Jaakko Kaprio
Biographic Data
| ID | 75294 |
|---|---|
| NAME | Jaakko Kaprio |
| GIVEN NAMES | Jaakko |
| FAMILY NAME | Kaprio |
| SIGNATURE | KAPRIO J |
| AFFILIATIONS | University of Helsinki |
| ORCID | 0000-0002-3716-2455 |
| VERIFIED | Yes |
| TOTAL WORKS | 82 |
| TOTAL CITATIONS | 248 |
| AUTHOR COUNT | 82 |
| EDITOR COUNT | 0 |
| FIRST PUBLICATION YEAR | 1981 |
| LATEST PUBLICATION YEAR | 2025 |
| H-INDEX | 9 |
Tattoo ink exposure is associated with lymphoma and skin cancers – a Danish study of twins
In conclusion, our study suggests an increased hazard of lymphoma and skin cancers among tattooed individuals, demonstrated through two designs: a twin cohort and a case-cotwin study. We are concerned that tattoo ink interacting with surrounding cells may have severe consequences. Studies that pinpoint the etiological pathway of tattoo ink induced carcinogenesis are recommended to benefit public health
Association of Physical Activity in Midlife With Mobility Limitations and Falls in Old Age—A Longitudinal Twin Study
ObjectiveTo study the associations between midlife physical activity and later-life mobility limitation and falls in monozygotic and dizygotic twin pairs.MethodsMidlife physical activity data from 1975, 1981, and 1990 questionnaires were drawn from the Older Finnish Twin Cohort. In the third survey, the participants were aged 46-50 years. Mobility limitations (none, some or severe) and falls (no falls, single fall or recurrent falls) were self-re…
Health characteristics and health behaviours in male former contact sports participants
BACKGROUND: Athletes who have a history of participation in contact sports appear to subsequently experience elevated rates of neurodegenerative diseases such as dementia but have a lower incidence of cardiovascular disease and selected cancers. We quantified the occurrence of little-examined cardiometabolic and mental health outcomes, plus associated lifestyle factors, in a group of former contact sports athletes and a general population sample.…
Associations between common genetic variants and income provide insights about the socio-economic health gradient
We conducted a genome-wide association study on income among individuals of European descent ( N = 668,288) to investigate the relationship between socio-economic status and health disparities. We identified 162 genomic loci associated with a common genetic factor underlying various income measures, all with small effect sizes (the Income Factor). Our polygenic index captures 1–5% of income variance, with only one fourth due to direct genetic eff…
The urban physical environment and leisure-time physical activity in early midlife
Under the exposome framework, this study examined the relationship between the urban physical environment and leisure-time physical activity during early midlife based on 394 participants (mean age: 37, range 34-40) from the FinnTwin12 cohort, residing in five major Finnish cities in 2020. We curated 145 urban physical exposures based on residential addresses and measured three outcomes: total leisure-time physical activity (total LTPA) and two s…
Genetics of monozygotic twins reveals the impact of environmental sensitivity on psychiatric and neurodevelopmental phenotypes
Individual sensitivity to environmental exposures may be genetically influenced. This genotype-by-environment interplay implies differences in phenotypic variance across genotypes, but these variants have proven challenging to detect. Genome-wide association studies of monozygotic twin differences are conducted through family-based variance analyses, which are more robust to the systemic biases that impact population-based methods. We combined da…
Causally-informative analyses of the effect of job displacement on all-cause and specific-cause mortality from the 1990s Finnish recession until 2020
Our analyses support the causal influence of job displacement on all-cause and specific-cause mortality, even up to 30 years after the recession; this risk varies by cause of death and by length of follow-up. Future work should evaluate stress and substance use as potential pathways from job displacement to mortality
Age at separation, residential mobility, and depressive symptoms among twins in late adolescence and young adulthood
The study provides valid evidence about the influence of siblings and family on depressive symptoms in later adolescence and young adulthood while finding some evidence for a reverse direction effect. This suggests more caution in the interpretation of results. A strong association between residential mobility and depressive symptoms was affirmed, although further detailed research is needed
Perceived Occupational Noise Exposure and Depression in Young Finnish Adults
We investigated the association between perceived occupational noise exposure and depressive symptoms in young Finnish adults and whether noise sensitivity moderates this association. This study was based on an ongoing longitudinal twin study. We included those who had been working daily ( n = 521) or weekly ( n = 245) during the past 12 months (mean age 22.4, SD 0.7, 53% female). We asked about occupational noise exposure at age 22 and assessed …
