Scandinavian Journal of Public Health最新文献

{"title":"Advance directives in Finnish long-term care: Do sociodemographic characteristics and regional factors matter?","authors":"Pirita Forsius, Esa Jämsen, Harriet Finne-Soveri, Mari Aaltonen","doi":"10.1177/14034948251356016","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1177/14034948251356016","url":null,"abstract":"<p><strong>Background: </strong>Advance directives (AD) help ensure quality end-of-life care by preventing inappropriate or unwanted treatments. This is particularly important for older people in long-term care (LTC).</p><p><strong>Aims: </strong>This study examines sociodemographic and regional factors associated with the presence of ADs among Finnish round-the-clock LTC residents.</p><p><strong>Methods: </strong>This retrospective register study included 6,090 Finnish round-the-clock LTC residents aged ⩾65 years who died of chronic progressive diseases in 2019 and had undergone a comprehensive evaluation of health status and care needs using a standardized, internationally accepted tool (interRAI instrument Minimum Data Set 2.0 for LTC).Regional differences and sociodemographic characteristics associated with the presence of a do-not-resuscitate order (DNR) or other ADs were analyzed using descriptive statistics, chi-squared tests, and multivariable logistic regression.</p><p><strong>Results: </strong>The most common advance directive was a DNR order (84.8%), while other ADs were less frequent (6.7-22.9%). Both DNR orders and other ADs were associated with female sex, Finnish as the native language, having a legal guardian, and dying of neurodegenerative diseases. The prevalence of DNR orders increased with age. ADs were more common in urban than rural municipalities, but there was substantial variation between municipalities (DNR: 70.9-95.0%, other ADs: 27.1-70.0%). Several associations of sociodemographic and regional factors with ADs remained significant after adjusting for functional ability and health stability.</p><p><strong>Conclusions: </strong>Sociodemographic characteristics and regional factors influence whether Finnish long-term care residents have advance directives, regardless of their health status. This may result in unequal care and service use despite similar clinical conditions.</p>","PeriodicalId":49568,"journal":{"name":"Scandinavian Journal of Public Health","volume":" ","pages":"14034948251356016"},"PeriodicalIF":2.6,"publicationDate":"2025-07-13","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"144627556","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":3,"RegionCategory":"医学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"Scaling up non-communicable disease prevention and health promotion across Europe: The Joint Action PreventNCD.","authors":"Knut-Inge Klepp, Arnfinn Helleve, Emil Høstrup, Mojca Gabrijelčič Blenkuš, Sólveig Karlsdóttir, Eeva Ollila, Rosana Peiro Pérez, Raffaella Bucciardini, Martin Thissen, Marc Van Den Bulcke, Jorunn Sofie Randby, Linda Granlund","doi":"10.1177/14034948251352040","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1177/14034948251352040","url":null,"abstract":"<p><strong>Aims: </strong>Non-communicable diseases (NCDs) account for more than two thirds of the burden of disease in Europe. At the population level, substantial disparities exist based on socioeconomic status, geographical area, age, disability, gender, and ethnicity. A large part of this disease burden is preventable. The aim of the Joint Action PreventNCD is to support strategies, policies, and practices designed to reduce the burden of NCDs and their common risk factors. This is achieved through collaboration between Member States of the European Union, Iceland, Norway, and Ukraine acting on health determinants and increasing protective factors for health and wellbeing, both at a personal and societal level. A critical objective is to contribute to reduced social inequalities associated with NCDs. This paper presents the overall design and rationale behind PreventNCD, highlighting the efforts to provide strategic direction and guidance while fostering consolidated efforts to NCD prevention and health promotion.</p><p><strong>Methods: </strong>Methods include analyzing opportunities for implementing evidence-informed intersectoral policies for preventing NCDs, pilot-testing innovative practices, and scaling up best practices, including both population-based and targeted prevention efforts. Furthermore, methods include building monitoring capacity in the fields of NCD mortality and morbidity, exposure to risk factors, cost of NCD care, and the impact of health promotion and disease prevention efforts.</p><p><strong>Conclusions: </strong>\u0000 <b>This is an ambitious effort to strengthen the European Member States' abilities and efforts related to NCD prevention. Key outputs include the identification and implementation of effective policies and practices, and long-term institutional mechanisms for sustained NCD prevention and health promotion.