Study title

University Student Health Survey 2016

Dataset ID Number

FSD3224

Persistent identifiers

https://urn.fi/urn:nbn:fi:fsd:T-FSD3224
https://doi.org/10.60686/t-fsd3224

Data Type

Quantitative

Authors

• Kunttu, Kristina (Finnish Student Health Service (FSHS))
• Pesonen, Tommi (Oy 4Pharma Ltd)
• Saari, Juhani (Research Foundation for Studies and Education (Otus))

Other Identification/Acknowledgements

• Lindén, Aki (Oy 4Pharma Ltd)
• Inkinen, Alina (Research Foundation for Studies and Education (Otus))
• Salminen, Tuukka (Research Foundation for Studies and Education (Otus))

Abstract

This national survey examined the health and health-related behaviour of university and university of applied sciences (polytechnic) students in Finland. Questions covered, among other topics, physical, mental and dental health, health-related behaviour, social interaction, and eating habits.

General state of health was charted with a number of questions relating to long-term illnesses, disabilities or disorders, and current well-being in general. The respondents were asked if they had suffered from a variety of symptoms in the previous month. Birth control methods used by the respondent and her/his partner within the previous month were surveyed. Some questions covered the respondents' weight, height, and attitude toward food. Psychological or social symptoms causing problems were investigated. Psychosocial health was further studied using items of the General Health Questionnaire (GHQ-12).

Use of healthcare services by different types of service providers and satisfaction with the services of the Finnish Student Health Service (FSHS) were surveyed, along with reasons for using the services of other healthcare service providers. The respondents were also asked if they had used smartphone applications related to health and well-being, and what type of guidance they would have liked in certain issues (e.g. stress or weight management, study skills, alcohol use, smoking cessation).

Time spent sitting during the day as well as engagement in sporting activities and less vigorous physical activities were surveyed. Eating habits were investigated with a number of questions based on the Index of Diet Quality (IDQ), for instance, asking where the respondents ate their main meals, if they skipped meals, and the consumption of dairy products, fish, bread, fruit, vegetables, etc. The respondents were also asked how often they brushed or flossed their teeth and used toothpaste or xylitol products, and whether they had problems with teeth grinding (or used a bite guard), facial pain or jaw locking. Health-related behaviour was further studied by asking the respondents about their use of drugs, alcohol and tobacco products (amount, frequency). Drinking habits were further charted using the Alcohol Use Disorders Identification Test (AUDIT). Some questions covered gambling and possible problems caused by it.

One theme pertained to the respondents' studies. The survey examined the number of years the respondents had been enrolled as 'present' for current studies, credits earned, study success, and confidence of having chosen the right field of study, as well as hours spent on study and hours spent on paid work during the study year. The sufficiency of study guidance and advice provided by the institution were investigated as well as positive and negative feelings (e.g. enthusiasm, burnout) related to their studies.

Internet use was examined with questions regarding the purposes for which respondents used the internet and how many hours per week, and if it had caused problems with their circadian rhythm, studying or relationships. The respondents' participation in paid work during the academic year was also surveyed, and they were asked to evaluate their financial situation.

The survey also studied interpersonal relationships. The respondents were asked about their household composition and living arrangements, partnerships, sexual orientation, spending time with friends, whether they felt lonely or part of a group, and whether they had someone close to them with whom they could discuss their affairs.

Some questions charted whether the respondents had been subjected to bullying or discrimination during their higher education studies or had themselves bullied or discriminated against others. The respondents were also asked whether they had been subjected to stalking or violence, and by whom. The final theme pertained to family life, and questions covered the number of children, whether the respondents would want to have (more) children, reasons for having or not having children, and support for combining studies and family life (from the university, from other people, or from society).

Background variables included the respondent's age, gender, field of study, and university/university of applied sciences.

