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Thursday, August 27, 2026

University of Eastern Finland contributes to the development of a new international measure for assessing productivity-adjusted life years

University of Eastern FinlandFacebook

For the first time in Finland, population-level norm values have been established for estimating life expectancy adjusted for health-related functional capacity and productivity. The new study provides Finnish norm values for both everyday functioning and work ability, as well as for a newly developed measure, productivity-adjusted life expectancy.

The study is part of an international effort to develop standardised measures that enable comparisons across countries. Similar population-level norm values have previously been reported in Australia and Canada.

“Our goal is to develop an internationally comparable measure that considers not only how long people live, but also how well they are able to participate in society, working life, household activities, and other daily functions. The Finnish results are an important addition to this work,” says Professor Janne Martikainen, the scientific lead of the study, from the University of Eastern Finland.

Functional capacity and work ability assessed across the adult population

The data were derived from a population survey conducted in summer 2024, including 3,644 Finnish adults aged 20 to 79 years. The sample was representative of the Finnish adult population in terms of both geographic distribution and demographic characteristics.

The researchers developed a weighted productivity index ranging from 0 to 1, where 1 represents perfect functioning and work ability, and 0 represents complete inability to perform daily activities or work. For example, a coefficient of 0.80 indicates that a person functions, on average, at approximately 80% of full capacity because of illnesses or health conditions.

The average weighted productivity index for the Finnish adult population was 0.77. The index was 0.78 for men and 0.76 for women.

“In health economic evaluations, the consequences of ill health are usually considered primarily from the perspective of paid employment. We wanted to also account for household work, caregiving, and other unpaid activities, which form a substantial part of people’s daily lives and contribute significantly to societal functioning. However, their value often remains invisible in economic assessments and is not reflected, for example, in gross domestic product,” explains Senior Researcher Piia Lavikainen, the principal investigator of the study.

A new measure combining life expectancy with functional capacity and productivity

The study also estimated Productivity-Adjusted Life Expectancy (PALE), a measure that combines population life expectancy with information on losses in functioning and productivity caused by health conditions.

Although a 20-year-old Finnish man can be expected to live to approximately 80 years of age, and a 20-year-old Finnish woman to approximately 85 years of age, productivity-adjusted life expectancy was estimated at 42.9 years for men and 46.1 years for women.

This measure reflects the number of years individuals can expect to participate in daily activities and work without limitations in functioning or productivity attributable to health problems.

“Traditional life expectancy tells us how long people live. This measure additionally indicates how many years of their remaining lives people can expect to live with good functioning and productivity, considering both paid and unpaid productive activities and the reductions caused by health conditions,” says Martikainen.

A new tool for assessing the societal impact of diseases

According to the researchers, the new norm values provide an important benchmark for evaluating the impact of diseases and health problems on functioning and productivity at the population level. The reference values can be used for assessing the economic burden of diseases, comparing differences between population groups, evaluating the effectiveness of health and welfare policies, and quantifying losses in functioning and productivity associated with specific diseases. The age- and sex-specific norm values make it possible to compare disease-related losses in functioning and productivity against the expected levels in the general population. Furthermore, the findings support international collaborative efforts aimed at developing and harmonising measures such as productivity-adjusted life expectancy to better assess the broader societal impacts of health.

The data were collected within the PREcision promotion of positive mental WELLbeing among high-risk adult population (PREWELL): Capabilities, gamification, and digital intervention consortium, funded by the Next Generation EU programme.

Journal

Social Science & Medicine

DOI

10.1016/j.socscimed.2026.119723

Method of Research

Survey

Subject of Research

People

Article Publication Date

20-Aug-2026

Wednesday, August 26, 2026

How a trans activist and a priest are creating inclusion in India's Catholic Church

CHENNAI, India (RNS) — Earlier this year, the archbishop of the Archdiocese of Madras-Mylapore launched the first sustained initiative by India’s Catholic Church to minister to and engage with transgender people.