</b>\u0000 </p>","PeriodicalId":49568,"journal":{"name":"Scandinavian Journal of Public Health","volume":" ","pages":"14034948251352040"},"PeriodicalIF":2.6,"publicationDate":"2025-07-13","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"144620948","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":3,"RegionCategory":"医学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"The challenge of assessing the needs of vulnerable populations in public health: Promoting an approach grounded in proportionate universalism principles.","authors":"Kenji Leta, Maïté Verloigne, Lieve Bradt, Shana Sabbe, Babette Demeester, Emelien Lauwerier, Sara Willems","doi":"10.1177/14034948251352643","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1177/14034948251352643","url":null,"abstract":"<p><strong>Aim: </strong>Health inequities persist as a pressing public health challenge, often rooted in unequal access to resources, opportunities and privileges that disproportionately affect vulnerable populations. Proportionate universalism offers a promising approach by advocating for universal health interventions that adjust in scale and intensity to meet varying levels of needs. Despite its potential, implementing proportionate universalism in health promotion remains challenging, particularly when narrowly assessing vulnerability using socioeconomic indicators alone, which can misclassify or stigmatise vulnerable groups and perpetuate inequities. This commentary reflects on these challenges in the context of developing a smoking prevention intervention for adolescents facing societal vulnerability and proposes more nuanced strategies for assessing needs within a proportionate universalism framework.</p><p><strong>Conclusions: </strong><b>This article highlights the complexity of defining and assessing vulnerability in public health research and practice. By sharing insights from our research process, we advocate for a broader understanding of adolescent vulnerability that moves beyond traditional socioeconomic measures. We hope to inspire more inclusive and equitable health promotion interventions that are responsive to the diverse and intersecting forms of</b> <b>disadvantage individuals may experience.</b></p>","PeriodicalId":49568,"journal":{"name":"Scandinavian Journal of Public Health","volume":" ","pages":"14034948251352643"},"PeriodicalIF":2.6,"publicationDate":"2025-07-02","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"144555543","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":3,"RegionCategory":"医学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"Perceived infection risk, infection exposure, and compliance to infection control measures among the first COVID-19 patients in Norway.","authors":"Bjørn Sætrevik, Rebecca J Cox, Dagrun W Linchausen, Sebastian B Bjørkheim","doi":"10.1177/14034948251315341","DOIUrl":"10.1177/14034948251315341","url":null,"abstract":"<p><strong>Aims: </strong>The COVID-19 pandemic provided a unique opportunity to assess how infected patients viewed risk. We investigated whether cases infected early in the pandemic had assessed the risk to be lower, been more exposed and took fewer precautions to prevent infection.</p><p><strong>Methods: </strong>We asked first-wave Norwegian COVID-19 patients (<i>n</i> = 88) to recall how they had thought about risk of infection, exposure in potential infectious situations and their compliance to infection control measures early in the pandemic. Answers from this group were compared WITH emergency room patients with non-pulmonary complaints (<i>n</i> = 75) and with a nationally representative sample (<i>n</i> = 4083).</p><p><strong>Results: </strong>Both patient groups saw the risk as lower than did the representative sample. Contact with infected people was more frequent for the COVID-19 patients than for the other patients. More of the COVID-19 patients had travelled abroad immediately before the outbreak. COVID-19 patients complied less with the infection control measures than did the representative sample. The COVID-19 patients agreed less than the other patients with a statement that they had 'complied in general'.</p><p><strong>Conclusions: </strong>\u0000 <b>Risk-behaviour was overrepresented among the first COVID-19 patients. Potential memory artefacts should be considered when interpreting the results.</b>\u0000 </p>","PeriodicalId":49568,"journal":{"name":"Scandinavian Journal of Public Health","volume":" ","pages":"517-524"},"PeriodicalIF":2.6,"publicationDate":"2025-07-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC12159351/pdf/","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"143524953","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":3,"RegionCategory":"医学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"OA","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"Demographic and socioeconomic characteristics of the women invited to the COVIDPregDK cohort: a non-response analysis.","authors":"Christina R Bonnevie, Mia Y Olsen, Katrine H Rubin, Mette Bliddal, Lonny Stokholm","doi":"10.1177/14034948251332452","DOIUrl":"10.1177/14034948251332452","url":null,"abstract":"<p><p><i>Aim</i>: This study aimed to examine the demographic characteristics associated