between 2019 and 2020. We balanced the baseline characteristics with propensity scoring. A generalised linear model with a binomial distribution and a log link function was used to compare the quasi-intervention and quasi-control groups for the risk of psychological distress in 2021. RESULTS: Among the total sample, neither improving a single stressor nor two or three stressors affected psychological distress. However, among employees younger than 50 years, improving two or three psychosocial stressors in 2019-2020 decreased the risk of moderate to severe psychological distress in 2021 by 41% (risk ratio 0.59, 95% confidence interval 0.36-0.96). Among employees aged 50 years or older, improving job rewards lowered the risk of mild to severe psychological distress by 23% (risk ratio 0.77, 95% confidence interval 0.62-0.96). CONCLUSIONS: The results of this quasi-experiment suggest that the positive effect of improving psychosocial stressors is stronger among younger than older workers. Future interventions should be customised for different ages and aim to improve accumulated work stressors and individual stress-coping skills.

Effects of workday characteristics and job demands on recovery from work among Finnish home care nurses: a multi-source cross-sectional study.

OBJECTIVE: Ageing populations and poor care workforce availability are causing increasing job demands for home care nurses across Europe. While recovery from work helps sustain work ability and wellbeing, past research has relied mainly on self-reported measures of health, stressors, and recovery. This study aims to examine how objective and subjective job demands are associated with measured day-time recovery among home care nurses. METHODS: Heart rate variability recording was conducted for 95 Finnish home care nurses. The study participants documented their work tasks throughout the workday and filled a wellbeing questionnaire. The amount of care time, breaktime, number of different weekly clients, and their care needs were obtained from the survey. The associations between job demands and measured day-time recovery were analysed using multivariate linear regression. RESULTS: The amount of day-time recovery was on average 75 min. The number of different clients during the workday (e.g., care continuity) and higher care needs of the clients were associated with lower day-time recovery. Additionally, something slightly disrupting the course of the workday was associated with increased recovery. CONCLUSIONS: Our findings indicate that reducing especially the objective job demands (workday characteristics) can contribute to better day-time recovery among home care nurses. To help sustain work ability and improve wellbeing, day-time recovery can be promoted with better work scheduling that supports care continuity and ensures sufficient care resources and support for nurses with many clients or clients with high care needs.

What alleviates the harmful effect of strain on recovery from work of 4478 health and social services workers? A cross-sectional study.

AIM: To analyse whether the harmful effect of job demands on recovery can be alleviated by healthy lifestyle, psychological recovery experiences and job resources. We also describe their prevalence among employees in different types of eldercare service and in the health and social services sector in general. DESIGN: Cross-sectional study. METHODS: The data were collected using a self-report survey in 2020 in the health and social services sector organizations (n = 4478). Employees were classified as the following service types: general health and social services (N = 3225), home care (N = 452), service housing (N = 550) and outpatient and ward care (N = 202). The data were analysed using percentages, cross-tabulations and logistic regression analysis. RESULTS: Poor recovery, high job demands, low appreciation and low autonomy in terms of worktime and breaks were more prevalent in eldercare. Employers could alleviate the risk of high job demands by offering job resources-appreciation, autonomy in terms of worktimes and breaks-and motivating employees to maintain healthy lifestyle habits and use recovery experiences such as relaxation. CONCLUSION: The study emphasizes the importance of appreciation in the health and social services sector context. Even with moderate levels of appreciation employers can protect employees from poor recovery from work in the demanding health and social services work environment. IMPACT: Eldercare employees face continuous and accumulating work strain at the same time as the sector struggles against a labour shortage. One way to prevent the harmful consequences of strain is to enhance recovery from work. Employers could alleviate the risk of high job demands and poor recovery by showing appreciation and giving employees more autonomy in terms of work time and breaks during the workday. This could also motivate employees to keep up healthy lifestyle habits and use their recovery experiences. Results are important especially in the daily management of HSS work. WHAT DOES THIS PAPER CONTRIBUTE TO THE WIDER GLOBAL CLINICAL COMMUNITY?: Managers in the health and social services sector and eldercare can use these findings to promote recovery from work. REPORTING METHOD: STROBE checklist. PATIENT OR PUBLIC CONTRIBUTION: No patient or public contribution.

