Persistence of noncancer-related musculoskeletal chronic pain among community-dwelling older people: a population-based longitudinal study in Finland.

Objective: To determine the persistence of chronic pain among community-dwelling older persons and to identify factors related to persistent chronic pain.

Methods: In this prospective longitudinal study, a random sample of Finnish community-dwelling people aged 76 years and older (n=256) were interviewed annually by a trained nurse at 3 time points. Data on prevalence, duration, location, and intensity of musculoskeletal pain, analgesic use, demographics, and health characteristics were collected during the interviews.

Complementary or alternative? Patterns of complementary and alternative medicine (CAM) use among Finnish children.

Purpose: The aim of this study was to measure patterns of complementary and alternative medicine (CAM) use among Finnish children and to explore whether CAM use among children is mainly complementary or alternative.

Methods: We carried out a cross-sectional population-based survey in spring 2007. The study population consisted of a representative sample (n = 6,000) of Finnish children under 12 years of age.

The use of complementary and alternative medicine products in preceding two days among Finnish parents - a population survey.

Background: The use of complementary and alternative medicines (CAM) has been extensively studied globally among adult and paediatric populations. Parents, as a group, had not been studied to assess their knowledge and attitude to CAM and general medicine use. This study is necessary since parents' attitude to medicine use is known to influence their child's attitude to medicine use later in life.

Children's health and parental socioeconomic factors: a population-based survey in Finland.

Background: Socioeconomic inequalities in health are a global problem, not only among the adult population but also among children. However, studies concerning young children especially are rare. The aim of this study was to describe the health of Finnish children under 12 years of age, and the socioeconomic factors associated with health.

Do Finnish women using hormone replacement therapy need more information about risks.

Objective: In 1998, the Women's Health Initiative (WHI) in 2002 and the Million Women Study (MWS) in 2003 have shown a need for re-evaluation of the benefits and adverse reactions of hormone replacement therapy (HRT). Consequently the authorities in Europe and USA have issued new recommendations against the use of HRT. The aim of this study was to examine women's perceptions of HRT since the publication of the Women's Health Initiative study and the Million Women Study, and the kind of sources women use to obtain information about HRT.

Frequent analgesic use at population level: prevalence and patterns of use.

Statistics and prescription database studies show that analgesics are widely utilized, but do not tell anything about either the factors behind analgesic use or how over-the-counter (OTC) analgesics are being used. We aimed to study the prevalence of frequent use of prescribed and OTC analgesics. We also investigated the background factors related to frequent analgesic use and assessed rationality of analgesic usage patterns.

How do people ease their pain? A population-based study.

Unlabelled: We investigated how a general population treat their pain and determined factors affecting use of different pain management strategies. From the respondents of a cross-sectional postal survey we selected those who had experienced pain during the past 7 days (n = 3641) and analyzed how they had tried to manage their pain during the past 6 months. The most common pain management strategies were use of over-the-counter medicines (53% of 3641 respondents), physical exercise (52%), prescription medicines (35%), and visiting a physician (33%).

Chronic pain and poor self-rated health.

Context: Chronic pain is common in Western societies. Self-rated health is an important indicator of morbidity and mortality, but little is known about the relation between chronic pain and self-rated health in the general population.

Objective: To analyze the association between chronic pain and self-rated health.

Direct and indirect costs of managing patients with musculoskeletal pain-challenge for health care.

Musculoskeletal pain is an outstanding symptom among the patients of primary health care. However, there are few studies of management and costs of musculoskeletal pain at primary health care level. The aim of this study was to describe the diagnostic investigations, management, referral rate and sick leaves related to visits prompted by musculoskeletal pain as well as to assess their costs.