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My research is rooted in a salutogenic framework, which aims to improve health amidst adversity by emphasizing the factors that produce health rather than what causes disease. The primary objective is to explore how individuals and healthcare systems can support and improve overall health and well-being, thereby increasing resilience against disease and negative outcomes.
Current research:
Optimism and Healthy Cognitive Aging
In various cohort data, studying the association between dispositional optimism and cognitive impairment and cognitive function in the aging population.
Exploring various pathways that potentially mediate the connection between optimism and cognitive health.
Happiness
Testing interventions aimed at enhancing happiness.
Reviewing frameworks and measures how nature affects well-being and health for Forest Services of Canada.
Analyzing the effect of happiness on exercise behavior during transition to retirement in Finnish Retirement and Ageing Study.
Analyzing determinants and outcomes of happiness ratings of the population of a city in Finland.
Testing whether signaling willingness to talk increases social connection and happiness.
Investigating the hereditary and environmental determinants of life satisfaction in Health and Social Support Study in Finland.
Exploring the relationship between spending money and happiness in Mystery Experiment carried out in collaboration with organization TED.
Analyzing the impact of childhood and adult adversities on life satisfaction in Health and Social Support Study in Finland.
Health Behavior
Exploring the hereditary factors influencing health behavior in Health and Social Support Study in Finland.
Health care
Testing the efficacy of an audit and feedback intervention on 4000 dentists in BC in collaboration with UBC Therapautics Initiative.
Assessing the effectiveness of behavioral messages in improving prescribing behavior among healthcare professionals in the aforementioned Audit and Feedback.
Identifying determinants and trends in dental prescribing in BC.
Exploring through focus groups the determinants and knowledge of antibiotic prescribing among dentists in BC.
Evaluating the effects of public outreach in producing engagement on outdoorplay.ca education site.
Doctoral Thesis: Bidirectional Relationship Between Health Behavior and Subjective Well-Being in Adults (2022)
Doctoral Thesis: Bidirectional Relationship Between Health Behavior and Subjective Well-Being in Adults (2022)
My doctoral research used observational data from 11,000 working-aged Finns in a nine-year follow-up. The analysis showed that a higher number of beneficial health behaviors and positive changes in these behaviors predicted improved subjective well-being in both linear regression and structural equation modeling. Subjective well-being and positive changes in this well-being predicted subsequent health behavior in linear regression modeling and potentially through an alternative pathway, but not directly, in structural equation modeling. Health behavior appears to be a stronger predictor of subjective well-being than vice versa.
Improved subjective well-being could serve as a motivator for health behavior change, and, on the other hand, targeting subjective well-being could support a positive health behavior change, especially on an everyday level. In conclusion, including subjective well-being perspectives in health care and policies could help support health behavior changes.
Publications
Publications
Stenlund S, Guo Y, Rights J, Dwyer R, Dunn E. How spending decisions shape happiness in everyday life. Commun Psychol. 2024 Dec 19;2(1):124. doi: 10.1038/s44271-024-00166-6
Mamun, A., Zou, C., Lishman, H., Stenlund, S., Xie, M., Chuang, E., Patrick, D.M., 2024. Association between antibiotic usage during infancy and asthma incidence among children: a population-level ecological study in British Columbia, Canada. Front. Allergy 5, 1–10. doi: 10.3389/falgy.2024.1456077
Suominen, S., Stark Ekman, D., Saarela, J., Volanen, S.M., Stenlund, S., Sillanmäki, L., Sumanen, M., 2024. Better perceived health among the Swedish-speaking minority as compared with the Finnish-speaking majority in Finland: a cross-sectional study with an intergenerational perspective. Scand. J. Public Health 1–7. doi: 10.1177/14034948241258674
Heikkilä, K., Pentti, J., Dekhtyar, S., Ervasti, J., Fratiglioni, L., 2024. Stimulating leisure-time activities and the risk of dementia : a multi-cohort study. Age Ageing 1–10. doi: 10.1093/ageing/afae141
Stenlund, S., Appelt, K.C., Ruby, M.B., Smith, N., Lishman, H., Patrick, D.M., 2024. Testing Different Message Styles about Unnecessary Antibiotics Using an Online Platform. Antibiotics 13, 657. doi: 10.3390/antibiotics13070657