Keywords

access to health services; alcohol use; dental health; diet and exercise; dietary habits; exercise (physical activity); health services; health status; mental disorders; sexual behaviour; sexual health; smoking; students (college); substance use; symptoms

Topic Classification

• Social sciences (Fields of Science Classification)
• Medical and health sciences (Fields of Science Classification)
• Youth (CESSDA Topic Classification)
• Psychology (CESSDA Topic Classification)
• Health care services and policies (CESSDA Topic Classification)
• Signs and symptoms; pathological conditions (CESSDA Topic Classification)
• General health and well-being (CESSDA Topic Classification)
• Gender and gender roles (CESSDA Topic Classification)

Series

University Student Health Surveys

Distributor

Finnish Social Science Data Archive

Access

The dataset is (B) available for research, teaching and study.

Data Collector

• Saari, Juhani (Research Foundation for Studies and Education (Otus))
• Inkinen, Alina (Research Foundation for Studies and Education (Otus))
• Salminen, Tuukka (Research Foundation for Studies and Education (Otus))

Data Producers

• Finnish Student Health Service
• Ministry of Education and Culture
• Ministry of Social Affairs and Health

Time Period Covered

2016

Collection Dates

2016-02-16 – 2016-05-11

Nation

Finland

Geographical Coverage

Finland

Analysis/Observation Unit Type

Individual

Universe

Undergraduates under the age of 35 in Finnish universities and universities of applied sciences (excluding students studying a postgraduate polytechnic degree (YAMK) and vocational teacher students)

Time Method

Longitudinal: Trend/Repeated cross-section

Sampling Procedure

Probability: Stratified

According to the education administration's reporting portal Vipunen, the population comprised 102,126 students at universities of applied sciences and 106,699 students at universities in 2015 (Vipunen 2016). In the autumn of 2015, a total of 128,616 university students had access to the services of the Finnish Student Health Service (FSHS), but this number includes persons of all ages. The National Defence University, Åland University of Applied Sciences and the Police University College were not part of the target population and are not included in the above numbers.

The sample was selected according to higher education institution sectors so that the sample of university of applied sciences students was drawn from the institutions' student registers, and the sample of university students was drawn from the customer register of FSHS. Only students under 35 years of age at the beginning of academic year 2015-2016 (year of birth 1981 or later) were selected for this study. Having enrolled as 'present' for the academic year 2015-2016 was also a criterion.

In total, information was requested and it was received from 24 universities of applied sciences. The aim of the sampling procedure was to include a representative number of students in universities of applied sciences.

Students in universities of applied sciences were stratified so that their proportion relative to the target population was the same for each institution. Universities of applied sciences were asked to pick every 19th student who met the criteria into the sample, which would comprise 6,000 students. The selection criterion was calculated based on the number of higher education students in 2014. A sample size greater than 5,000 students ensured that the sample would not be compromised if it included some students with missing information or students who did not belong to the target population, or if a university of applied sciences delivered a smaller sample than was requested.

The stratified random sample of university students was drawn from FSHS's customer register by municipality in each location where the FSHS provided services for students. Thus, the stratification of the university student sample differs slightly from the sample of universities of applied sciences, because students in university units that are located in another municipality are included as customers of FSHS in the university's main location. Therefore, the students were stratified according to municipality and thus indirectly according to university. The university subsample was weighted according to university-specific population specifications to make the sample representative of the number of students in each university in the target population (according to 2014 statistics).

The size of the sample was 4,996 students from FSHS's register and 5,004 students from the registers of universities of applied sciences. This equals 4.8% of the target population. Males amounted to 47.7% of the sample and females 52.3%. Students under the age of 25 constituted 58% of the sample.

Collection Mode

Self-administered questionnaire: Paper

Self-administered questionnaire: Web-based (CAWI)

Research Instrument

Structured questionnaire

Response Rate

30.8

Data File Language

Downloaded data package may contain different language versions of the same files.

The data files of this dataset are available in the following languages: Finnish and English.

FSD translates quantitative data into English on request, free of charge. More information on ordering data translation.

Number of Cases and Variables

548 variables and 3110 cases.

