FinChildren study

Duration

1.1.2019–

Unit at THL

Welfare Monitoring

The FinChildren study produces information on the health and wellbeing of children, young people and families with children, the factors associated with these, and changes over time.

FinChildren produces register-based statistics. The statistics on overweight and obesity in children and young people describe the prevalence of overweight, obesity and severe obesity among children and young people aged 2–16, as well as the coverage of these data. The statistics on the prevalence of ADHD diagnoses in children and young people describe the prevalence of ADHD diagnoses among children and young people aged 7–17.

FinChildren also collected survey data in 2017, 2018, 2020 and 2024 from the parents of children under school age, to which individual-level register data were linked. These surveys are no longer being carried out.

Goals

The aim is to produce up-to-date and comprehensive information on the health and wellbeing of children, young people and families with children, on the factors associated with these, and on changes over time. A further aim is to produce information on the use of services by children, young people and families with children, as well as their experiences of these services.

Implementation

The data for the statistics on overweight and obesity among children and young people are extracted from the Primary Health Care Outpatient Care Notification (Avohilmo). The height and weight data are based on measurements taken during health examinations in child health clinics and school health care. The data are recorded in patient information systems, from which they are transferred to Avohilmo.

The statistics on the prevalence of ADHD diagnoses among children and young people utilise the data content of individual-level care notification registers from primary health care (Avohilmo) and from specialised health care outpatient and inpatient care (Terveys-Hilmo).

Both sets of statistics are updated annually.

Privacy notices for FinChildren study:

Funding

Finnish Institute for Health and Welfare (THL)

Contact details

Maaret Vuorenmaa

Senior Researcher
tel. +358 29 524 7008
[email protected]

Updated:

Children, youth and families

Other similar projects

Project

Future Finland

Children born in Finland between 2025 and 2029 are with their families part of the Future Finland study, which aims to promote well-being over the next 100 years.