Janne Engblom

Three factor eating questionnaire-R18 as a measure of cognitive restraint, uncontrolled eating and emotional eating in a sample of young Finnish females

BackgroundThe aim of the study was to examine the construct validity of the Three-Factor Eating Questionnaire -R18 (TFEQ-R18), a measure of eating behaviour, and to evaluate cognitive restraint, uncontrolled eating and emotional eating in a sample of adolescent and young adult females of different weights.MethodsSubjects were 2 997 females, aged 17 to 20 years, who participated in a phase III human papillomavirus vaccination trial in Finland in 2004 – 2009.Self-administered questionnaires and weight and height measurements were used. The factor structure of the TFEQ-R18 was verified by factor analysis. Connections between measured eating behaviour and Body Mass Index (BMI) were tested using analysis of variance.ResultsThe original factor structure of the TFEQ-R18 was replicated: six of the eighteen items measured cognitive restraint, nine measured uncontrolled eating, and three measured emotional eating. On average, higher BMI was associated with higher levels of cognitive restraint (p < 0.001) and emotional eating (p < 0.001), but not with uncontrolled eating.ConclusionStructural validity of the TFEQ-R18 was good in this sample of young Finnish females with a varying range of body weights. Use of the instrument as a measure of eating behaviour was thus corroborated. Connections of restrained and emotional eating with BMI were in accordance with previous findings from young females.

Oral Sea Buckthorn Oil Attenuates Tear Film Osmolarity and Symptoms in Individuals with Dry Eye

Dry eye is a common condition that can severely impair the quality of life. We aimed to find out whether oral sea buckthorn (SB) oil, containing (n-3) and (n-6) fatty acids and antioxidants, affects dry eye. In this double-blind, randomized, parallel trial, 20- to 75-y-old women and men experiencing dry eye symptoms consumed 2 g of SB or placebo oil daily for 3 mo from fall to winter. One hundred participants were recruited and 86 completed the study. Clinical dry eye tests and symptom follow-ups were performed. Tear film hyperosmolarity is a focal factor in dry eye. There was a general increase in the osmolarity from baseline to the end of the intervention. Compared with the placebo group, the increase was significantly less in the SB group when all participants were included [intention to treat (ITT), P = 0.04] and when only participants consuming the study products for at least 80% of the intervention days were included [per protocol (PP), P = 0.02]. The maximum intensities of redness and burning tended to be lower in the SB group. In the ITT participants, the group difference was significant for redness (P = 0.04) but not for burning (P = 0.05). In the PP participants, the group difference was significant for burning (P = 0.04) but not for redness (P = 0.11). In conclusion, SB oil attenuated the increase in tear film osmolarity during the cold season and positively affected the dry eye symptoms.

Logistics outsourcing and company performance of SMEs

Purpose – The purpose of this paper is to explore the current state of and future expectations concerning the usage of the outsourcing of logistics operations in small‐ and medium‐sized enterprises (SMEs), and to analyse and quantify the relationships between logistics outsourcing, costs and performance, financial performance, and the company context.Design/methodology/approach – The data were 223 manufacturing and trading SMEs from the Finnish logistics survey combined with detailed financial report‐based data, both referring to the year 2008. Statistical analyses including ANOVA and factor analysis were applied.Findings – Transport activities are excessively outsourced. Most companies report no outsourcing of order processing and invoicing, and half of them have not outsourced logistics IT systems. Outsourcing is expected to grow in all areas with strongest expectations in materials management, value‐added services, and in IT. The logistics costs for companies engaging in the medium level of outsourcing...