The heritability of sweet taste liking
Polygenic prediction of educational attainment within and between families from genome-wide association analyses in 3 million individuals
We conduct a genome-wide association study (GWAS) of educational attainment (EA) in a sample of ~3 million individuals and identify 3,952 approximately uncorrelated genome-wide-significant single-nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs). A genome-wide polygenic predictor, or polygenic index (PGI), explains 12–16% of EA variance and contributes to risk prediction for ten diseases. Direct effects (i.e., controlling for parental PGIs) explain roughly half th…
Traumatic brain injury, collision sports participation, and neurodegenerative disorders
The present and future burden of neurodegenerative disorder, particularly dementia, for individuals, society, and health care systems has been extremely well documented.Dementia currently directly affects around 50 million people globally and, owing to demographic expansion, its prevalence is expected to triple over the following three decades. 1The disappointing results of trials of drug treatments for dementia, motor neuron disease (amyotrophic…
Higher aggression is related to poorer academic performance in compulsory education
BACKGROUND: To conduct a comprehensive assessment of the association between aggression and academic performance in compulsory education. METHOD: We studied aggression and academic performance in over 27,000 individuals from four European twin cohorts participating in the ACTION consortium (Aggression in Children: Unraveling gene-environment interplay to inform Treatment and InterventiON strategies). Individual level data on aggression at ages 7-…
Genetics of somatotype and physical fitness in children and adolescents
OBJECTIVES: To analyze the influence of genetic and environmental factors on the variation in somatotype, physical fitness, and their mutual associations. METHODS: Twins from 214 pairs (87 monozygotic) of the Autonomous Region of Madeira, Portugal, from 3 to 18 years of age (51% girls) were assessed in anthropometry and physical fitness tests. We estimated endomorphy, mesomorphy, and ectomorphy based on anthropometric measures and physical fitnes…
Factors contributing to psychological distress in the working population, with a special reference to gender difference
Satisfying work, family life and being able to successfully combine the two are important sources of psychological well-being for both genders in the working population
Harmonizing behavioral outcomes across studies, raters, and countries
BACKGROUND: Aggression in children has genetic and environmental causes. Studies of aggression can pool existing datasets to include more complex models of social effects. Such analyses require large datasets with harmonized outcome measures. Here, we made use of a reference panel for phenotype data to harmonize multiple aggression measures in school-aged children to jointly analyze data from five large twin cohorts. METHODS: Individual level agg…
Changes in self-reported sleep duration with age - a 36-year longitudinal study of Finnish adults
There has been a slight decrease in mean sleep duration during the 36-year follow-up. Although the sleep duration was longer in 1970s and 1980s, the probable main cause for the change in this study population is the effect of aging
Genome-wide association study identifies 48 common genetic variants associated with handedness
Handedness has been extensively studied because of its relationship with language and the over-representation of left-handers in some neurodevelopmental disorders. Using data from the UK Biobank, 23andMe and the International Handedness Consortium, we conducted a genome-wide association meta-analysis of handedness (N = 1,766,671). We found 41 loci associated (P < 5 × 10−8) with left-handedness and 7 associated with ambidexterity. Tissue-enrichmen…
Children’s propensity to consume sugar and fat predicts regular alcohol consumption in adolescence
Objective The present study investigated the association between sugar and fat intake in childhood in relation to alcohol use in adolescence. We hypothesized that early exposure to diets high in fat and sugar may affect ingestive behaviours later in life, including alcohol use. Design/Setting/Subjects Children from the European IDEFICS/I.Family cohort study were examined at ages 5–9 years and followed up at ages 11–16 years. FFQ were completed by…
The Relationship Between Sleep Characteristics and Unmet Physical Activity Need in Older Women