Data Version

3.0

Completeness of Data and Restrictions

Copyright for question 22 (k22_1 - k22_10): © CORE System Trust: http://www.coresystemtrust.org.uk/copyright.pdf. It is not allowed to use this version of CORE-10 for any other purposes.

During archiving, the following identifiers were removed from the data: All open-ended questions of the type "Other, please specify", the respondent's home institution (self-declared) (k4a_1 - k4a_16, k4b_1 - k4b_24), the respondent's campus at the University of Helsinki (bv2), information about graduation (k89_2) and age of the respondent's child (k123); "Field of study" variables (k5a_1 - k5a_21, k5b_1, k5b_8) with the exception of bv3 (field of study in the register). In addition, the age variable was categorised (k1); in the gender variable, value "Other" was coded as missing to prevent identification (k2); the municipality where the respondent's studies take place (k3) was coarsened into "major region"; learning difficulties (k7_1 - k7_9) were categorised into two categories (have not been diagnosed/have been diagnosed) (k7); variables "height" and "weight" (k11, k12) were divided into separate variables for males and females and the small and large outliers were coarsened (k11a, k11b, k12a, k12b); variable k89_1 charting the number of academic years spent at the institution enrolled as 'present' was coarsened; all values of 2 and over were categorised together in the "number of children" variable (k122); fields of study in bv3 were coarsened according to the "National field of education 2016" classification.

Weighting

There are two weight variables in the data, bv4 and bv5: bv4 weights the university sample to represent the university population according to institution, field of study and gender, and bv5 weights the university of applied sciences sample to represent the university of applied sciences population according to institution and gender.

Citation Requirement

The data and its creators shall be cited in all publications and presentations for which the data have been used. The bibliographic citation may be in the form suggested by the archive or in the form required by the publication.

Bibliographical Citation

Kunttu, Kristina (Finnish Student Health Service (FSHS)) & Pesonen, Tommi (Oy 4Pharma Ltd) & Saari, Juhani (Research Foundation for Studies and Education (Otus)): University Student Health Survey 2016 [dataset]. Data version 3.0 (2018-09-24). Finnish Social Science Data Archive [distributor]. DOI: https://doi.org/10.60686/t-fsd3224; URN: https://urn.fi/urn:nbn:fi:fsd:T-FSD3224

Deposit Requirement

Notify FSD of all publications where you have used the data by sending the citation information to user-services.fsd@tuni.fi.

Special Terms and Conditions for Access

Users of the data shall send the creator of the data a copy of all publications based on or using the data. If printed, to the mail address: Medical Director, FSHS, Töölönkatu 37 A, 00260 Helsinki, FINLAND. If electronic, to the e-mail address: firstname.lastname@yths.fi. More detailed contact information: https://www.yths.fi/en/contact-information/administration/

Disclaimer

The original data creators and the archive bear no responsibility for any results or interpretations arising from the reuse of the data.

Related Materials

Kunttu, Kristina & Pesonen, Tommi & Saari, Juhani (2017). Korkeakouluopiskelijoiden terveystutkimus 2016 [verkkodokumentti]. Helsinki: YTHS. Ylioppilaiden terveydenhoitosäätiön tutkimuksia 48. http://www.yths.fi/filebank/4300-KOTT_uusin_2016.pdf [viitattu 1.3.2018].

Related Publications

Kunttu, Kristina & Huttunen, Teppo (2001). Korkeakouluopiskelijoiden terveystutkimus 2000. Helsinki: Kansaneläkelaitos. Sosiaali- ja terveysturvan katsauksia; 45.

Kunttu, Kristina & Pesonen, Tommi & Saari, Juhani (2017). Korkeakouluopiskelijoiden terveystutkimus 2016 [verkkodokumentti]. Helsinki: YTHS. Ylioppilaiden terveydenhoitosäätiön tutkimuksia 48. http://www.yths.fi/filebank/4300-KOTT_uusin_2016.pdf [viitattu 1.3.2018].

