Research groups at the University of Eastern Finland have secured significant funding from the H2020 programme of the European Commission for projects addressing the role of environmental factors in mental health and in the life-long risk of disease. Nine European projects were awarded funding for exposome research, and two of these projects have University of Eastern Finland research groups as partners. Exposome refers to an individual’s overall exposure to environmental factors, and all of the projects to receive funding will explore the role of environmental exposures in human health.
The early environment of children and adolescents can affect mental health
Mental health problems are a major issue affecting the well-being of the population, and they also cause a significant financial burden on society. Over the past years, mental health problems have become alarmingly common especially among children and young people. The Equal-Life project explores the developmental consequences of the environment children grow up in for their mental health and cognitive development from conception to young adulthood. There is very little combinatory research-based evidence on how their mental health is affected by the multiple exposure environment children grow up in, including where they live, what their social status is, and what kind of lifestyles they follow. By analysing these combined effects, the project seeks to raise awareness of the role of the growing up environment and to support mental health by promoting prevention and early intervention. The multidisciplinary project brings together 20 leading experts from the fields of health sciences, neurosciences, environmental sciences, social sciences, statistics and psychology. The University of Eastern Finland is represented in the project by Associate Professor Katja Kanninen and her research group. The University of Eastern Finland’s share of the project’s funding amounts to approximately 650,000 euros. The project is led by Dr Irene van Kamp at the National Institute for Public Health and the Environment in the Netherlands.
Uncovering cardiovascular risks by looking at life-long exposures
Lifestyles play a significant role in a person’s risk of cardiovascular diseases and morbidity. However, very little is known about how environmental exposures modify the effect of lifestyles, or a person’s genetic predisposition to cardiovascular diseases. The Longitools project analyses the combined effect of environmental, social and financial factors and lifestyles on the risk of metabolic diseases and cardiovascular diseases in particular. The project focuses on events at the life-course level, spanning from foetal exposures to adulthood. The project involves multidisciplinary collaboration seeking to create models for assessing the combined effect of environmental, social and financial factors and lifestyles on the risk of disease, and the role of different exposures in the development of cardiovascular diseases. The Longitools project brings together 15 universities and research institutes representing medicine, health sciences, nutrition, food science, economics, social sciences, behavioural sciences and data sciences. In addition, the project has three small and medium-sized enterprises as partners. The University of Eastern Finland is represented in the project by Professor Marjukka Kolehmainen and Associate Professor Kati Hanhineva and Professor Timo Lakka with their research groups. The University of Eastern Finland’s share of the project’s funding amounts to 980,000 euros. The project is led by Professor Sylvain Selbert at the University of Oulu.
For further information, please contact:
Equal-Life project:
Associate Professor Katja Kanninen, katja.kanninen (a) uef.fi, tel. +358 46 9210065
University of Eastern Finland, A.I. Virtanen Institute for Molecular Sciences
Longitools project:
Professor Marjukka Kolehmainen, marjukka.kolehmainen (a) uef.fi, tel. +358 40 3553617
Associate Professor Kati Hanhineva, kati.hanhineva (a) uef.fi, tel. +358 40 3552364
University of Eastern Finland, Institute of Public Health and Clinical Nutrition