Objective: We examined among older women the association of sleep quality, daytime tiredness, and sleep duration with unmet physical activity need, that is, wishing to be more physically active but perceiving no opportunity for it. Method: Cross-sectional logistic regression analyses among women aged 74 to 86 years (Finnish Twin Study on Aging, third wave, n = 302). Results: Thirty-one participants reported unmet physical activity need. Short sle…
Association between birth weight and educational attainment
BACKGROUND: There is evidence that birth weight is positively associated with education, but it remains unclear whether this association is explained by familial environmental factors, genetic factors or the intrauterine environment. We analysed the association between birth weight and educational years within twin pairs, which controls for genetic factors and the environment shared between co-twins. METHODS: The data were derived from nine twin …
Body mass index is negatively associated with telomere length
If you drink, don't smoke
Prevalence and correlates of binge eating disorder related features in the community
Genetic evidence of assortative mating in humans
Pubertal timing and substance use
In the present study, between-family analyses of data from adolescent twin girls offer new evidence that early menarche is associated with earlier initiation and greater frequency of smoking and drinking. The role of personality factors and peer relationships in that association was investigated, and little support was found for their involvement. Novel within-family analyses replicating associations of substance use with pubertal timing in contr…
Mortality after bereavement
The mortality of 95,647 persons, widowed during 1972-76 and identified by linking the Finnish Population Register and cause-of-death files, was followed up to the end of 1976. A total of 7,635 deaths during 225,251 person-years of experience were observed. Cause-specific standardized mortality ratios by time after bereavement were computed. The highest relative mortality risk was found immediately after bereavement. For all natural causes, mortal…
Genetic evidence of assortative mating in humans
Educational Differences in Completed Fertility
Despite the large body of research on educational differences in fertility, how genetic and environmental influences may contribute to educational differences in completed fertility is not well understood. This study examines the association between educational level and completed fertility in a sample of Finnish male and female twins born between 1950 and 1957 with register-based fertility follow-up until 2009. The results show that poorly educa…
Genetic and Environmental Influences on Pubertal Development
To study sources of individual differences in pubertal development, the authors fit a sex-limitation common factor model to data reported, at ages 11 and 14 years, by 1,891 twin pairs on items that comprise the Pubertal Development Scale (PDS; A. C. Petersen, L. Crockett, M. Richards, & A. Boxer, 1988). The model divides variation into a general pubertal factor and item-specific variation and, in addition, decomposes it into constituent sources. …
Measuring Puberty and Understanding Its Impact
A developmental genetic analysis of adult personality
Developmental genetic analyses were conducted on Extraversion (E) and Neuroticism (N) scale scores from nearly 15,000 male and female Finnish twins, ages 18-53 at baseline, who were tested on 2 occasions, 6 years apart. Significant genetic effects on both traits were found, at all ages, in men and women, on each measurement occasion. For E, heritability was invariant across sex but decreased from late adolescence to the late 20s, with a smaller a…
Co-twin dependence, social interactions, and academic achievement
Relatively few studies have concentrated on the qualities or implications of the relationships between twins and their co-twins. We examined dependence between twin siblings and its impact on their social contacts, leisure-time activities and educational attainment in adolescence in a population-based sample of 5268 Finnish adolescent twins (FinnTwin16 study). We found that co-twin dependence varies significantly by zygosity and gender. Mothers a…
Social factors and the gender difference in mortality
Identifying flavor preference subgroups. Genetic basis and related eating behavior traits
Prevalence and correlates of binge eating disorder related features in the community
Association of Smoking in Adolescence With Abdominal Obesity in Adulthood
Objectives. We studied the association of adolescent smoking with overweight and abdominal obesity in adulthood. Methods. We used the FinnTwin16, a prospective, population-based questionnaire study of 5 consecutive and complete birth cohorts of Finnish twins born between 1975 and 1979 (N = 4296) and studied at four points between the ages of 16 and 27 years to analyze the effect of adolescent smoking on abdominal obesity and overweight in early a…
Sex differences in genetic and environmental effects on aggression