Associations between accumulating job stressors, workplace social capital, and psychological distress on work-unit level: a cross-sectional study.

BACKGROUND: Psychosocial job stressor studies usually examine one exposure at a time and focus on individual workers. In this study we examined the accumulation of work stressors in work units and its association with psychological distress (PD) on work-unit level. We also investigated whether high workplace social capital modifies the effect. METHODS: We examined survey responses from 813 Finnish health and social services (HSS) work units, comprising 9 502 employees, in a cross-sectional study design. The survey was conducted in 2021. We calculated odds ratios for the association between accumulating job stressors and PD. We also analyzed the interaction between work stressors and the effect modification of high workplace social capital. RESULTS: We found that HSS work units with high percentage of employees having high job demands and low rewards (OR 7.2, 95% CI 3.7, 13.8) have an increased risk of higher PD in the work unit. We also found indication of high social capital possibly modifying the effect of job stressors on PD. The results suggest that accumulated job stressors are associated with PD on work unit level, with excess risk for PD compared to the stressors acting separately. CONCLUSIONS: The results indicate that the effect of accumulating job stressors should be further studied on work-unit level. Participatory organizational-level and work-unit level interventions to tackle job stressors and to improve workplace social capital are warranted.

Increased physical workload in home care service is associated with reduced recovery from work.

OBJECTIVE: This study investigated the physical workload of home care service workers and determined whether the different intensities of physical work strain experienced by home care nurses have different impacts on their recovery from work. METHODS: Physical workload and recovery were measured among 95 home care nurses based on heart rate (HR) and heart rate variability (HRV) recordings during one work shift and the following night. Differences in the physical work strain were compared between younger (≤ 44-year-old) and older (≥ 45-year-old) employees and between morning and evening shifts. To determine the effects of occupational physical activity on recovery, HRV at all time points (during the workday, when awake and asleep, and whole measurement) in relation to the amount of occupational physical activity was examined. RESULTS: The average physiological strain during the work shift, measured as metabolic equivalent (MET), was 1.8 ± 0.5. Moreover, the occupational physical demands in relation to maximal capacity were higher for the older employees. The results of the study showed that a higher occupational physical workload reduced the HRV of home care workers during the workday, leisure time, and sleep. CONCLUSIONS: These data indicate that increased occupational physical workload is associated with reduced recovery among home care workers. Therefore, decreasing occupational strain and ensuring sufficient recovery is recommended.

Interventions to promote work ability by increasing physical activity among workers with physically strenuous jobs: A scoping review.

Aims: The potential benefits of workplace physical activity (PA) interventions are in improving both health and important workplace outcomes. Despite the differences in PA level between physically strenuous and inactive work, the literature reporting the effectiveness of the interventions does not usually differentiate physically active and inactive jobs. The aim of the current study was therefore to collect and synthesise research evidence on workplace PA interventions to promote work ability specifically among workers in physically strenuous jobs by means of a scoping review. Methods: The databases Medline, Cochrane Central and Scopus were used to identify interventions to promote work ability by increasing PA among workers in physically strenuous jobs. An iterative method was used to obtain an overview of the study elements and to extract details on the study design, sample, intervention, outcomes and effectiveness. Results: A total of 47 studies evaluating eight categories of interventions were found. Out of these, 18 reported significant effects on work ability. Positive results came from a range of different interventions, including aerobic exercise, strength training, combined aerobic exercise and strength training, stretching, yoga, consultation and tailored physical exercise programmes. Conclusions: Few interventions were effective in promoting work ability by increasing PA among workers in physically strenuous jobs. In particular, trials based on the demands of work, multimodal interventions and applying wearable technology are needed.

Effects of Transmission Delay on Client Participation in Video-Mediated Group Health Counseling.

In face-to-face group counseling, active client participation contributes to the counseling agenda by a variety of social processes, but little is known about how video mediation shapes client participation. In this article, we use conversation analysis to investigate how transmission delay affects client participation in video-mediated group counseling through shaping the resolution of overlapping talk. Data are video recordings from three video-mediated group health counseling sessions recorded simultaneously in the two participating locations. The delay changes the timing of the overlapping turns and pauses at each end of the mediated counseling, making it difficult to interpret who should take the turn after the overlap. This may pose obstacles to client participation. While mediated counseling services can increase access to services and thus improve client participation at a macro level, transmission delay can pose threats to active client participation at the micro level of interaction.

