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Several studies show that exposure to neighbourhood disadvantage predicts poorer educational outcomes among adolescents. Selective sorting into neighbourhoods, other unobserved childhood family characteristics, and failing to account for other relevant social contexts such as schools inhibit strong causal inference from the associations reported in previous studies. Based on longitudinal register data on the total population of Finnish children in major cities, we studied the extent to which variation in grade point average (GPA) was attributable to schools, neighbourhoods, and families. We also sought to determine whether exposure to neighbourhood disadvantage predicted GPA after accounting for non-random selection into neighbourhoods by comparing siblings with differential exposure to neighbourhoods. Overall, we observed no effect of neighbourhood disadvantage on GPA after accounting for observed and unobserved family characteristics in the general population. However, we did observe a non-negligible but not statistically significant effect of neighbourhood disadvantage among children of parents with only basic education. Family factors accounted for most of the variation in GPA, and only around 1 per cent of the variance was attributable to the neighbourhood. This weak relevance of the neighbourhood to educational outcomes may reflect the success of educational and other social policies limiting the emergence of neighbourhood effects. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: This study analysed the association between childhood socio-economic circumstances and the risk of dementia, and investigated the mediating role of potentially modifiable risk factors including adulthood socio-economic position and cardiovascular health.Methods: We used a 10% sample of the 1950 Finnish population census linked with subsequent population and health registers (n = 95 381). Information of socio-economic characteristics, family structure and housing conditions at the age of 0-15 years was obtained from the 1950 census. We identified cohort members who developed dementia in 2000-2018 using national hospital, medication and death registers. Discrete time survival analysis using logistic regression and mediation analysis applying the Karlson-Holm-Breen (KHB) method were employed.Results: An excess risk of dementia was observed for household crowding [odds ratio (OR) = 1.10; 95% CI 1.02-1.18 for 3 to <4 persons per heated room; OR = 1.19; 95% CI 1.11-1.27 for ≥4 persons], single-father family (OR = 1.27; 95% CI 1.07-1.51) and eastern and northern region of residence (OR = 1.19; 95% CI 1.10-1.28). The effects of single-father family and region of residence were mostly direct with adulthood characteristics mediating 14% and 29% of the total effect, respectively. The largest indirect effect was observed for household crowding mediated through adulthood socio-economic position (47-65%).Conclusions: The study shows that childhood socio-economic circumstances are associated with dementia, and that the underlying mechanisms only partly relate to adulthood socio-economic position and cardiovascular health. Socio-economic and health interventions targeted at families with children may carry long-term benefits by contributing to a lower dementia risk in later life. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The study of the mortality differences between groups has traditionally focused on metrics that describe average levels of mortality, for example life expectancy and standardized mortality rates. Additional insights can be gained by using statistical distance metrics to examine differences in lifespan distributions between groups. Here, we use a distance metric, the non-overlap index, to capture the sociological concept of stratification, which emphasizes the emergence of unique, hierarchically layered social strata. We show an application using Finnish registration data that cover the entire population over the period from 1996 to 2017. The results indicate that lifespan stratification and life-expectancy differences between income groups both increased substantially from 1996 to 2008; subsequently, life-expectancy differences declined, whereas stratification stagnated for men and increased for women. We conclude that the non-overlap index uncovers a unique domain of inequalities in mortality and helps to capture important between-group differences that conventional approaches miss. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background Socioeconomic differences in mortality among the working-age population have increased in several high-income countries. The aim of this study was to assess whether changes in the living arrangement composition of income groups have contributed to changing income differences in life expectancy during the past 30 years. Methods We used Finnish register data covering the total population to calculate partial life expectancies between ages 35 and 64 by income quartile in 1988–2017. The contribution of living arrangements to these differences was assessed by direct standardization. Decomposition methods were used to determine the extent of life expectancy differences due to external (accidental, violent and alcohol-related) causes of death. Results The life expectancy gap between the highest and lowest income quartile increased until 2003–07, but decreased thereafter. The contribution of living arrangements to these differences remained mostly stable: 36–39% among men and 15–23% among women. Those living without children consistently showed the greatest life expectancy differences by income. External causes of death significantly contributed to income differences in life expectancy. Conclusions The living arrangement composition of income groups explained part of the differences in life expectancy, but not their changes. Our results on the contribution of external causes of death imply that both the persistent income gradient in mortality as well as the mortality disparities by living arrangements are at least partially related to similar selection or causal mechanisms. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The decline in old age mortality and subsequent increase in life expectancy among older women has stalled in some high-income countries. The contribution of causes of death to and sub-group variations in these trends are generally not well understood. We assess trends in mortality and cause-of-death decomposition of life expectancy by income over the past 30 years in Finland.We obtained total population, annual register-based data on individuals (aged 30–89 years) residing in Finland in 1991–2020. We examined the trends in age-specific mortality rates and decomposed the contribution of various causes of death to changes in partial life expectancy among women aged 65–79 years over time and within each income quintile. In addition, we estimated life expectancy trends for the total population and by income quintile with and without causes related to alcohol consumption and smoking.Our results indicate stagnation in mortality development among women in Finland aged 65–79 years. The slowdown of improvements in circulatory and heart disease mortality contributed substantially to the observed stagnation, although similar trends were observed in virtually all the causes of death we studied. The lowest income groups experienced the most adverse developments during the study period. The stagnating life expectancy observed among Finnish women cannot be attributed solely to one cause of death. In contrast to findings on the topic from many other developed countries, smoking-related causes of death were of little significance. The stagnation is linked to growing inequality in mortality development among older women in Finland, which affects the overall trend. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Aims: Tobacco smoking and alcohol use contribute to differences in life expectancy between individuals with primary, secondary and tertiary education. Less is known about the contribution of these risk factors to differences at higher levels of education. We estimate the contribution of smoking and alcohol use to the life-expectancy differences between the doctorates and the other tertiary-educated groups in Finland and in Sweden. Methods: We used total population data from Finland and Sweden from 2011 to 2015 to calculate period life expectancies at 40 years of age. We present the results by sex and educational attainment, the latter categorised as doctorate or licentiate degrees, or other tertiary. We also present an age and cause of death decomposition to assess the contribution of deaths related to smoking and alcohol. Results: In Finland, deaths related to smoking and alcohol constituted 48.6% of the 2.1-year difference in life expectancy between men with doctorate degrees and the other tertiary-educated men, and 22.9% of the 2.1-year difference between women, respectively. In Sweden, these causes account for 22.2% of the 1.9-year difference among men, and 55.7% of the 1.6-year difference among women, which in the latter case is mainly due to smoking. Conclusions: Individuals with doctorates tend to live longer than other tertiary-educated individuals. This difference can be partly attributed to alcohol consumption and smoking. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]