The COVID-19 pandemic and social distancing measures targeting the transmission of the virus impacted everyday life in 2020. This study investigated pre- to in-pandemic changes in health behaviors and depressive symptoms during the COVID-19 pandemic and the role of personality traits in these changes in Finland. Data from a larger population-based cohort study of 51–59-year-old Finnish women were used (n = 358). Self-reported questionnaires gathered information about depressive symptoms, eating behavior, physical activity, and alcohol consumption before the pandemic time, at the onset, and at the end of the COVID-19 emergency conditions. Information about personality traits (extraversion and neuroticism) and sociodemographic factors was available from the pre-pandemic baseline. Women reported more depressive symptoms and unhealthier eating habits at the end of the emergency conditions compared to the pre-pandemic time. An increase in depressive symptoms was associated with changing to unhealthier eating habits. Higher extraversion was associated with a perceived decrease in alcohol consumption and with changing to healthier eating habits. Women with higher neuroticism reported changing to either healthier or unhealthier eating habits. In general, some women reported healthier lifestyle changes while other women reported the opposite. Personality traits help to understand these individual differences in adaptation to the pandemic situation.

Background: Finland's 2016 Report Card on Physical Activity for Children and Youth gathers and translates research results and assesses the status and promotion of physical activity (PA) among Finnish children and youth less than 18 years of age. This article summarizes the results and provides grades for 9 indicators. Methods: The working group evaluated the evidence and assigned grades of A (highest, 81% to 100%), B, C, D, or F (lowest, 0% to 20%) for 9 PA indicators using the Active Healthy Kids Canada Report Card development process. Conclusions: Despite good policies and programs to promote PA in Finland, children and youth overall PA levels are low, whereas their time spent sedentary is high. More effective interventions, operation models, concrete tools as well as environmental solutions are needed to support the work toward more physically active childhood and youth.

In Finland, gender equality has been promoted through several sport policy initiatives, taking into account issues of multiple discrimination and social segregation and, lately, also non-binary gender identity implications. In this study, we report on the development of the legal basis and policies of gender equality promotion in Finnish sport since the 1990s. The emphasis is on documentation of the proportion of women in leadership and decision-making roles in national governing bodies of sport and the recommendations as well as policies and actions to even out disparities. The policies and actions include recommendations, government programmes, gender impact assessments, introduction of quotas and the requirement for gender equality policies to apply for funding. Policy changes, turning points and key events are also identified by interviewing persons who have been in leadership positions during the previous two decades. We found that the number of women in leadership positions has increased slightly. The institutions acting as policy drivers have been in the minority, which has weakened the agenda setting when considering macro policy and outcomes. Overall, as a policy process, gender equality promotion has been more in the development phase than it has been applied in practice.