The Effects of Acceptance and Commitment Therapy (ACT) Intervention on Inflammation and Stress Biomarkers: a Randomized Controlled Trial.

BACKGROUND: Psychological processes can be manifested in physiological health. We investigated whether acceptance and commitment therapy (ACT), targeted on psychological flexibility (PF), influences inflammation and stress biomarkers among working-age adults with psychological distress and overweight/obesity. METHOD: Participants were randomized into three parallel groups: (1) ACT-based face-to-face (n = 65; six group sessions led by a psychologist), (2) ACT-based mobile (n = 73; one group session and mobile app), and (3) control (n = 66; only the measurements). Systemic inflammation and stress markers were analyzed at baseline, at 10 weeks after the baseline (post-intervention), and at 36 weeks after the baseline (follow-up). General PF and weight-related PF were measured with questionnaires (Acceptance and Action Questionnaire, Acceptance and Action Questionnaire for Weight-Related Difficulties). RESULTS: A group × time interaction (p = .012) was detected in the high-sensitivity C-reactive protein (hsCRP) level but not in other inflammation and stress biomarkers. hsCRP decreased significantly in the face-to-face group from week 0 to week 36, and at week 36, hsCRP was lower among the participants in the face-to-face group than in the mobile group (p = .035, post hoc test). Age and sex were stronger predictors of biomarker levels at follow-up than the post-intervention PF. CONCLUSION: The results suggest that ACT delivered in group sessions may exert beneficial effects on low-grade systemic inflammation. More research is needed on how to best apply psychological interventions for the health of both mind and body among people with overweight/obesity and psychological distress. TRIAL REGISTRATION: ClinicalTrials.gov Identifier: NCT01738256, Registered 17 August, 2012.

Stories of Change: Comparative Time-Framed Experience Telling in Health Promotion Group Discussions.

In this article, we examine comparative time-framed experience telling: episodes of interaction in health promotion group discussions in which one of the participants tells their experience and, in response, another participant tells their own experiences from separate moments or periods of their life and compares them. In so doing, group members reinforce and encourage the previous speaker's positive stance or challenge the negative stance toward contextually relevant objects: behavior change and suggested solutions. This practice allows group members to demonstrate their independent access to experiences that are similar to those of the other, present evidence of similarities and differences between the experiences, and show their epistemic independence regarding their claims. By recontextualizing the experience of the other in this way, it becomes possible for the group members to interpret and even oppose it while maintaining a level of understanding of the differences between the experiences in question and respecting them.

Personal meaning of work and perceived work ability among middle-aged workers with physically strenuous work: a Northern Finland Birth Cohort 1966 Study.

PURPOSE: To investigate the association between personal meaning of work and perceived work ability among middle-aged workers with physically strenuous or light work. We evaluated the course of perceived work ability from 31 to 46 years and examined the possible differences in the association between personal meaning of work and perceived work ability at the age of 46 depending on physical workload. METHODS: The study population consisted of participants of the Northern Finland Birth Cohort 1966 (n = 4420). Data were collected through questionnaires at 31 and 46 years. The main outcome was perceived work ability (0-7 = poor, 8-10 = good) and the main explanatory measures were physically strenuous work and personal meaning of work. Multivariate logistic regression analyses were adjusted for unhealthy habits, number of diseases, job strain, social support at work, employment history and gender. They were also stratified for the strenuousness of work. RESULTS: Perceived work ability decreased during the 15-year follow-up in both the strenuous and light work groups, and was lowest among workers with strenuous work. Perceived work ability remained poor or decreased in 22% of men and 21% of women in the strenuous work group vs. 14% and 13% in the light work group, respectively. After adjusting for confounders, the participants in both groups who reported low personal meaning of work were at approximately a twofold risk of having poor perceived work ability at 46 years compared to the participants who reported high personal meaning of work. CONCLUSIONS: Perceived work ability was significantly lower and deteriorated more during the follow-up among participants with strenuous work. High personal meaning of work was important for good work ability, irrespective of the strenuousness of work.

