Major differences between wellbeing services counties especially in alcohol-related diseases and access to vocational rehabilitation
In morbidity, the latest results of the National Health Index reveal the most significant regional differences in alcohol-related diseases, and in incapacity for work, the differences are greatest in access to vocational rehabilitation.
Morbidity among both men and women continues to be highest in Eastern and Northern Finland. In many of the wellbeing services counties in these areas, especially the prevalence of alcohol-related diseases, severe mental health problems and musculoskeletal disorders is higher than in the rest of the country.
In Finland, the prevalence of alcohol-related diseases is highest in the wellbeing services counties of South Karelia, Kainuu, North Karelia, South Savo and North Savo. Alcohol-related diseases are also common in Päijät-Häme and Kymenlaakso. In addition, alcohol-related diseases are also common among men in Central Ostrobothnia and among women in the Vantaa-Kerava wellbeing services county.
At the level of the whole country, the prevalence of alcohol-related diseases seems to have increased only slightly between 2017 and 2023, but regional differences are considerable. Alcohol-related diseases seem to have increased most in Kainuu and Kymenlaakso, while they seem to have declined most clearly in North Savo and West Uusimaa.
“It is important to monitor this development now that alcohol legislation is changing. The increasing prevalence of alcohol-related diseases indicates that easier access to alcohol may weaken the situation of high-risk users, in particular. In morbidity, this can be seen faster than in alcohol-related deaths, which have also increased slightly according to the latest data from 2023,” says Marke Jääskeläinen, Senior Specialist at THL.
Incapacity for work most common in Eastern Finland
Men most commonly receive disability pension and sickness allowance for their incapacity for work in Kainuu. Among women, disability pensions are most common in North Savo and sickness allowances in Lapland.
Vocational rehabilitation is most common in North Karelia among both men and women.
There are regional differences in the development seen in the disability pensions and sickness allowances paid and in positive decisions on vocational rehabilitation.
For example, in most wellbeing services counties in Uusimaa, the amount of the disability allowances paid has declined and there has been an increase in the number of positive decisions on vocational rehabilitation over the past few years.
“Such positive development indicates that the region is able to manage with shorter sickness absences and people receive vocational rehabilitation more often,” says Medical Director Riitta Luoto from Kela Research.
The situation is the opposite in some wellbeing services counties. For example, in Kainuu, Satakunta and Southwest Finland, disability benefits have become more common, while there has been a decline in the number of positive decisions on vocational rehabilitation.
“This may indicate bottlenecks in the availability of care,” Luoto says.
National Health Index supports the planning and assessment of wellbeing services counties’ activities
The National Health Index provides comparative data for the use of the wellbeing services counties and municipalities. The data describes differences between wellbeing services counties and municipalities in the population’s morbidity and incapacity for work.
Ten disease groups are included in the calculation of the morbidity index. The incapacity for work index consists of three parts.
“In those areas where the results differ from the rest of the country or certain indices show cross-development, it would be advisable to determine the root causes of the results. This would help to determine whether there is a need to plan new types of service networks, facilitate access to care, improve the continuity of care or develop more versatile preventive measures,” says Päivikki Koponen, Chief Specialist at THL.
The data of the National Health Index have been compiled from the register data of THL, the Social Insurance Institution of Finland (Kela), the Finnish Centre for Pensions, Statistics Finland and the Finnish Cancer Registry. The most recent data are from the period 2021–2023.
More information
Päivikki Koponen
Chief Specialist, THL
tel. +358 29 524 8868
firstname.lastname@thl.fi
Riitta Luoto
Medical Director, Research at Kela (Social Insurance Institute for Finland)
tel. +358 20 634 0529
firstname.lastname@kela.fi
