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To analyse the age, period and cohort effects on the mean body mass index (BMI) and obesity over the past two decades in Estonia. Study used data from nationally representative repeated cross-sectional surveys on 11,547 men and 16,298 women from 1996 to 2018. The independent effects of age, period and cohort on predicted mean BMI and probability of obesity (BMI ≥ 30 kg/m2) were modelled using hierarchical age–period–cohort analysis. Curvilinear association between age and mean BMI was found for men, whereas the increase in mean BMI was almost linear for women. The predicted mean BMI for 40-year-old men had increased by 6% and probability of obesity by 1.8 times over 1996–2018; the period effects were slightly smaller for women. Men from the 1970s birth cohort had higher mean BMI compared to the average, whereas no significant cohort effects were found for obesity outcome. Population-level BMI changes in Estonia during 1996–2018 were mostly driven by period rather than cohort-specific changes.

Objectives To assess to what extent educational differences in total life expectancy (TLE) and disability-free life expectancy (DFLE) could be reduced by improving fruit and vegetable consumption in ten European countries. Methods Data from national census or registries with mortality follow-up, EU-SILC, and ESS were used in two scenarios to calculate the impact: the upward levelling scenario (exposure in low educated equals exposure in high educated) and the elimination scenario (no exposure in both groups). Results are estimated for men and women between ages 35 and 79 years. Results Varying by country, upward levelling reduced inequalities in DFLE by 0.1–1.1 years (1–10%) in males, and by 0.0–1.3 years (0–18%) in females. Eliminating exposure reduced inequalities in DFLE between 0.6 and 1.7 years for males (6–15%), and between 0.1 years and 1.8 years for females (3–20%). Conclusions Upward levelling of fruit and vegetable consumption would have a small, positive effect on both TLE and DFLE, and could potentially reduce inequalities in TLE and DFLE. Electronic supplementary material The online version of this article (10.1007/s00038-019-01253-w) contains supplementary material, which is available to authorized users.

To examine possible differences in the correlates of positive and negative self-rated health (SRH).Data for 2,127 men and 2,385 women in the 25-74 age group came from the Estonian Health Interview Survey 2006. Multinomial logistic regression analysis was used to study the association of socio-demographic, physical and psychological health and well-being characteristics with positive (good or very good) and negative (bad or very bad) SRH as compared to fair SRH.Negative SRH was related to male gender, the presence of chronic illnesses, limitations in daily activities and physical functioning, emotional distress, an external locus of control, and to low satisfaction with life and physical fitness. These indicators (except satisfaction with life) were also related to positive SRH, presenting a mirrored pattern of association. Additionally, positive SRH was related to younger age, an Estonian ethnic identity, and to higher education and income.Although SRH forms a ill/healthy continuum when physical and psychological health characteristics are considered, the broader spectrum of predictors indicates that positive SRH and negative SRH are two distinct and alternative concepts.