South-Eastern Finland University of Applied Sciences

Objective:Osteoarthritis is a growing global health challenge, driven by ageing populations and rising obesity rates. The condition incurs significant costs due to diagnostics, treatments and indirect impacts like absenteeism. Although guidelines recommend education, exercise and weight management as first-line treatments, adherence among healthcare professionals and patients varies. This project aims to assess the current state of osteoarthritis care in Finland and implement and evaluate a guideline-based model of care for hip and knee osteoarthritis by integrating the Good Life with osteoArthritis from Denmark (GLA:D®) programme into local care pathways. It also seeks to promote evidence-based knowledge nationwide. Design:This hybrid, type-3 benchmarking-controlled implementation trial is conducted in primary healthcare across two Wellbeing Services Counties in Finland. The study includes three phases.1.Pre-implementation - Surveying current care using registry data (6 years), patient and professional questionnaires, and interviews. Developing a model of care (MoC) and implementation intervention based on research informed theories and models.2.Implementation - Integrating and refining the new MoC, and training physiotherapists.3.Evaluation - Assessing implementation (primary outcome: intervention fidelity, the proportion of eligible care according to the new care pathway) and health-economic outcomes (healthcare utilization and costs at 1, 3, and 5 years compared to pre-implementation data), as well as patient-reported outcomes at 3 months and 1, 3 and 10 years. Discussion:This project aims to bridge the gap between guidelines and practice, improve outcomes, reduce costs, and ensure equitable care. Results will guide future strategies and may be adapted across Finland. Trial registration: ClinicalTrials.gov, 263/13.00.04.00/2025.

Purpose: As the number of older people is increasing, also the need for professional sports instructors is growing. Volunteers have an important role in supporting active ageing as peer instructors or outdoor friends. Project or Policy Description. Development. The Strength in Old Age Programme (2004–) in Finland aims to launch health-enhancing exercise for independently living older adults with decreased functional capacity. The Coordinator, The Age Institute, offers courses that enable and support the professionals to locally train volunteers to act as peer instructors for exercise groups and outdoor friends. Peers learn how to instruct strength and balance exercises and outdoor friends how to support outdoor activities. Implementation. The training course is free of charge for the municipalities belonging to the Strength in Old Age Programme. The participants receive readymade material they can use as well as practical tips for the local training. Until now, there are over 1,600 trainers and over 6,000 peers and outdoor friends trained. However, new volunteers are needed. Evaluation. A survey was disseminated broadly to volunteers to examine their motivations and perceived benefits of serving as peer instructors or outdoor friends. We received 291 responses. The survey was openly shared through networks, and no response rate was available. The most common motivators were relevance of helping others (36%), being asked to become a volunteer (19%), getting exercise during volunteering (17%), and having more time after retirement (17%). The volunteers perceived mostly good or strong benefits from their activity. Volunteering has generated positive emotions (97%) and offered something meaningful to do (95%). The best thing about volunteering is togetherness (42%). Only 8% said that the activity had been a burden. Dissemination. The results will be disseminated through the future activities in Strength in Old Age Programme, which enable the professionals’ knowledge how to better support volunteers and attract new volunteers to participate. The survey will be complemented by interviews of volunteers. Conclusions: To develop local sports activities, training and supporting volunteers is important. It is a cost-effective way to keep old adults fit and it also improves the wellbeing of volunteers. Keywords: Active ageing, peer instructor, outdoor friend, volunteer

BACKGROUND:Climate change increases exposure to pollen, but the effects of climate-related factors on the potency of pollen to trigger early events in the epithelium are unknown, despite their significant impact on respiratory health. OBJECTIVE:We aimed to investigate whether climate change affects the capacity of grass pollen to mediate cell functions in human nasal epithelium. METHODS:Toxicological and immunological responses, and the transcriptomes were analyzed after exposing reconstituted human nasal epithelial tissues to pollen collected from grasses (timothy and meadow foxtail) grown under different climate change conditions (increasing temperature and CO2 levels). RESULTS:Pollen of both grass species grown under current climate conditions altered the expression of genes encoding for cytokines and chemokines, and similar patterns were observed at the protein level. Moreover, pollen exposure reduced epithelial barrier integrity and was associated with increased expression of genes related to tight junctions and tissue repair. Climate change-modified meadow foxtail pollen decreased the expression of genes related to vesicle-mediated transport and transcriptional and translational processes, whereas pollen of timothy grass inhibited the expression of genes related to cilium assembly and organization. CONCLUSIONS:Future grass pollen potentially disrupts cilia function and vesicle-mediated (cytokine) signaling in human nasal epithelium more than pollen representing current climate. That may hinder appropriate immune reaction activation and foreign substance removal from the airways. Disrupted regulation of gene expression in turn potentially results in adverse system-level outcomes.

This article examines the design and evaluation of a self-paced online mathematics course developed for NEET (Not in Education, Employment, or Training) learners in Finland. The course aims to lower barriers to education by providing foundational mathematics, digital skills, and field-specific modules, all structured to support self-directed learning (SDL). The pedagogical model emphasizes authenticity, guidance, and feedback-rich assessment to foster learner autonomy and engagement. The study analyses quantitative data from three pilot groups (2024–2025), revealing statistically significant improvements in mathematical skills among participants. Key SDL dimensions - motivation to learn and self-control - were found to be associated with course completion, though high scores in Self-Directed Learning Readiness Scale (SDLRS) alone did not guarantee success, highlighting the importance of additional factors such as time management and accurate self-assessment. Participant feedback was generally positive, though technical barriers, particularly a complex login process, affected participation rates. The findings underscore the importance of accessible onboarding, immediate feedback, and inclusive learning environments. The results demonstrate that a well-designed, flexible, and feedback-rich online course can effectively support the development of mathematical skills and self-directed learning among NEET learners, thereby promoting their re-engagement with education.

The general shift away from fossil fuels toward renewable energy sources, reducing energy consumption, and increasing the use of renewable energy in buildings is important in managing global energy demand and mitigating climate change. New technologies have been identified and developed for smart urban environments that can increase energy efficiency and the use of renewable energy.Low-temperature district heating enables new energy sources and higher efficiencies in energy production. Five publicly owned properties were studied to evaluate the effectiveness of low-temperature area heating. Air preheating with ground pipes was examined in cases of supporting the evaporator in the air-to-water heat pump of a detached house and in the ventilation system of single-family homes and apartment buildings in cold conditions in Finland. As a result, the ground pipes operated better than expected with the air-to-water heat pump and effectively saved energy on the air conditioning.Today, efforts are being made to produce a large amount of the energy needed by a building from renewable sources, and hybrid systems with heat pumps are recommended. An exhaust air heat pump and an additional heat recovery unit were installed in parallel with the district heating to preheat the ventilation in a swimming hall. The heat pump system reduced the swimming hall’s annual thermal energy consumption by 20%. Solar energy use has been increasing at the building-block level as well. The establishment of a solar energy community in eight rental housing companies and business opportunities related to energy communities were examined.The study examines the technical and economic implementation and comments on energy quality losses in the studied energy systems.