1. Associate professor Tiina Laatikainen National Public Health Institute
SIHLWA –profile on youth risk behaviors Northern Dimension Youth Health Profile
Associate professor Tiina Laatikainen
National Public Health Institute
Helsinki, Finland

2. Background
Majority of premature deaths is related to unhealthy behaviours
Behaviours are closely embedded to culture and environment
Health education alone is not enough to tackle the problem
Methods involving youth and social skills training are needed

3. Ways to tackle the problem
Research & international research collaboration to identify risks and develop evidence-based interventions
Health services’ support (especially primary health care)
Demonstration programmes on different settings (population level, schools, educational insitutions…)
Health Promotion Programmes (coalitions,
NGO’s, collaboration with media etc.)

4. Ways to tackle the problem
Collaboration with industry and business
Policy decisions, intersectoral collaboration, legislation
Monitoring system: health behaviours and evaluation of programs
International collaboration

5. For program development
Data necessary to:
define health risks
identify populations at highest risk
determine the prevalence of health risks (eg. risk behaviors)
determine the determinants of health risks (eg. determinants of behaviour)
determine the enabling, reinforcing and constraining factors

6. Pitkäranta, Russian Karelia
Да/Yes
Нет/No

7. Pitkäranta, Russian Karelia
Да/Yes
Нет/No

8. Курить сигареты ученикам на школьной территории Smoking in school yard is

9. Есть ли, по-твоему, возможность купить сигареты в близких от школы магазинах или киосках человеку моложе 18 лет? Can youth under 18 years old buy cigarettes in stores nearby school?

10. SIHLWA –profile on youth health
”Northern Dimension Youth Health Profile”
Finnish initiative
Data collection in collaboration with all ND partners
Data collection in
Provide background data for program development
Possibility for flexible updating

11. Contents Information on risk behaviors:
Smoking, alcohol use, drug use etc.
Data on behavioral determinants:
Demographic and socioeconomic factors etc.
Legislation and policies:
Contents of alcohol and tobacco legislation, regulations on sales and advertising, school policies etc.
Successful and ongoing approaches
Stakeholders (also profiles on interests and field of expertise)

12. Prevalence of smoking at 9th grade according to performance at school%

13. Future possibilities Publish data in format with easy access
suitable for policy making purposes
enabling comparison between countries/areas