KLB is associated with alcohol drinking, and its gene product ß-Klotho is necessary for FGF21 regulation of alcohol preference.

Excessive alcohol consumption is a major public health problem worldwide. Although drinking habits are known to be inherited, few genes have been identified that are robustly linked to alcohol drinking. We conducted a genome-wide association metaanalysis and replication study among >105,000 individuals of European ancestry and identified ß-Klotho (KLB) as a locus associated with alcohol consumption (rs11940694; P = 9.2 × 10-12). ß-Klotho is an obligate coreceptor for the hormone FGF21, which is secreted from the liver and implicated in macronutrient preference in humans. We show that brain-specific ß-Klotho KO mice have an increased alcohol preference and that FGF21 inhibits alcohol drinking by acting on the brain. These data suggest that a liver-brain endocrine axis may play an important role in the regulation of alcohol drinking behavior and provide a unique pharmacologic target for reducing alcohol consumption.

The effects of acceptance and commitment therapy on eating behavior and diet delivered through face-to-face contact and a mobile app: a randomized controlled trial.

BACKGROUND: Internal motivation and good psychological capabilities are important factors in successful eating-related behavior change. Thus, we investigated whether general acceptance and commitment therapy (ACT) affects reported eating behavior and diet quality and whether baseline perceived stress moderates the intervention effects. METHODS: Secondary analysis of unblinded randomized controlled trial in three Finnish cities. Working-aged adults with psychological distress and overweight or obesity in three parallel groups: (1) ACT-based Face-to-face (n = 70; six group sessions led by a psychologist), (2) ACT-based Mobile (n = 78; one group session and mobile app), and (3) Control (n = 71; only the measurements). At baseline, the participants' (n = 219, 85% females) mean body mass index was 31.3 kg/m2 (SD = 2.9), and mean age was 49.5 years (SD = 7.4). The measurements conducted before the 8-week intervention period (baseline), 10 weeks after the baseline (post-intervention), and 36 weeks after the baseline (follow-up) included clinical measurements, questionnaires of eating behavior (IES-1, TFEQ-R18, HTAS, ecSI 2.0, REBS), diet quality (IDQ), alcohol consumption (AUDIT-C), perceived stress (PSS), and 48-h dietary recall. Hierarchical linear modeling (Wald test) was used to analyze the differences in changes between groups. RESULTS: Group x time interactions showed that the subcomponent of intuitive eating (IES-1), i.e., Eating for physical rather than emotional reasons, increased in both ACT-based groups (p = .019); the subcomponent of TFEQ-R18, i.e., Uncontrolled eating, decreased in the Face-to-face group (p = .020); the subcomponent of health and taste attitudes (HTAS), i.e., Using food as a reward, decreased in the Mobile group (p = .048); and both subcomponent of eating competence (ecSI 2.0), i.e., Food acceptance (p = .048), and two subcomponents of regulation of eating behavior (REBS), i.e., Integrated and Identified regulation (p = .003, p = .023, respectively), increased in the Face-to-face group. Baseline perceived stress did not moderate effects on these particular features of eating behavior from baseline to follow-up. No statistically significant effects were found for dietary measures. CONCLUSIONS: ACT-based interventions, delivered in group sessions or by mobile app, showed beneficial effects on reported eating behavior. Beneficial effects on eating behavior were, however, not accompanied by parallel changes in diet, which suggests that ACT-based interventions should include nutritional counseling if changes in diet are targeted. TRIAL REGISTRATION: ClinicalTrials.gov ( NCT01738256 ), registered 17 August, 2012.

Rsu1 regulates ethanol consumption in Drosophila and humans.

