THL invites 64,000 adults to participate in an extensive survey on health, welfare and service experiences
This autumn, the Finnish Institute for Health and Welfare (THL) is studying the well-being of adults living in Finland and their experiences of health and social services.
The extensive Healthy Finland Survey is carried out every two years. The invite to the survey will be sent to 64,000 randomly selected people aged 20 or over from around Finland this autumn.
The survey collects up-to-date information on the health status of adults living in Finland as well as their lifestyles, quality of life, functional capacity, and experiences of social and health services.
In 2022, one in four adults had a healthy lifestyle - how about now?
The previous Healthy Finland Survey conducted in 2022 found that nearly one in four adults led a mostly healthy life. The survey examined five key habits. Respondents were considered to have a healthy lifestyle if they did not smoke, used alcohol at most moderately, ate vegetables and fruit daily, exercised in accordance with recommendations, and got enough sleep.
Out of all wellbeing services counties, the situation was the best in North Karelia and North Ostrobothnia, where about 29% of adults had healthy lifestyles. The most worrisome counties were South Karelia (19%), Ostrobothnia (19%) and Kanta-Häme (20%), where only one in five participants had a healthy lifestyle.
Figure. Proportion of people with healthy lifestyles (non-standardised), wellbeing services counties 2022
‘Lifestyles play a major role in health and, consequently, in the need for health and social services in wellbeing services counties,’ says Research Director Annamari Lundqvist.
‘In our previous survey, which was carried out just before the new wellbeing services counties started operating, we found that access to health services has become more difficult everywhere in Finland since 2018; as an example, one in four felt that they did not receive sufficient medical services in relation to their needs. We are now investigating how the situation has developed in the wellbeing services counties,’ Lundqvist continues.
Wellbeing services counties can utilise the results in planning and developing their operations
The study collects data from 21 wellbeing services counties, Helsinki and Åland. In addition to the overview of the whole Finland, the data enables a comprehensive regional comparison.
The wellbeing services counties can utilise the results of the survey in the planning, development and management of social welfare and health care services and in health promotion. Up-to-date information also makes it possible to assess the impacts of the measures taken.
Replies from all age groups and all life situations are valuable
The participants to the study have been selected randomly from the Digital and Population Data Services Agency’s data. Each person selected for the study represents persons of the same age and gender in their area, and none of the respondents can be replaced with another.
The first invitations to the study will arrive by post in September. You can respond to the survey online or by using a paper form in Finnish, Swedish, English or Russian.
‘To ensure the reliability of the results, it is important that everyone who receives the invitation responds to the survey,’ says Lundqvist.
The first results will be published by demographic and by wellbeing services county on the THL website during 2025. Individual respondents cannot be identified in the findings.
More information
Annamari Lundqvist
Principal Researcher
Finnish Institute for Health and Welfare
Tel. +358 29 524 7283
[email protected]