Climacteric symptoms in middle-aged women with chronic somatic diseases

OBJECTIVES Chronic diseases may aggravate or simulate climacteric symptoms. Although acknowledged in clinical practice, there is a lack of research systematically analysing the association between chronic diseases and climacteric symptoms. STUDY DESIGN AND MAIN OUTCOME MEASURES Our study was a cross-sectional population-based study, which included 3421 women, aged 41-54 years. Climacteric symptoms were evaluated using the Womens Health Questionnaire (WHQ), of which we included seven symptom domains (vasomotor, sleep, depressive, anxiety/fears, cognitive, sexual, and menstrual) and a question concerning whether the women were worried about growing old. The occurrence of various diseases (cardiovascular, neurological, sensory organ, bronchopulmonary, musculoskeletal, gastrointestinal, urological, dermatological, and thyroid disease, diabetes, and cancer) was recorded. The associations between the diseases and symptoms were defined with multivariable analyses, adjusting for various confounding factors. RESULTS The women with the diseases had more symptoms. Vasomotor symptoms and sleep problems were associated only with gastrointestinal diseases, and lower sexual functioning only with diabetes. The remaining symptoms were associated with several diseases, except being worried about growing old, which was not associated with any. CONCLUSIONS Many symptoms connected to the climacteric may manifest also due to chronic diseases. Thus, health-care professionals should consider the origin of the symptoms when treating middle-aged women with chronic diseases.

Predictors of sleep disturbance in menopausal transition.

OBJECTIVE This follow-up study aimed to evaluate risk factors for menopausal sleep disturbances already identifiable before menopause. METHODS At baseline, all 81 women were premenopausal. At year-five follow-up, 27 of the women were premenopausal, 40 postmenopausal, and 14 postmenopausal and using hormone therapy. We used the Basic Nordic Sleep Questionnaire to study sleep; additional questionnaires evaluated risk factors for sleep impairment. RESULTS Sleep quality differed only marginally between the groups. The following baseline variables were associated with impaired sleep quality at follow-up: depressive symptoms increased the risk of nocturnal awakenings (OR 1.16 (95%CI 1.02-1.32), p=0.025), morning tiredness (OR 1.22 (95%CI 1.06-1.40), p=0.007), daytime tiredness (OR 1.24 (95%CI 1.06-1.44), p=0.007) and propensity to fall asleep during work or leisure time (OR 1.18 (95%CI 1.01-1.37), p=0.036). Personal crises increased the risk of longer sleep latency (OR 5.46 (95%CI 1.13-26.32), p=0.035) and of propensity to fall asleep when not active (OR 5.41 (95%CI 1.42-20.83), p=0.014). Use of medications affecting the CNS increased the risk of worse general sleep quality (OR 11.44 (95% CI 1.07-121.79), p=0.044). Perceived impaired general health (OR 2.87 (95%CI 1.04-7.94), p=0.043) and frequent night sweats (OR 10.50 (95%CI 2.25-49.01), p=0.003) increased the risk of difficulty falling asleep. CONCLUSIONS Various premenopausal health-related factors seem to predict poor sleep in menopausal transition. Menopause itself appears to have only minor effects. Thus, it is essential to identify high-risk women to allow timely interventions that may prevent the development of sleep disturbances at menopause.

Sleep During Menopausal Transition: A 6-Year Follow-Up

Study Objectives Menopausal transition is associated with increased dissatisfaction with sleep, but the effects on sleep architecture are conflicting. This prospective 6-year follow-up study was designed to evaluate the changes in sleep stages and sleep continuity that occur in women during menopausal transition. Methods Sixty women (mean age 46.0 years, SD 0.9) participated. All women were premenopausal at baseline, and at the 6-year follow-up, women were in different stages of menopausal transition. Polysomnography was used to study sleep architecture at baseline and follow-up. The effects of aging and menopause (assessed as change in serum follicle-stimulating hormone [S-FSH]) on sleep architecture were evaluated using linear regression models. Results After controlling for body mass index, vasomotor, and depressive symptoms, aging of 6 years resulted in shorter total sleep time (B -37.4, 95% confidence interval [CI] -71.5 to (-3.3)), lower sleep efficiency (B -6.5, 95%CI -12.7 to (-0.2)), as well as in increased transitions from slow-wave sleep (SWS) to wakefulness (B 1.0, 95%CI 0.1 to 1.9), wake after sleep onset (B 37.7, 95%CI 12.5 to 63.0), awakenings per hour (B 1.8, 95%CI 0.8 to 2.8), and arousal index (B 2.3, 95%CI 0.1 to 4.4). Higher S-FSH concentration in menopausal transition was associated with increased SWS (B 0.09, 95%CI 0.01 to 0.16) after controlling for confounding factors. Conclusions A significant deterioration in sleep continuity occurs when women age from 46 to 52 years, but change from premenopausal to menopausal state restores some SWS.