Almonkari M: Sosiaalinen jännittäminen opiskelutilanteissa. Julkaisussa Kunttu K, Komulainen A, Makkonen K, Pynnönen P. (toim.) Opiskeluterveys (online). Helsinki: Kustannus Oy Duodecim, 5.6.2017

Pörhölä M.: Kiusaaminen opiskelijoiden keskuudessa. Julkaisussa Kunttu K, Komulainen A, Makkonen K, Pynnönen P. (toim.) Opiskeluterveys (online). Helsinki: Kustannus Oy Duodecim, 2017 (ote00046).

Salmela-Aro K, Read S.: Study engagement and burnout profile in higher education. Burnout Research 2017; 7: 21-28.

Salminen Eerika (2017) Korkeakouluopiskelun ja vanhemmuden yhteensovittaminen Suomessa: hyvinvointia ja haasteita. Yhteiskuntatutkimuksen pro gradu -tutkielma. Tampereen yliopisto 2017

Halme N, Kunttu K. (2018). Miltä suomalaisten opiskelijoiden opiskelukyky näyttää tutkimuksen valossa? Julkaisussa Kunttu K, Komulainen A, Makkonen K, Pynnönen P. (toim.) Opiskeluterveys (online). Helsinki: Kustannus Oy Duodecim. Saatavissa Internetissä, vaatii käyttäjätunnuksen. Artikkelin tunnus: ote00009 (003.004).

Kunttu K, Makkonen K. (2018). Opiskelijoiden sairaudet ja koettu terveys. Julkaisussa Kunttu K, Komulainen A, Makkonen K, Pynnönen P. (toim.) Opiskeluterveys (online). Helsinki: Kustannus Oy Duodecim. Saatavilla Internetissä, vaatii käyttäjätunnuksen. Artikkelin tunnus ote00059 (014.001).

Helve, Oskari (2019). Burnout and engagement in higher education: Relationships with social support, guidance and sense of belonging. Helsinki: Helsingin yliopisto. Sosiaalipsykologian pro gradu -tutkielma.

Siiriäinen, Aija (2019). Internetin sosiaalisten käytänteiden yhteys yksinäisyyden ilmentymiin - Korkeakouluopiskelijoiden internet-tottumusten reflektointia subjektiiviseen yksinäisyyteen ja ihmissuhdeongelmiin. Jyväskylä: Jyväskylän yliopisto. Yhteiskuntapolitiikan kandidaatintutkielma.

Vesa Pohjola, Antti Puolakka, Kristina Kunttu & Jorma I. Virtanen (2019). Association between dental fear, physical activity and physical and mental well-being among Finnish university students. Acta Odontologica Scandinavica, online publication. doi.org/10.1080/00016357.2019.1649457

Ahola, Mari (2021) Altistuksen vaikutuksen tutkiminen four-way decomposition -menetelmällä. Matematiikan ja tilastotieteen kandidaattiohjelma. Informaatioteknologian ja viestinnän tiedekunta, Tampereen yliopisto. http://urn.fi/URN:NBN:fi:tuni-202105034264

Portaankorva, S. (2021). Väkivallan kokemusten yhteys seksuaalivähemmistöjen lapsiperheaikeisiin korkeakouluopiskelijoiden keskuudessa. Kandidaatintutkielma, Turun yliopisto.

Ansung, Kim (2021) Mental health and academic achievement of Finnish university students according to their diet types. Master's thesis. University of Helsinki, Faculty of Agriculture and Forestry.

Spring, Linda (2022). Sedentaaristen korkeakouluopiskelijoiden fyysinen aktiivisuus : tuloksia vuoden 2016 Korkeakouluopiskelijoiden terveys- ja terveyskäyttäytymistutkimuksesta. Liikuntatieteen pro gradu -tutkielma. Jyväskylä: Jyväskylän yliopisto. http://urn.fi/URN:NBN:fi:jyu-202210184895

Korhonen E. (2024) Korkeakouluopiskelijoiden henkinen hyvinvointi yhteydessä opintojen etenemiseen ja alkoholin käyttöön. Kandidaatintutkielma. Oulu: Oulun yliopisto.