Members of the transgender community take part in a prayer service at a trans chapel in the suburbs of Chennai, India, June 12, 2026. (Photo by Priyadarshini Sen)

Priyadarshini Sen

August 17, 2026

RNS

CHENNAI, India (RNS) — Twenty years ago, Inba Ignatius felt she didn’t belong in her Catholic church in suburban South India.

Ignatius, who is now 48 and a transgender activist, recalled that during a Christmas midnight Mass, a priest at her asbestos-covered church refused to administer Communion to her and three of her transgender friends until they “repented.”

But more than a decade later, Ignatius, a fiery and outspoken advocate who has for years been helping trans people find shelter and jobs in Chennai, feels the first stirrings of a new home in Catholicism. That’s in part because, in February, the archbishop of the Archdiocese of Madras-Mylapore, the Rev. George Antonysamy, launched the first sustained initiative by India’s Catholic Church to minister to and engage with transgender people.

Known as the pastoral care desk, the program is spearheaded by parish priest Father Leo Joseph, along with Ignatius. The group meets monthly, and its stakeholders are Joseph, three nuns from the diocese, four other priests, four members of the transgender community and Ignatius, the coordinator.

The group meets for prayers, yet the primary role of the ministry is pastoral. It aims to provide educational and employment support, health care access, security and pastoral accompaniment, and more broadly, to help transgender people live with dignity and hope. And, its leaders say they want their model to be replicated in other dioceses, helping to end societal and religious institutions’ misconceptions about trans people.

“We now have a way to connect directly with the church and the parish community,” Ignatius told RNS.

Inba Ignatius, center, a transgender community leader, laughs with Father Leo Joseph and Sister Sagayam at the trans shelter home in the suburbs of Chennai, India, June 12, 2026. (Photo by Priyadarshini Sen)

Transgender people in India continue to face significant social stigma, often involving rejection from their families. They also experience high levels of unemployment, poverty and violence. Systemic challenges drive many into sex work and begging on the streets. Legal rulings have affirmed their rights, but a recently passed bill rolled back some of those rights.

Ignatius said she felt shunned by mainstream society since she was 8 years old. Living in a remote village in Southern Tamil Nadu, a few hours from Chennai, she started thinking she was different from others. She was also sexually abused by her neighbor at that age, she said.

When she started working, she faced workplace harassment and said her family took her to hospitals and psychiatrists for treatment. When she was 23, a doctor told her family she was trans, and her brother urged her parents not to force her to get married.

“I don’t want others to face what I’ve endured since my childhood,” she said. “The pain of feeling you don’t belong anywhere is unparalleled.”

She left her family home to rebuild her life in the Chennai suburbs in 2007. “I didn’t want my parents and siblings to face humiliation because of me,” she said.

Members of the transgender community participate in a prayer service at a trans chapel in the suburbs of Chennai, India, June 12, 2026. (Photo by Priyadarshini Sen)

Her family helped her build a small house in a neighborhood populated by daily wage earners and migrant workers whose homes were pressed into dense and narrow lanes. A relatively large population of transgender people also live in the area, though exact numbers are hard to pin down, as they often move to flee persecution or conceal their identities. Despite Hindus, Muslims and Christians living together there in relative harmony, transphobia was rampant, and Ignatius wanted to confront it head-on.

In 2015, she started inviting 40 to 50 trans people to her home to pray with one another and for emotional and social support. She then expanded her house into a shelter and safe space for trans and HIV-positive people.

“(Ignatius) is a pillar of support for us,” said Kaushika, a transgender woman from the nearby city of Vellore, who asked to be identified by her first name only for her safety. “She’s been sensitizing people about our community through flash plays, cultural programs and worship rituals.”

Eventually, Ignatius opened a small chapel on the second floor for people of different faiths to pray together.

Isaac Raja, a pastor from a nearby Pentecostal church, has been leading Friday afternoon services at Ignatius’ chapel for more than five years.

Members of the transgender community participate in a prayer service at a trans chapel in the suburbs of Chennai, India, June 12, 2026. (Photo by Priyadarshini Sen)

“Our work is to soothe their inner brokenness and offer spiritual support regardless of their faith background,” he said.

