Mortality, morbidity and health habits of former elite athletes

The main target of the project is to clarify the long term effects of physical exercise on health and well-being. The basic data file of the project contains ca. 4500 former Finnish male elite athletes and their referents. By the end of the year 2006, in all 40 original articles in peer reviewed journals has been published and many scientific presentations during the last decade in different congresses have been held.

Following topics have been investigated: life-expectancy occupational disability, lifestyles, food and exercise habits, knee osteoarthritis, back related symptoms, spine pathology, diabetes, ischemic heart disease, hypertension, asthma, hospital care, etc. Many sub-studies are still going on, e.g. hip-fracture study based on hospital records. Large epidemiological and clinical research program was carried out in the year 2008 in collaboration with National Institute for Health and Welfare (THL), Sports & Exercise Medicine Department of Health Sciences, University of Jyväskylä, Paavo Nurmi Centre and ORTON Research Institute, Invalid Foundation. The aim of this project is to clarify the health status, health habits and functional ability of aging former elite athletes in comparison with their referents.