Ignatius, Vilma (2024). Korkeakouluopiskelijoiden parisuhdestatuksen ja psyykkisen oireilun väliset yhteydet: Kvantitatiivinen analyysi sukupuolen ja iän vaikutuksista. Yhteiskuntatieteiden kandidaatin tutkielma. Tampere: Tampereen yliopisto.

Honkalampi Kirsi, Flink N, Sinikallio S, Seilo N, Karkkola P, Evans C, Kunttu K. (2020) Suomenkielisen Core-10-mittarin psykometriset ominaisuudet ja erottelukyky korkeakouluopiskelija-aineistossa. Psykologia 2019;54 (04):274-287. https://doi.org/10.62443/psykologia.v54i4.75431

Laukkanen Julia, Peltonen H, Seilo N, Kunttu K, Honkalampi K. (2023) Syömishäiriöiden yleisyys korkeakouluopiskelijoilla SCOFF-kyselyllä arvioituna. Psykologia 2023;58(03):184-197. https://doi.org/10.62443/psykologia.v58i3.112127

Ala-Honkola, Marika (2024) Korkeakouluopiskelijoiden kokeman parisuhdeväkivallan yhteys opiskelu-uupumukseen. Yhteiskuntatutkimuksen kandidaatintutkielma. Tampere: Tampereen yliopisto. https://urn.fi/URN:NBN:fi:tuni-202405065403

Rouvinen H. Self-reported health, health behaviours, and Internet use among higher education students. Health promotion perspective. Väitöskirja. Itä-Suomen yliopisto, Hoitotieteen laitos. Publications of the University of Eastern Finland. Dissertations in Health Sciences, 828. Kuopio 2024. http://urn.fi/URN:ISBN:978-952-61-5216-5

Rouvinen H, Sormunen M, Kunttu K, Turunen H. Internet, studying and daily rhythm: health symptoms among higher education students. International Journal of Adolescent Medicine and Health, Volume 35 Issue 2. https://doi.org/10.1515/ijamh-2022-0109

Rouvinen H, Sormunen M, Lagström H, Kunttu K, Turunen H. (2023). Internetin käyttö ja terveyskäyttäytyminen korkeakouluopiskelijoilla. Sosiaalilääketieteellinen Aikakauslehti, 2023; 60(1):72-87. https://doi.org/10.23990/sa.109955

Huhtela Outi, Näpänkangas R, Suominen A-L, Karppinen J, Kunttu K, Sipilä K. (2021) Association of psychological distress and widespread pain with sympatoms of temporomandibular disorders and self-reported bruxism in students. Clinical and Experimental Dental Research 2021: 7(6). https://doi.org/10.1002/cre2.472

Oksanen Airi, Laimi K, Löyttyniemi E, Kunttu K. (2021) Prospective study of pain and psychological symptoms of first year university students. J Nov Physiother Rehabil. 2021; 5: 001-004. https://doi.org/10.29328/journal.jnpr.1001038

Pohjola Vesa, Kunttu K, Virtanen JI. (2021) Psychological Distress, Dental Health, and Dental Fear among Finnish University Students: A National Survey. International Journal of Environmental Research and Public Health 2021;18(19):10245 https://doi.org/10.3390/ijerph181910245

Sharifian MJ, Pohjola V, Kunttu K, Virtanen JI. (2021) Association between dental fear and eating disorders and Body Mass Index among Finnish university students: a national survey. BMC Oral Health 2021; 21, 93. https://doi.org/10.1186/s12903-021-01449-8

Tipuri Marjo, Vuorinen A, Pesonen T, Huttunen T, Kunttu K. (2020) Korkeakouluopiskelijoiden suun terveystottumukset. Suomen hammaslääkärilehti 2020;27(9):22-28.

Kunttu Kristina, Ansala J. (2021) Korkeakouluopiskelijoiden liikunta. 2021:214-216. Kirjassa Kunttu K, Komulainen A, Kosola S, Seilo N, Väyrynen T. (toim.) Opiskeluterveys (2. uudistettu painos). Kustannus Oy Duodecim.