Differences in housing price dynamics across cities: A comparison of different panel model specifications

This study compares a conventionally used panel data model – that does not allow for regional variations in housing price dynamics – with panel models that let the dynamics differ across regions. We concentrate on examining the momentum dynamics and the reversion speed towards the fundamental price level. Based on data over 1988–2012, the results indicate that the regional differences are generally quite small in the Finnish market. Nevertheless, in several cities the dynamics differ significantly from those indicated by the baseline model that does not allow for regional variation. In addition, the long-term coefficient on income considerably varies across regions, the coefficient being greater in the more supply-constrained cities. The results indicate that the use of panel models that assume similar housing price dynamics across regions can lead to flawed conclusions being drawn.

Effect of mid-luteal phase GnRH agonist on frozen-thawed embryo transfers during natural menstrual cycles: a randomised clinical pilot study

Abstract This prospective randomised crossover study evaluated the effect of mid-luteal single-dose gonadotropin-releasing hormone agonist (triptoreline) on pregnancy outcomes in natural-cycle frozen embryo transfers (FETs). Ninety-eight women were randomised to receive either standard luteal support with vaginal micronised progesterone or an additional single dose of 0.1 mg triptoreline at the time of implantation. The intervention group was composed of 65 FET cycles and the control group of 62 cycles. In the intervention group, there were more positive pregnancy tests, clinical pregnancies and live births, but the differences did not reach statistical significance. The mean beta human chorionic gonadotropin (β-hCG) concentration of singleton pregnancies was significantly lower in the intervention group compared to the control group (p = 0.048). No difference was detected in the median birth weight of the newborns.

Viability of demographic and behavioural independent variables in quantile regression models in predicting retail patronage

The purpose of this paper is to model and predict consumer patronage behaviour in terms of relative shopping frequencies in two shopping destinations – in the city centre and in an edge-of-town retail park. Two different quantile regression models for both destinations, the demographic and the behavioural, were constructed based on existing literature and data collected in 2001. In the demographic model the independent variables were the distance separating respondents and respective shopping destinations, and demographic variables describing the households. The behavioural model consisted of statements concerning the importance of various store choice criteria. The revealed preference approach was adopted, i.e. information revealed by past behaviour was used to extract the most powerful predictors of relative visit frequencies. The study is based on longitudinal data collected over a period of 11 years (2001, 2003, 2006, and 2011),which enabled the monitoring of the long-term effects of retail change on consumer behaviour. Access to longitudinal data enabled us to test the viability of the models using both in-sample (2006) and out-of-sample (2011) predictions. The results strongly support the existing literature emphasising the importance of distance and accessibility in store choice.

Psychometric properties of the Finnish version of the Womenʼs Health Questionnaire

Objective: The Womens Health Questionnaire (WHQ) is a validated and commonly used instrument for measuring climacteric-related symptoms. A revised version was previously developed. However, validation in a Finnish population is lacking. As it is important to use qualified instruments, we performed a validation study of the WHQ in a Finnish population. Methods: In all, 3,421 women, aged 41 to 54 years, formed the study population. In the original 36-item WHQ, the items were rated on a 1 to 4 scale and on a binary scale (0-1). The scaling of the revised 23-item WHQ was 0 to 100. We evaluated the psychometric properties (internal consistency, correlations between the symptom domains, factor structure, and sampling adequacy) in all three versions. Results: For the 1 to 4 scale and on the revised version of the WHQ, the internal consistency was acceptable (the Cronbachs &agr; coefficients >0.70) for most of the domains. On the binary scale, the majority of the coefficient values were below the acceptable level. The original symptom domains, especially those on the revised version, were recognizable from the factors in the exploratory factor analysis, but there were some limitations. The Kaiser-Meyer-Olkin values were high. Conclusions: The WHQ is a valid instrument for measuring climacteric-related symptoms in Finnish middle-aged women. The psychometric properties of the revised 23-item WHQ were as good or even better than those of the original 36-item WHQ. Thus, we encourage use of the revised version.