About the health examination

We invited 10 000 people who had received the survey to a comprehensive health examination, which took place in January-June 2023 in different parts of Finland.

What did the health examination involve?

The study and related laboratory examination are free of charge and voluntary.

The health examination involved measurement of 

• height, weight, and circumference of waist, hip and neck
• blood pressure
• functional ability (e.g. vision and hearing, memory, attention and concentration, joint mobility, hand grip strength)
• pulmonary function (spirometry test).

In addition, the health examination included:

• a blood sample used to measure vitamin D, thyroid and testosterone levels and fat and sugar values. In addition, liver and kidney function was also assessed
• a hair sample
• a sample of faeces collected at home
• a sample of urine collected at home from some subjects
• questionnaires to identify health, lifestyle and functional capacity. 

Following the health examination, some participants were invited for further examinations at a later stage in order to gather more detailed information on

• alcohol use
• oral and dental health
• physical exercise and sleep
• liver function.

What information do you get for yourself?

You will get feedback on your own examination results. Part of the feedback will be given immediately after the examination visit (e.g. blood pressure).

Approximately 2–4 months after your visit, you will receive your personal health profile, which includes your own results, reference or target values, and instructions for action to take if your results deviate significantly. In addition to the laboratory results, the health profile includes an assessment of your risk of cardiovascular disease, diabetes, memory disorders, liver cirrhosis and sleep apnea, as well as information about your lifestyle and related recommendations.

Note! Due to delays in laboratory results, it may take longer than anticipated to receive a health profile. We apologise for this situation.

Participation is safe

The health examination is performed by trained health care professionals. We process data confidentially in keeping with our secrecy obligation and in compliance with the Data Protection Act and the Personal Data Act.  A secure connection is used for the online questionnaire, preventing unauthorised persons from having access to the information. Individual respondents cannot be identified in the findings. More information on the processing of your personal data and your rights can be found in the survey’s data privacy notice.