Lagström Hanna (2021) Opiskelijoiden ruokatottumukset. 2021:203-206. Kirjassa Kunttu K, Komulainen A, Kosola S, Seilo N, Väyrynen T. (toim.) Opiskeluterveys (2. uudistettu painos).

Virtala Aira, Klemetti R. (2021) Perheelliset korkeakouluopiskelijat. 2021:32-35. Kirjassa Kunttu K, Komulainen A, Kosola S, Seilo N, Väyrynen T. (toim.) Opiskeluterveys (2. uudistettu painos). Kustannus Oy Duodecim.

Virtala Aira, Klemetti R. (2018) Perheelliset korkeakouluopiskelijat. Teoksessa Kunttu K, Komulainen A, Makkonen K, Pynnönen P. (toim.) Opiskeluterveys (online-versio). Kustannus Oy Duodecim. Artikkelin tunnus ote 00002 (001.002)

Saari Juhani, Villa T. (2017) Opiskelua ristipaineessa - yliopisto-opiskelijoiden hyvinvointivajeet, niiden kasautuminen ja yhteys psyykkiseen oireiluun. Julkaisussa Kunttu K, Pesonen T, Saari J. Korkeakouluopiskelijoiden terveystutkimus 2016. YTHS:n tutkimuksia 48, 2017:107-126. Korkeakouluopiskelijoiden terveystutkimus (KOTT) - YTHS. https://www.yths.fi/app/uploads/2020/01/KOTT_2016-1.pdf [viitattu 17.2.2025]

Pörhölä M. (2021) Kiusaamiskokemukset opiskelijan hyvinvoinnin uhkana. 2021:192-196. Kirjassa Kunttu K, Komulainen A, Kosola S, Seilo N, Väyrynen T. (toim.) Opiskeluterveys (2. uudistettu painos). Kustannus Oy Duodecim.

Lagström Hanna (2017) Opiskelijoiden ruokatottumukset. Julkaisussa Kunttu K, Komulainen A, Makkonen K, Pynnönen P. (toim.) Opiskeluterveys (online-versio). Kustannus Oy Duodecim 7.4.2017. Artikkelin tunnus: ote00054 (013.002)

Kunttu Kristina, Makkonen K, Kosola S. (2021) Opiskelijoiden sairaudet ja koettu terveys. 2021:233-236. Kirjassa Kunttu K, Komulainen A, Kosola S, Seilo N, Väyrynen T. (toim.) Opiskeluterveys (2. uudistettu painos). Kustannus Oy Duodecim.

Reuter Josefin (2020) Suomalaisten korkeakouluopiskelijoiden sosiaalinen pääoma ja ruokakäyttäytyminen. Terveyskasvatuksen pro gradu -tutkielma. Jyväskylän yliopisto, 2020.

Pirskanen Marjatta, Pietilä A-M, Haukilahti K, Palmroos S, Mikkonen J, Pauni R. (2018) Päihteet ja opiskelijat. Julkaisussa Kunttu K, Komulainen A, Makkonen K, Pynnönen P. (toim.) Opiskeluterveys (online-versio). Kustannus Oy Duodecim. Artikkelin tunnus ote00053 (013.001)

Salmela-Aro Katariina (2018) Opiskelu-uupumus ja into. Julkaisussa Kunttu K, Komulainen A, Makkonen K, Pynnönen P. (toim.) Opiskeluterveys (online-versio). Kustannus Oy Duodecim. Artikkelin tunnus ote00011 (003.006)

Pohjola Vesa (2017) Hammashoitopelko. Julkaisussa Kunttu K, Komulainen A, Makkonen K, Pynnönen P. (toim.) Opiskeluterveys (online-versio). Kustannus Oy Duodecim 7.4.2017. Artikkelin tunnus: ote00076 (016.007)

Ren, Yu (2024). Confirmatory Factor Analysis and Multilevel Structure Equation Model in Assessing Study Burnout and Engagement. Master thesis of Contemporary Societies, Social Data Science. Helsinki: University of Helsinki