Alcohol abuse is highly prevalent, but little is understood about the molecular causes. Here, we report that Ras suppressor 1 (Rsu1) affects ethanol consumption in flies and humans. Drosophila lacking Rsu1 show reduced sensitivity to ethanol-induced sedation. We show that Rsu1 is required in the adult nervous system for normal sensitivity and that it acts downstream of the integrin cell adhesion molecule and upstream of the Ras-related C3 botulinum toxin substrate 1 (Rac1) GTPase to regulate the actin cytoskeleton. In an ethanol preference assay, global loss of Rsu1 causes high naïve preference. In contrast, flies lacking Rsu1 only in the mushroom bodies of the brain show normal naïve preference but then fail to acquire ethanol preference like normal flies. Rsu1 is, thus, required in distinct neurons to modulate naïve and acquired ethanol preference. In humans, we find that polymorphisms in RSU1 are associated with brain activation in the ventral striatum during reward anticipation in adolescents and alcohol consumption in both adolescents and adults. Together, these data suggest a conserved role for integrin/Rsu1/Rac1/actin signaling in modulating reward-related phenotypes, including ethanol consumption, across phyla.

National policies for the promotion of physical activity and healthy nutrition in the workplace context: a behaviour change wheel guided content analysis of policy papers in Finland.

BACKGROUND: Health policy papers disseminate recommendations and guidelines for the development and implementation of health promotion interventions. Such documents have rarely been investigated with regard to their assumed mechanisms of action for changing behaviour. The Theoretical Domains Framework (TDF) and Behaviour Change Techniques (BCT) Taxonomy have been used to code behaviour change intervention descriptions, but to our knowledge such "retrofitting" of policy papers has not previously been reported. This study aims first to identify targets, mediators, and change strategies for physical activity (PA) and nutrition behaviour change in Finnish policy papers on workplace health promotion, and second to assess the suitability of the Behaviour Change Wheel (BCW) approach for this purpose. METHOD: We searched all national-level health policy papers effectual in Finland in August 2016 focusing on the promotion of PA and/or healthy nutrition in the workplace context (n = 6). Policy recommendations targeting employees' nutrition and PA including sedentary behaviour (SB) were coded using BCW, TDF, and BCT Taxonomy. RESULTS: A total of 125 recommendations were coded in the six policy papers, and in two additional documents referenced by them. Psychological capability, physical opportunity, and social opportunity were frequently identified (22%, 31%, and 24%, respectively), whereas physical capability was almost completely absent (1%). Three TDF domains (knowledge, skills, and social influence) were observed in all papers. Multiple intervention functions and BCTs were identified in all papers but several recommendations were too vague to be coded reliably. Influencing individuals (46%) and changing the physical environment (44%) were recommended more frequently than influencing the social environment (10%). CONCLUSIONS: The BCW approach appeared to be useful for analysing the content of health policy papers. Paying more attention to underlying assumptions regarding behavioural change processes may help to identify neglected aspects in current policy, and to develop interventions based on recommendations, thus helping to increase the impact of policy papers.

Changes in alcohol use in relation to sociodemographic factors in early midlife.

OBJECTIVE: To describe changes in alcohol use in relation to employment, education and relationship statuses in a general population sample in early midlife using prospective birth cohort data. MATERIALS AND METHODS: In the Northern Finland Birth Cohort 1966 (N=5621) alcohol use was studied in participants at two time points: ages 31 and 46. The total mean consumption was calculated and participants were classified into steady drinkers, increasers and reducers based on the change in consumption between the ages of 31 and 46. Multinomial regression analysis was conducted with changes in employment and relationship statuses. RESULTS: Daily alcohol consumption rose by 30% for men and 40% for women. Persons who were unemployed, single or had a low level of education consumed most. Of the alcohol users, 70% were classified as steady drinkers, 10% as reducers and 20% as increasers. For men, leaving a relationship (odds ratio, OR 1.5; 95% confidence interval, CI: 1.0-2.1) predicted increased alcohol use. The predictors of reducing consumption were entering a relationship for men (OR 1.9; 95% CI: 1.2-2.9) and women (OR 1.9; 95% CI: 1.1-3.1), and leaving a relationship (OR 2.6; 95% CI: 1.6-4.3) for women. CONCLUSIONS: Alcohol consumption among Finns of northern origin does not seem to decline with age. Alcohol usage is fairly stable in the majority of middle-aged people. A substantial proportion of alcohol users engage in either binge or heavy drinking. Gender differences in predictors exist-- changes in relationship status predict a reduction in alcohol usage in women, whereas in men, divorce predicts an increase in usage.