with participation in the COVIDPregDK cohort, aiming to identify potential sources of selection bias. <i>Methods:</i> In this nationwide register-based cohort study, data were used from the COVIDPregDK study, which encompasses a cohort of pregnant women from 2020 and linked them to data from the Danish registries. A comparison between women responding and those who did not respond to the questionnaire was conducted to assess their demographic and socioeconomic characteristics. The associations between respondents and various characteristics were analysed using logistic regression models. <i>Results:</i> The questionnaire garnered a response rate of 60%, with participation from 17,047 pregnant women and non-participation from 11,577. Respondent women were most often 30-34 years of age, of Danish origin, highly educated, and had the highest family income than non-respondents. Additionally, women above 35 years represented the most decisive risk factor of responding (35-39: odds ratio (OR) 1.17 (95% confidence interval (CI) 1.08-1.27); 40+: OR 1.27 95% CI 1.10-1.48)). Characteristics of non-respondents: families with three or more children (OR 0.55 (95% CI 0.47-0.64)); immigrants (OR 0.38 (95% CI 0.35-0.40)) and descendants (OR 0.39 (95% CI 0.34-0.45)); low educated (OR 0.40 (95% CI 0.36-0.44)) and low income (OR 0.67 (95% CI 0.61-0.72)). <b><i>Conclusions:</i> This study found significant demographic and socioeconomic disparities between respondent and non-respondent pregnant women in the COVIDPregDK study, indicating higher participation from women with higher socioeconomic status. Despite the societal lockdown during COVID-19, the lockdown did not mitigate the pre-existing factors hindering women with low socioeconomic status from engaging in research.</b></p>","PeriodicalId":49568,"journal":{"name":"Scandinavian Journal of Public Health","volume":" ","pages":"525-532"},"PeriodicalIF":2.6,"publicationDate":"2025-07-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"144081509","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":3,"RegionCategory":"医学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"Associations between mRNA COVID-19 vaccination and urticaria: a nationwide registry-based cohort study in Denmark.","authors":"Elena Dudukina, Elvira V Brâuner, Cæcilie B Christiansen, Stine H Mogensen, Mona E Hervig, Stine Ulsø, Martin Z Larsen","doi":"10.1177/14034948251333901","DOIUrl":"10.1177/14034948251333901","url":null,"abstract":"<p><strong>Objectives: </strong>To investigate the association between mRNA COVID-19 vaccination and the risk of urticaria.</p><p><strong>Study design: </strong>Nationwide observational cohort study.</p><p><strong>Setting: </strong>Healthcare registers in Denmark.</p><p><strong>Participants: </strong>The vaccinated cohort included Danish residents aged ⩾5 years who received at least one dose of Comirnaty (Pfizer-BioNTech, BNT) or Spikevax (Moderna, MOD) in December 2020 to July 2023; the pre-pandemic (2017-19) general population aged ⩾5 years formed the comparator cohort.</p><p><strong>Methods: </strong>Urticaria-free participants were followed from the vaccination date until the earliest of the incident chronic or other types of urticaria diagnosis, COVID-19 infection, end of the 90-day outcome risk window, death, emigration, or October 2023. The expected number of urticaria events was computed using indirect standardisation of the pre-pandemic urticaria incidence rates. Standardised incidence ratios (SIRs) with corresponding 95% confidence intervals (CIs) were calculated overall and across sex, age and vaccine sequence-specific strata.</p><p><strong>Results: </strong>We ascertained 4,700,301 vaccinated and 5,480,146 pre-pandemic comparators. Following all vaccine product sequences, SIRs (95% CI) were 0.83 (0.71-0.96) for chronic urticaria and 1.14 (95% CI 1.03-1.25) for other types of urticaria. Among MOD schedule adherers, the risk was three to fourfold increased for chronic (SIR 3.00, 95% CI 2.27-3.88) and other types of urticaria (SIR 3.65, 95% CI 3.06-4.31). Sensitivity analyses of dose specific effects confirmed a fourfold increased risk after MOD vaccine sequence but not BNT.</p><p><strong>Conclusions: </strong>Following the most recent mRNA vaccination dose, MOD vaccine schedule adherers had a higher than expected incidence of chronic and other types of urticaria. We found no association between BNT vaccination schedule and increased risk of urticaria.