The aim of the present study was to investigate the genetic and environmental factors influencing teacher and parental rated aggression in boys and girls, asking whether the magnitude of these effects is similar across rater and sex. The study is part of an ongoing nationwide twin‐family study of behavioral development and health habits carried out in Finland. The sample consisted of 1651 twin pairs (264 monozygotic male, 300 monozygotic female, …
Education and alcohol use
The consequences of heavy alcohol use remain a serious public health problem. Consistent evidence has demonstrated that both genetic and social influences contribute to alcohol use. Research on gene-environment interaction (GxE) has also demonstrated that these social and genetic influences do not act independently. Instead, certain environmental contexts may limit or exacerbate an underlying genetic predisposition. However, much of the work on G…
Accumulation of Sensory Difficulties Predicts Fear of Falling in Older Women
The accumulation of multiple sensory difficulties may hinder older people from receiving compensatory information about body position and environment, thus jeopardizing a person's confidence in maintaining a balanced position. Regular screening of sensory functions followed by appropriate actions may prevent the development of FOF, and thus contribute to prevention of falls and promotion of healthy aging
Chernobyl exposure as stressor during pregnancy and hormone levels in adolescent offspring
BACKGROUND: Animal research suggests a programming effect of prenatal stress in the fetal period, resulting in disruptions in behavioural and neuromotor development. Physiological changes that mediate these effects include alterations in the hypothalamic-pituitary-adrenal axis and in testosterone levels. This human study focuses on changes related to these physiological systems after prenatal stress exposure. METHODS: We examined the potential ef…
Total and occupationally active life expectancies in relation to social class and marital status in men classified as healthy at 20 in Finland
STUDY OBJECTIVE: To study differences in total life expectancy and in occupationally active life expectancy in relation to social class and marital status in men classified as healthy as young adults. DESIGN: Historical cohort study. SETTING: Finland. PARTICIPANTS: Altogether 1662 men classified as completely healthy at the time of induction to military service (mean birth year 1923), who had been selected as referents for a study of former athle…
If you drink, don't smoke
Mobility Limitation and Changes in Personal Goals Among Older Women
The results of this study support theories suggesting that age-related losses such as mobility limitation may result in older adults modifying or disengaging from personal goals
Genetic contribution to sour taste preference
Pubertal Development Moderates the Importance of Environmental Influences on Depressive Symptoms in Adolescent Girls and Boys
Incidence and prognosis of ischaemic heart disease with respect to marital status and social class. A national record linkage study
Increased mortality from ischaemic heart disease (IHD) has been found in previous studies among divorced, widowed, and unskilled middle-aged Finnish men. In this study all cases of IHD in men aged 40-64 during 1972 were analysed by linking death certificates and hospital records (7499 cases with 3136 deaths). Age-adjusted incidence, mortality, and survival rates of the first and third year were calculated by marital status and social class. The h…
Associations between common genetic variants and income provide insights about the socio-economic health gradient
We conducted a genome-wide association study on income among individuals of European descent ( N = 668,288) to investigate the relationship between socio-economic status and health disparities. We identified 162 genomic loci associated with a common genetic factor underlying various income measures, all with small effect sizes (the Income Factor). Our polygenic index captures 1–5% of income variance, with only one fourth due to direct genetic eff…
The heritability of sweet taste liking
Genome-wide association study identifies 48 common genetic variants associated with handedness
Handedness has been extensively studied because of its relationship with language and the over-representation of left-handers in some neurodevelopmental disorders. Using data from the UK Biobank, 23andMe and the International Handedness Consortium, we conducted a genome-wide association meta-analysis of handedness (N = 1,766,671). We found 41 loci associated (P < 5 × 10−8) with left-handedness and 7 associated with ambidexterity. Tissue-enrichmen…
Incidence and prognosis of ischaemic heart disease with respect to marital status and social class. A national record linkage study
Increased mortality from ischaemic heart disease (IHD) has been found in previous studies among divorced, widowed, and unskilled middle-aged Finnish men. In this study all cases of IHD in men aged 40-64 during 1972 were analysed by linking death certificates and hospital records (7499 cases with 3136 deaths). Age-adjusted incidence, mortality, and survival rates of the first and third year were calculated by marital status and social class. The h…