Perceived Work Ability in the Light of Long-Term and Stress-Related Unhealthy Behaviors-a Prospective Cohort Study.

BACKGROUND: Most of the few studies that exist on the longitudinal associations between health behaviors and work ability target to single health behaviors. PURPOSE: To investigate how lifetime clusters of unhealthy behaviors associate with perceived work ability in early midlife. METHODS: The study population consisted of 46-year-old men and women (n = 3107) born in Northern Finland in 1966. Their current perceived work ability compared to lifetime best, and their unhealthy behaviors (physical inactivity, smoking, and alcohol consumption) were assessed by questionnaires. We determined clusters of unhealthy behaviors at the ages of 14, 31, and 46 and created lifetime development trajectories of health behaviors. We also assessed stress-related eating and drinking at the ages of 31 and 46. Cross-tabulations and multivariate logistic regression models were used to investigate the associations between clusters of health behaviors, stress-related eating and drinking, and work ability at 46 years. The analyses were controlled for basic education and physical strenuousness of work, psychosocial job characteristics, perceived work ability, and BMI (kg/m(2)) at 31 years. RESULTS: Four health behavior trajectories emerged: always healthy, moderate (reference group), deteriorated. and always unhealthy. Among men, always unhealthy behaviors [OR (95 % confidence interval) 2.81 (1.35, 5.86)], and among women, deteriorated health behaviors [1.67 (1.07, 2.58)] associated with poor perceived work ability at 46 years. In addition, stress-related eating and drinking associated independently with poor perceived work ability at 46 years [men 2.58 (1.62, 4.12) and women 2.48 (1.70, 3.61)]. CONCLUSION: Long-lasting and stress-related unhealthy behaviors increase the risk of poor work ability in midlife.

High perceived stress is associated with unfavorable eating behavior in overweight and obese Finns of working age.

Stress-related eating may be a potential factor in the obesity epidemic. Rather little is known about how stress associates with eating behavior and food intake in overweight individuals in a free-living situation. Thus, the present study aims to investigate this question in psychologically distressed overweight and obese working-aged Finns. The study is a cross-sectional baseline analysis of a randomized controlled trial. Of the 339 study participants, those with all the needed data available (n = 297, 84% females) were included. The mean age was 48.9 y (SD = 7.6) and mean body mass index 31.3 kg/m(2) (SD = 3.0). Perceived stress and eating behavior were assessed by self-reported questionnaires Perceived Stress Scale (PSS), Intuitive Eating Scale, the Three-Factor Eating Questionnaire, Health and Taste Attitude Scales and ecSatter Inventory. Diet and alcohol consumption were assessed by 48-h dietary recall, Index of Diet Quality, and AUDIT-C. Individuals reporting most perceived stress (i.e. in the highest PSS tertile) had less intuitive eating, more uncontrolled eating, and more emotional eating compared to those reporting less perceived stress (p < 0.05). Moreover, individuals in the highest PSS tertile reported less cognitive restraint and less eating competence than those in the lowest tertile (p < 0.05). Intake of whole grain products was the lowest among those in the highest PSS tertile (p < 0.05). Otherwise the quality of diet and alcohol consumption did not differ among the PSS tertiles. In conclusion, high perceived stress was associated with the features of eating behavior that could in turn contribute to difficulties in weight management. Stress-related way of eating could thus form a potential risk factor for obesity. More research is needed to develop efficient methods for clinicians to assist in handling stress-related eating in the treatment of obese people.

Abstinence and current or former alcohol use as predictors of disability retirement in Finland.