</p>","PeriodicalId":49568,"journal":{"name":"Scandinavian Journal of Public Health","volume":" ","pages":"533-543"},"PeriodicalIF":2.6,"publicationDate":"2025-07-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"144175491","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":3,"RegionCategory":"医学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"New insights into the paradox between smoking and the risk of SARS-CoV-2 infection (COVID-19): Insufficient evidence for a causal association.","authors":"Iris Kramer, Yinjie Zhu, Naomi A Van Westen-Lagerweij, Louise H Dekker, Jochen O Mierau, Esther A Croes","doi":"10.1177/14034948241253690","DOIUrl":"10.1177/14034948241253690","url":null,"abstract":"<p><strong>Aims: </strong>Previous studies have reported a 'smoker's paradox', where people who smoke appear to be protected against Severe Acute Respiratory Syndrome CoronaVirus-2 (SARS-CoV-2) infection (COVID-19). This conflicts with well-established evidence that people who smoke are generally more vulnerable to respiratory infections. In this study, we aimed to validate the association between smoking and SARS-CoV-2 infection in a general Dutch population, and to evaluate the evidence underlying the possible causal relationship between smoking and SARS-CoV-2 infection by applying a modern adaptation of the Bradford Hill criteria.</p><p><strong>Methods: </strong>In total, 57,833 participants from the Lifelines Cohort Study were included in the analysis. Smoking status, including never smoker, current smoker, and former smoker, was derived from the Lifelines general assessment between 2014 and 2017, while SARS-CoV-2 infection status was derived from an additional COVID-19 questionnaire from 2021 to 2022. Logistic regressions were used for the association between smoking status and infection status. The adapted Bradford Hill's criteria, including the strength of association (including an analysis of plausible confounding), plausibility, temporality and study design suitability, were applied to evaluate the existing literature.</p><p><strong>Results: </strong>We found, compared with never smokers, an increased risk of SARS-CoV-2 infection for former smokers (odds ratio (OR)=1.07, 95% confidence interval (CI)=1.01-1.13), but a reduced risk for current smokers (OR=0.85, 95% CI=0.79-0.92), after adjusting for several relevant covariates. However, we discerned a possible explanation of the smoker's paradox since we observed that current smokers were more likely to be non-responders to the COVID-19 questions and, more importantly, these non-responders were more likely to have other established risk factors for SARS-CoV-2 infection.</p><p><strong>Conclusions: </strong>\u0000 <b>There is insufficient evidence to suggest that smoking protects against SARS-CoV-2 infection. According to the adapted Bradford Hill's criteria, we observed a high inconsistency between study results, a high possibility for residual confounding and no clear evidence for biological plausibility. Future studies should include linkage with the confirmed testing results from national healthcare registries to mitigate avoidable bias.</b>\u0000 </p>","PeriodicalId":49568,"journal":{"name":"Scandinavian Journal of Public Health","volume":" ","pages":"552-559"},"PeriodicalIF":2.6,"publicationDate":"2025-07-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC12159344/pdf/","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"141856971","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":3,"RegionCategory":"医学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"OA","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"Trends of fully alcohol-attributable mortality rates before and during COVID-19 in the Baltic and other European countries.","authors":"Jürgen Rehm, Alexander Tran, Ahmed Syed Hassan, Huan Jiang, Shannon Lange, Rainer Reile, Mindaugas Štelemėkas","doi":"10.1177/14034948241280772","DOIUrl":"10.1177/14034948241280772","url":null,"abstract":"<p><strong>Aims: </strong>We tested the polarization hypothesis, which postulates that during times of crises, such as the COVID-19 pandemic, alcohol consumption increases among the heaviest drinkers but decreases among most other drinkers, resulting in an overall decrease in consumption among the population. We posited the increase in heavy drinking would lead to increases in 100% alcohol-attributable (AA) mortality. Furthermore, based on the high level of alcohol consumption in the Baltic countries compared to other European countries, we predicted that the increases in AA mortality would be more pronounced in these countries.</p><p><strong>Methods: </strong>Data for 100% AA deaths were obtained from the World Health Organization for the period 2010 to 2022, and standardized to the regional age distribution for 2010. Parametric and non-parametric tests were used to test the study hypotheses.</p><p><strong>Results: </strong>The mean age-standardized 100% AA mortality rate increased during the COVID-19 pandemic in the 19 European countries with data by 3.12 deaths per 100,000 population, constituting an 18% increase (tested against no change: <i>t</i> = 2.52; df = 18; <i>p</i> = 0.021). This increase was higher in the Baltic countries (mean difference = 13.41 deaths per 100,000 population; standard deviation (SD) = 7.44; 46% increase) than for other European countries (mean difference = 1.19; SD = 1.55; 8% increase). The increases in 100% AA mortality were associated with decreases in the level of alcohol consumption in the majority of countries.</p><p><strong>Conclusions: </strong>As predicted, 100% AA mortality increased in 19 European countries during the COVID-19 pandemic, with the Baltic countries seeing a higher increase. Renewed alcohol control policy efforts should be considered.