Koivusilta, Leena K.
Acacio-Claro, Paulyn Jean
Mattila, Ville M.
Rimpelä, Arja H.
Article History
Received: 24 November 2023
Accepted: 19 April 2024
First Online: 26 April 2024
Declarations
:
: The Finnish Social and Health Data Permit Authority Finland granted the permit to use social and health care data () and linked that data with the data set of the Adolescent Health and Lifestyle Survey, measured biennially from 1981 to 1997. Statistics Finland linked these data sets. The study protocol was approved by its Institutional Review Board and by the Data Protection Ombudsman. Identification of the study participants was withheld from the investigators at all stages of the study and the rights and duties of both parties were specified in the contract. The Joint Commission on Ethics of the University of Turku and the Turku University Hospital stated that no human rights were violated in the research protocol and approved it. Parental consent was neither considered by the ethics review boards at that time nor was it needed for linking the data sets. When the permission to use register data was granted, the authorities were obliged to guarantee that the conditions described in the Personal Data Protection Act (523/1999) were followed ().The Adolescent Health and Lifestyle Survey data were gathered from 1981 to 1997, at the time when there was no specific legislation or national guidelines on parental consent. The first review boards at the universities were established in Finland in the 1980s. AHLS was reviewed by the Ethical Review Board of the University of Helsinki, Department of Public Health in 1986 but parental consent was not considered at that time. The purpose of the study was stated on the first page of the questionnaire or in a separate information letter. Participants’ informed consent was shown by their answer to the survey. The questionnaires did not include questions that involve a risk of causing mental harm that exceeds the limits of normal daily life to the research participants. It was stated that if parents would like to get to know the questionnaire, they were advised to do it before the adolescent answered. In later surveys of the Adolescent Health and Lifestyle Survey, the review boards waived parental consent, which is in line with the present national guidelines on ethical review in human sciences by the Finnish National Board on Research Integrity .
: Not applicable.
: The authors declare no competing interests.