Social factors and the gender difference in mortality
Mortality after bereavement
The mortality of 95,647 persons, widowed during 1972-76 and identified by linking the Finnish Population Register and cause-of-death files, was followed up to the end of 1976. A total of 7,635 deaths during 225,251 person-years of experience were observed. Cause-specific standardized mortality ratios by time after bereavement were computed. The highest relative mortality risk was found immediately after bereavement. For all natural causes, mortal…
Hostility as a risk factor for mortality and ischemic heart disease in men
We report the association between hostility and the incidence of ischemic heart disease (IHD) in 3,750 Finnish men aged 40-59. Hostility was assessed from self-ratings on irritability, ease of anger-arousal, and argumentativeness, and four groups were formed from the summed hostility ratings. At baseline, the age-adjusted relative risk (RR) of the prevalence of angina pectoris between the highest and lowest hostility groups was 2.88 (95% confiden…
Shared genes, shared experiences, and similarity of personality
Similarities for Extraversion (E) and Neuroticism (N) scale scores from the Eysenck Personality Inventory were evaluated in 7,144 adult twin pairs, drawn from the population-based Finnish Twin Cohort, as a function of the co-twins' genetic resemblance, gender, age, and the frequency of their social interaction with each other. To separate effects of shared genes from those of shared experience, we performed hierarchical multiple regressions of do…
Twins, smoking and mortality
Self-reported hostility and suicidal acts, accidents, and accidental deaths
The association of self-reported hostility with morbidity and mortality due to external causes, including suicidal acts, was analyzed in 10,586 Finnish men and 10,857 Finnish women aged 24 to 59 years. Hostility was assessed from self-ratings on irritability, ease of anger-arousal, and argumentativeness. Three groups, low (33.6% of subjects), intermediate (50.6%), and extreme (15.9%), were formed from the self-reported hostility scores. A 6-year …
A developmental genetic analysis of adult personality
Developmental genetic analyses were conducted on Extraversion (E) and Neuroticism (N) scale scores from nearly 15,000 male and female Finnish twins, ages 18-53 at baseline, who were tested on 2 occasions, 6 years apart. Significant genetic effects on both traits were found, at all ages, in men and women, on each measurement occasion. For E, heritability was invariant across sex but decreased from late adolescence to the late 20s, with a smaller a…
Atopy
STUDY OBJECTIVE--To investigate the predictive value of atopy, smoking, and living in a farm environment in the development of chronic bronchitis. DESIGN--This was a cross sectional and longitudinal study. SETTING--Postal surveys carried out in Finland in 1975 and 1981. PARTICIPANTS--The study was part of the Finnish twin cohort study, which included adult twin pairs born in Finland before 1958. The cross sectional sample consisted of 18,351 subj…
Total and occupationally active life expectancies in relation to social class and marital status in men classified as healthy at 20 in Finland
STUDY OBJECTIVE: To study differences in total life expectancy and in occupationally active life expectancy in relation to social class and marital status in men classified as healthy as young adults. DESIGN: Historical cohort study. SETTING: Finland. PARTICIPANTS: Altogether 1662 men classified as completely healthy at the time of induction to military service (mean birth year 1923), who had been selected as referents for a study of former athle…
Relationship of Leisure-Time Physical Activity and Mortality
CONTEXT: Physical activity and fitness are believed to reduce premature mortality, but whether genetic factors modify this effect is not known. OBJECTIVE: To investigate leisure physical activity and mortality with respect to familial aggregation of health habits during childhood and factors that may enable some individuals to achieve higher levels of fitness. DESIGN: Prospective twin cohort study. SETTING: Finland. SUBJECTS: In 1975, at baseline…
Future hospital care in a population-based series of twin pairs discordant for physical activity behavior
OBJECTIVES: This study investigated the association between physical activity behavior and morbidity, taking into account genetic selection. METHODS: Hospitalizations were followed from the beginning of 1977 to the end of 1986 in 710 same-sex healthy twin pairs discordant for leisure-time physical activity and in 151 pairs discordant for all physical activity at base-line in 1975. RESULTS: During the follow-up, among twin pairs discordant for lei…
Pubertal timing and substance use