AIM: According to previous studies, abstinence from alcohol increases the risk of disability retirement (DR). We studied whether former alcohol users' poor mental or physical health might have contributed to this result. METHODS: Prospective population-based study of 3621 occupationally active Finns aged 30-55 years at baseline. Disability pension data for 2000-2011 was retrieved from national pension records. We examined medically certified disability retirement due to all causes and due to mental disorders among lifelong abstainers, former drinkers, those with an alcohol use disorder irrespective of consumption and current users, further classified according to weekly intake of alcohol. Chronic somatic diseases were evaluated in a clinical examination and common mental and alcohol use disorders using the Composite International Diagnostic Interview. Cox regression was used. RESULTS: Neither lifelong abstinence nor alcohol consumption, even at hazardous levels, without alcohol use disorder was associated with disability retirement. Compared with light drinkers, former drinkers' hazard ratio for DR due to mental disorders was 2.67 (95% CI 1.39-5.13), allowing for somatic and mental morbidity, physical and psychosocial workload, health behaviour and socio-demographic factors. The respective hazard ratio of DR due to all causes for those with alcohol use disorder was 2.17 (1.49-3.16) and of DR due to mental disorders 4.04 (2.02 to 8.06). CONCLUSIONS: Lifelong abstinence did not predict disability retirement. Former drinkers and people with alcohol use disorders were at a multi-fold risk of work disability due to mental disorders compared with light drinkers, thus it is important to support their work ability.

Metabolic signatures of adiposity in young adults: Mendelian randomization analysis and effects of weight change.

BACKGROUND: Increased adiposity is linked with higher risk for cardiometabolic diseases. We aimed to determine to what extent elevated body mass index (BMI) within the normal weight range has causal effects on the detailed systemic metabolite profile in early adulthood. METHODS AND FINDINGS: We used Mendelian randomization to estimate causal effects of BMI on 82 metabolic measures in 12,664 adolescents and young adults from four population-based cohorts in Finland (mean age 26 y, range 16-39 y; 51% women; mean ± standard deviation BMI 24 ± 4 kg/m(2)). Circulating metabolites were quantified by high-throughput nuclear magnetic resonance metabolomics and biochemical assays. In cross-sectional analyses, elevated BMI was adversely associated with cardiometabolic risk markers throughout the systemic metabolite profile, including lipoprotein subclasses, fatty acid composition, amino acids, inflammatory markers, and various hormones (p<0.0005 for 68 measures). Metabolite associations with BMI were generally stronger for men than for women (median 136%, interquartile range 125%-183%). A gene score for predisposition to elevated BMI, composed of 32 established genetic correlates, was used as the instrument to assess causality. Causal effects of elevated BMI closely matched observational estimates (correspondence 87% ± 3%; R(2)= 0.89), suggesting causative influences of adiposity on the levels of numerous metabolites (p<0.0005 for 24 measures), including lipoprotein lipid subclasses and particle size, branched-chain and aromatic amino acids, and inflammation-related glycoprotein acetyls. Causal analyses of certain metabolites and potential sex differences warrant stronger statistical power. Metabolite changes associated with change in BMI during 6 y of follow-up were examined for 1,488 individuals. Change in BMI was accompanied by widespread metabolite changes, which had an association pattern similar to that of the cross-sectional observations, yet with greater metabolic effects (correspondence 160% ± 2%; R(2) = 0.92). CONCLUSIONS: Mendelian randomization indicates causal adverse effects of increased adiposity with multiple cardiometabolic risk markers across the metabolite profile in adolescents and young adults within the non-obese weight range. Consistent with the causal influences of adiposity, weight changes were paralleled by extensive metabolic changes, suggesting a broadly modifiable systemic metabolite profile in early adulthood. Please see later in the article for the Editors' Summary.

Infant locomotive development and its association with adult blood pressure.

UNLABELLED: Evidence from animal models suggests that locomotion and blood pressure share common neurophysiological regulatory systems. As a result of this common regulation, we hypothesized that the development of locomotion in human infants would be associated with blood pressure levels in adulthood. The study sample comprised 4,347 individuals with measures of locomotive and non-locomotive neuromotor development in infancy and adult blood pressure levels within a longitudinal birth cohort study, the Northern Finland Birth Cohort 1966. Later development in all three stages of locomotive development during infancy was associated with higher systolic and diastolic blood pressure levels at age 31. For age of walking without support, 0.34 (95 % CI 0.07 to 0.60)-mm Hg higher SBP and 0.38 (95 % CI 0.15 to 0.62)-mm Hg higher DBP were estimated for each month of later achievement (P = 0.012 for SBP; P = 0.001 for DBP). No association was identified for non-locomotive neuromotor development. CONCLUSION: These results highlight the positive sequelae of advanced locomotive development during infancy, suggesting that the common regulatory systems between locomotion and blood pressure may influence the development of raised blood pressure over time.