[ad_1]
Most people here in the city are probably familiar with the Tromsø survey, the longest ongoing survey in Norway. Among other things, research will continue to increase knowledge about health and disease in the population and will contribute to better patient care, nationally and internationally.
For more than 40 years, the survey has investigated Tromsø men and women and their health, where more than 45,000 people have participated in one or more of the seven surveys conducted since 1974.
Now, in this study, researchers have found that we are among the fattest in Western Europe, but also among the healthiest.
It was NRK who first covered the case.
The findings made in regards to obesity are peculiar to Tromsø in this particular study, but Hopstock says other research studies have received the same findings in the US and Northern Europe.
SCIENTIFIC: Laila Hopstock is a researcher for the Tromsø survey. Photo: Archive
– We see that in the western world, where there are high incomes, obesity increases, but fewer have high cholesterol and high blood pressure, says Laila Arnesdatter Hopstock, a researcher at the University of Tromsø and one of those working with the study of Tromsø. Then mainly with obesity, diet and physical activity.
Fewer smokers and the elderly live longer
But Tromsø is not the only city in Norway facing the same problems. Hopstock says a similar survey is being conducted in Nord-Trøndelag. It was a bit shorter than the Tromsø survey, but it had several participants and received similar results.
– It may mean that it is actually a national problem. That’s concerning, says Hopstock.
– But is there anything rewarding about these findings?
– Yes, thinks Hopstock.
– Other risks that were higher before have decreased. There are fewer smokers, which can give us answers to why we are healthier. The elderly have also gained better health, which means they live longer, he says and continues:
– It is exciting to see the development of the elderly. They have gained better grip strength and generally become healthier and healthier. This also means that they also have less need for health services. The elderly have simply become more functional.
Trying to find a cure
Researchers from the Tromsø survey are still trying to find a cure that can help stop development.
They have already tried an experiment that has had an effect.
– We tried an intensive training program, which showed that the participants became stronger and leaner. Now we want to implement it in an even larger part of the population. We want to know how little it takes to achieve change and how little follow-up will be necessary, Hopstock concludes.