In the present study, between-family analyses of data from adolescent twin girls offer new evidence that early menarche is associated with earlier initiation and greater frequency of smoking and drinking. The role of personality factors and peer relationships in that association was investigated, and little support was found for their involvement. Novel within-family analyses replicating associations of substance use with pubertal timing in contr…
Life Satisfaction and Suicide
OBJECTIVE: The authors investigated whether self-reported life satisfaction predicted suicide over a period of 20 years (1976-1995) in adults unselected for mental health status. METHOD: A nationwide sample of adults aged 18-64 years (N=29,173) from the Finnish Twin Cohort responded to a health questionnaire that included a life satisfaction scale (score range=4-20, with higher scores indicating greater dissatisfaction) that covered four items: i…
Measuring Puberty and Understanding Its Impact
Heritability of Adult Body Height
A major component of variation in body height is due to genetic differences, but environmental factors have a substantial contributory effect. In this study we aimed to analyse whether the genetic architecture of body height varies between affluent western societies. We analysed twin data from eight countries comprising 30,111 complete twin pairs by using the univariate genetic model of the Mx statistical package. Body height and zygosity were se…
Breakfast skipping and health-compromising behaviors in adolescents and adults
Assortative mating by body height and BMI
Assortative mating by body height and weight is well established in various populations, but its causal mechanisms remain poorly understood. We analyzed the effect of phenotypic assortment and social homogamy on spousal correlations for body height and body mass index (BMI, kg/m 2 ). Our data derived from a questionnaire administered to the adult Finnish Twin Cohort in 1990 (response rate 77%) yielding results from 922 monozygotic and 1,697 dizyg…
Sex differences in genetic and environmental effects on aggression
The aim of the present study was to investigate the genetic and environmental factors influencing teacher and parental rated aggression in boys and girls, asking whether the magnitude of these effects is similar across rater and sex. The study is part of an ongoing nationwide twin‐family study of behavioral development and health habits carried out in Finland. The sample consisted of 1651 twin pairs (264 monozygotic male, 300 monozygotic female, …
Life satisfaction and depression in a 15-year follow-up of healthy adults
Heritability of body height and educational attainment in an international context
We studied the effect of genetic and environmental factors on the association between self‐reported height and education in Minnesota and Finland. Our data included 1,598 twin pairs in Minnesota and 5,454 twin pairs in Finland born between 1936 and 1955. Correlations between education and height were found in Minnesota (r = 0.09 in men and 0.11 in women) and in Finland (r = 0.17 and 0.14, respectively) after adjustment for age. This trait correla…
Genetic and Environmental Influences on Pubertal Development
To study sources of individual differences in pubertal development, the authors fit a sex-limitation common factor model to data reported, at ages 11 and 14 years, by 1,891 twin pairs on items that comprise the Pubertal Development Scale (PDS; A. C. Petersen, L. Crockett, M. Richards, & A. Boxer, 1988). The model divides variation into a general pubertal factor and item-specific variation and, in addition, decomposes it into constituent sources. …
Co-twin dependence, social interactions, and academic achievement
Relatively few studies have concentrated on the qualities or implications of the relationships between twins and their co-twins. We examined dependence between twin siblings and its impact on their social contacts, leisure-time activities and educational attainment in adolescence in a population-based sample of 5268 Finnish adolescent twins (FinnTwin16 study). We found that co-twin dependence varies significantly by zygosity and gender. Mothers a…
School fitness tests as predictors of adult health‐related fitness
Relationships between adolescent physical fitness and adult health‐related fitness were investigated. Forty‐five subjects (20 males, 25 females) participated in physical fitness tests in 1976 and again in 2001. The adolescent physical fitness tests were distance running (2,000 m for boys or 1,500 m for girls), 50 m run, pull‐ups (boys) or flexed arm hangs (girls), shuttle run, a 30‐sec sit‐up test, standing broad jump, hand grip‐test, and sit‐and…
Parent and health professional perspectives in the management of adolescents with diabetes
Medicine (57 works) · Demography (48 works) · Psychology (46 works) · Biology (33 works) · Population (32 works) · Twin study (29 works) · Heritability (28 works) · Genetics (24 works) · Internal Medicine (24 works) · Demography (23 works)