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Job strain is a major concern in the workplace. Work‐related stress is an increasing challenge worldwide as it is the leading cause of long‐term sickness absences, disability pensions and lower productivity. Rarely studied simultaneously, both leisure‐time physical activity (LTPA) and physical fitness (PF), which comprises cardiorespiratory fitness (CRF) and muscular fitness (MF), may have potential in preventing and managing job strain. The current study aimed to investigate whether LTPA, CRF and MF predict perceived job strain. In addition, the study examines reverse associations, that is, whether job strain predicts LTPA, CRF and MF. We used longitudinal population‐based data from a Northern Finland birth cohort of 1966 (n = 5363) to analyse LTPA, CRF and MF as well as job strain and its components, job demands and job control, at age 31 years (1997) and 46 years (2012). Leisure‐time physical activity was measured with a self‐reported questionnaire whereas CRF and MF were measured as part of clinical examination. Linear regression analyses were used to analyse the data. In both men (n = 2548) and women (n = 2815), higher baseline MF predicted lower job strain and job demands 15 years later. In women, higher baseline total LTPA predicted higher job demands, whereas in men, higher CRF predicted lower job strain and higher job control. These associations remained significant, also when adjusted for education and occupational status. In the analyses on reverse associations, higher job control and higher job demands were linked to higher leisure‐time moderate‐to‐vigorous physical activity (MVPA) and total LTPA 15 years later among both men and women, except for the association between job demands and total LTPA among women. These associations remained significant after adjustment for education and occupational status, except for the association of job control with MVPA and total LTPA among men. The association of higher job demands and total LTPA became significant in women. We conclude that LTPA and PF seem beneficial in preventing and managing job strain. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Introduction: Urinary incontinence is a common ailment in women and is likely to affect their work ability. We investigated the associations between the different subtypes of urinary incontinence and several dimensions of perceived work ability in middle‐aged general population. Material and methods: Cross‐sectional survey at age 46 among participants of the Northern Finland Birth Cohort 1966 study (n = 3706, response rate 72%). Urinary incontinence symptoms and several items of Work Ability Index were collected by postal questionnaire. Work ability was dichotomized as good or poor work ability in general, in relation to physical job demands, to diseases and own 2‐year prospect of work ability. The associations between urinary incontinence and work ability measures were assessed using logistic regression models, with further adjustments for biological, behavioral and work‐related factors as well as general health. Results: The odds ratio (OR), from lowest to highest, for poor work ability were 1.4‐fold among women with stress urinary incontinence (OR 1.37, 95% confidence interval [CI] 1.09–1.72), 2.5‐fold with mixed urinary incontinence (OR 2.51, 95% CI 1.68–3.74) and 3.3‐fold with urgency urinary incontinence (OR 3.34, 95% CI 1.95–5.70). We note that our results reflect work ability in a Nordic society. Conclusions: Especially urgency and mixed types of urinary incontinence are associated with poor work ability among middle‐aged women. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The incidence of cerebrovascular disease (CVD) is rising among young adults (< 55 years). The risk for CVD starts to form in early childhood and is comprised of genetic and environmental risk factors. The aim of this study is to investigate the relationship between early family socioeconomic status (SES), inherited risk, and CVD until midlife.In the Northern Finland Birth Cohort 1966 of 12,058 children, individuals were followed from gestational period up to 54 years. We used previously published early family SES clusters, based on latent class analysis of a wide set of prenatally collected variables. We investigated inherited risk with polygenic risk score (PRS) and parental CVDs during follow-up. The associations of the five distinct clusters, inherited risk, and consequent risk for various types of CVDs until middle age were analyzed with Cox regression. All analyses were conducted first in the whole sample and then stratified by sex as is recommended in cardiovascular studies.During the follow-up of 586,943 person-years, 512 CVDs occurred. No clear association between SES clusters and CVD were found. Higher PRS associated with any CVD (hazard ratio (HR) per 1 SD increase: 1.15; 95% confidence interval (CI): 1.02–1.31), and ischemic CVD (HR: 1.21; 1.05–1.40). We found no combined associations of early family SES and inherited risk for CVD.Inherited risk was associated with the risk for CVD in mid-life in Finnish population. We found no clear connection with early family SES and CVD. Being born to a specific SES group did not increase the effect of inherited risk.NFBC1966 data are available from the University of Oulu, Infrastructure for Population Studies for researchers who meet the criteria for accessing confidential data. In the use of data, we follow the EU general data protection regulation (679/2016) and Finnish Data Protection Act. Permission to use the data can be applied for research purposes from https://www.oulu.fi/nfbc. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]