</p>","PeriodicalId":49568,"journal":{"name":"Scandinavian Journal of Public Health","volume":" ","pages":"482-489"},"PeriodicalIF":2.6,"publicationDate":"2025-07-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"142382069","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":3,"RegionCategory":"医学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"Employment protection policies in the COVID-19 context: Did they protect workers' mental health? An intersectional perspective of the Spanish case.","authors":"Laura Esteve-Matalí, Sergio Salas-Nicás, Clara Llorens-Serrano, Albert Navarro-Giné","doi":"10.1177/14034948251332510","DOIUrl":"10.1177/14034948251332510","url":null,"abstract":"<p><p><i>Aim:</i> To assess differences in the prevalence of poor mental health of the Spanish salaried population according to the labour situation (employed, unemployed, under a suspension-furlough or under a reduction-furlough), from an intersectional perspective (sex and occupational class), 1 year after the outbreak of the COVID-19 pandemic. <i>Methods:</i> Cross-sectional study by means of a self-administered online questionnaire, on the Spanish salaried population. Final sample: 22,210 participants. Data collection: April-May 2021. Outcome variable: poor mental health (Mental Health Inventory Short-Form-36 scale). Explanatory variable: current employment status. Stratification variables: sex and occupational class. Confounding variables: age, occupational group, type of contract, living with children under 12-years old and living with chronic or disabled people. A descriptive analysis was carried out and prevalence and prevalence ratios (PR with 95% confidence interval (95%CI)) were estimated by means of robust Poisson regression models. <i>Results:</i> Around 55% of the sample presented poor mental health outcomes. Employed people have less frequent mental health problems than those unemployed (PR: 0.83; 95%CI: 0.79-0.87). In terms of the association between furlough and mental health, different patterns are glimpsed between men and women and, among these, between manual and non-manual workers. Manual men in a suspension-furlough had less frequent mental health problems than those unemployed (PR: 0.75; 95%CI: 0.62-0.91). <b><i>Conclusions:</i> This study suggests new insights into the patterns of association observed between furlough and workers' mental health, helping to understand the phenomenon and better design future employment protection policies, which should include a gender and class perspective to avoid the introduction of mental health inequalities.</b></p>","PeriodicalId":49568,"journal":{"name":"Scandinavian Journal of Public Health","volume":" ","pages":"544-551"},"PeriodicalIF":2.6,"publicationDate":"2025-07-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"144081526","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":3,"RegionCategory":"医学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"Trust in scientific institutions and experts during the first 2 years of the COVID-19 pandemic in Finland.","authors":"Piia T Jallinoja, Eetu V Vento, Esa T Väliverronen","doi":"10.1177/14034948241289633","DOIUrl":"10.1177/14034948241289633","url":null,"abstract":"<p><strong>Aims: </strong>To explore variations in trust in science and scientific institutions in Finland during the COVID-19 pandemic, and the factors influencing trust in experts of a key institution in the management of the pandemic, the Finnish Institute for Health and Welfare (THL). These results are contrasted with trust in the Ministry of Social Affairs and Health.</p><p><strong>Methods: </strong>Five surveys were conducted between April 2020 and March 2022 (<i>n</i>=5448). The changes were tested with the chi-square test. Predictors of trust in THL and the ministry was examined with binary logistic regression.</p><p><strong>Results: </strong>Trust in science and key scientific institutions remained consistently high throughout this period. In the early pandemic, trust in the ministry declined. The most significant explanatory factors for trust in THL and the ministry were being a supporter of some other party than the right-wing Finns Party and belonging to the age groups over 50 years.</p><p><strong>Conclusions: </strong>\u0000 <b>Our findings indicate that the pandemic, marked by unpredictability, did not weaken trust in science and THL, whereas trust in the ministry responsible for managing the pandemic and university experts weakened. In increasingly politically polarised societies, the impact of political sentiments on health-related perceptions and choices should be analysed more in future public health studies.</b>\u0000 </p>","PeriodicalId":49568,"journal":{"name":"Scandinavian Journal of Public Health","volume":" ","pages":"490-497"},"PeriodicalIF":2.6,"publicationDate":"2025-07-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC12159355/pdf/","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"142511672","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":3,"RegionCategory":"医学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"OA","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}