Stenlund S., Sillanmäki L., Koivumaa-Honkanen H., Rautava P., Lagström H., Suominen S. (2024). A healthy lifestyle can support the prospects of a good sex life – a nine-year follow-up of working-aged Finns. Journal of Sexual Medicine. 21:304-310. doi: 10.1093/jsxmed/qdae009
Stenlund, S., Mâsse, L.C., Stenlund, D., Sillanmäki, L., Appelt, K.C., Koivumaa-Honkanen, H., Rautava, P., Suominen, S., Patrick, D.M., 2023. Do Patients’ Psychosocial Characteristics Impact Antibiotic Prescription Rates? Antibiotics 12, 1022. doi: 10.3390/antibiotics12061022
Stenlund, S., Koivumaa-Honkanen, H., Sillanmäki, L., Lagström, H., Rautava, P., Suominen, S., 2022. Changed health behavior improves subjective well-being and vice versa in a follow-up of 9 years. Health Qual. Life Outcomes 20, 1–12. doi: 10.1186/s12955-022-01972-4
Stenlund, S., Koivumaa-Honkanen, H., Sillanmäki, L., Lagström, H., Rautava, P., Suominen, S., 2021. Subjective well-being predicts health behavior in a population-based 9-years follow-up of working-aged Finns. Prev. Med. Reports 24. doi: 10.1016/j.pmedr.2021.101635
Stenlund, S., Junttila, N., Koivumaa-honkanen, H., Sillanmaki, L., Stenlund, D., Suominen, S., Lagström, H., Rautava, P., 2021. Longitudinal stability and interrelations between health behavior and subjective well- being in a follow-up of nine years. PLoS One 1–13. https://doi.org/10.1371/journal.pone.0259280
Stenlund, S., Koivumaa-Honkanen, H., Sillanmäki, L., Lagström, H., Rautava, P., Suominen, S., 2021. Health behavior of working-aged Finns predicts self-reported life satisfaction in a population-based 9-years follow-up. BMC Public Health. doi: 10.1186/s12889-021-11796-4
Invited editorial:
Nimmon, L., Stenlund, S., 2024. Interpersonal energy : New and bold directions in palliative care health professions education research Interpersonal energy in palliative care Revitalizing health professions education research 10–13. doi: 10.1177/02692163231219949
Talks and presentations
Talks and presentations
Unlocking well-being: The Scientific Pursuit of Happiness. Fraser Health Staff (2024)
How Spending Decisions Shape Happiness in Everyday Life. Visiting speaker at the Social Psychology Workshop, Simon Fraser University (2024)
Finnish and Global Happiness. UBC Faculty Women's Club, University of British Columbia (2023)
Interpersonal Energy and Brainstorming – for Better Healthcare. Social Psychology workshop, Department of Psychology, University of British Columbia (2023)
How Does Money Buy Happiness? Social Psychology workshop, Department of Psychology, University of British Columbia (2023)
Personal Strengths and Weaknesses, Annual Conference of Young Christian Physicians and Medical Students in Finland (2023)
Bidirectional Relationship between Health Behavior and Subjective Well-being in Working-aged Finns, Population research seminar, University of Turku (2022)
Science Communication from Podcasting to Instagram, Science communication workshop, University of Turku (2021)
Structural Equation Modeling, Health Behavior, and Subjective Well-being, Public Health seminars, University of Turku (2021)
Article writing – lonely but not alone, Social and Health Academy seminars, University of Turku (2021)
Health Behavior Predicts Life Satisfaction and Vice Versa, Public Health seminars, University of Turku (2020)
Posters
Posters
S. Stenlund, L. Hamilton, C. Pau, N. Smith, J. Otte, K. Appelt, D.M. Patrick. (2024) Focus Groups to Improve Audit and Feedback for Dentists in BC, Quality Forum BC.S. Stenlund, Y. Guo, J. Rights, R. Dwyer. E. Dunn (2024). Buying Happiness Across the Globe: Exploring Cross-Cultural Perspectives, SPSP Conference.S. Stenlund, J. Huynh, L. Hamilton, M. Xie, C. Pau, A. Mamun, E. Chuang, N. Smith, J. Otte, A. Fisher, K. Appelt, D.M. Patrick (2023). Trends and Actions in Dental Antibiotic Prescribing in BC, BCCDC Research Week.S. Stenlund (2022). Happiness Research and Mental Health from a Public Health Point of View, BCCDC Research Week.
Finnish Happiness
Finnish Happiness
Finland has been ranked as the world's happiest country for six consecutive years, according to the prestigious World Happiness Report. I have had the privilege of engaging in discussions with the main authors of the report and with leading Finnish happiness researchers. These conversations sparked insightful thoughts that I shared in an essay "Why is Finland special?" published on my Instagram page (available here). Additionally, I had the honor of sharing these thoughts in a mini documentary series on Finnish happiness, alongside other experts.
The important thing is not to stop questioning. Curiosity has its own reason for existence.
- Albert Einstein
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