During Friday prayers, Raja said members of the community sing devotional songs in the local Tamil language, read from religious texts and share their personal faith stories.

“This isn’t just a church for us,” said Akshaya Shajagan, a Muslim transgender woman who lives in the neighborhood. “It’s a safe space where we share our joys, sorrows and pain.”

Also in 2015, Ignatius met Joseph, a Catholic priest who was assigned to lead the Catholic church in her neighborhood.

“I had all these stereotypes about transgender people,” Joseph said. “But Inba started sowing seeds of love in my heart from the day I met her.”

A priest with a “subaltern consciousness,” he said, Joseph felt a strong urge to minister to those on the fringes of society — a path he thought would bring him closer to his spiritual purpose. He wanted his work to touch more lives and spark collective commitment.

Around 23 million Catholics live in India, according to the Vatican, making up roughly 1.6% of the population. Catholicism is the largest Christian denomination in India.

As his church was renovated from a tin shed covered by thin asbestos sheets into a sparkling white edifice, Joseph began pivoting his focus to transgender people. And in 2016, he began inviting transgender women to lead Scripture readings on Sundays. During retreats with children and youth groups, they were asked to impart lessons on gender diversity.

On Maundy Thursday in 2022, a Holy Week feast that commemorates the Last Supper of Jesus with his Apostles, the priest initiated a new ritual: He washed the feet of seven transgender women to emphasize his care and love for them.

Their work got another boost when Ignatius and a few of her friends met with Antonysamy at St. Thomas Cathedral Basilica in Chennai two years ago. “Father Joseph opened the doors of the Catholic Church to us,” Ignatius said. “Starting with the archbishop, we started getting to know other priests, nuns and religious leaders.”

Inba Ignatius attends a service at the trans chapel she helped start for members of the community in the suburbs of Chennai, India, June 12, 2026. (Photo by Priyadarshini Sen)

Joseph said his inspiration for helping create better inclusion for trans people was Pope Francis. During World Youth Day in Lisbon 2023, the pope asserted the Catholic Church was a place for everyone by repeating the phrase “todos, todos, todos” (everyone). In October 2024, Antonysamy attended the last major Vatican synod gathering of bishops with Pope Francis.

“Pope Francis was a big catalyst for our work,” said Antonysamy, who stood by Joseph as he made plans for holistic care and social integration of trans people. “Most important is to eradicate social stigmas, and we’ll deal with pushbacks as they come.”

The long-term plan, the archbishop said, is to involve more parish priests, bishops and religious congregations in uplifting the transgender community and to elevate the pastoral desk to a functioning commission. But for now, its strategy revolves around economic empowerment and building inclusive faith communities that provide care, acceptance and support.

“Despite pushbacks from some Orthodox people,” Joseph said, “my work has helped in my own formation as a person and has doubled my commitment to those on the peripheries.”

This story was produced with funding from the Templeton Religion Trust.

Thursday, August 20, 2026

How people consume cannabis may signal risk for heavy use and addiction

NYU Langone Health / NYU Grossman School of Medicine

Nearly half of adults in the United States who use cannabis mainly smoke it, but about 1 in 7 use it in nearly every form available, a behavior tied to daily cannabis use and increased addiction risk, a new study shows.

Cannabis can be consumed through smoking, vaping, eating, or dabbing, a practice in which people heat cannabis concentrates and inhale the vapor. According to recent national survey data, about 43.8 million people in the US ages 12 and older (more than 15 percent) had used cannabis in the past 30 days.

Led by NYU Langone Health researchers, the study showed that 48 percent mainly smoked, 21 percent both smoked and vaped, 17 percent mainly used edibles, and 14 percent, the “polymodal group,” used cannabis in nearly every form.

Published online August 8 in the journal Addictive Behaviors, the work showed that about half of the polymodal group used cannabis every day. By comparison, 28 percent of those who mostly smoked, 31 percent of those who smoked and vaped, and about 13 percent of those who mostly ate edibles used cannabis every day. Cannabis use disorder, the clinical term for related addiction, followed the same pattern, affecting about 67 percent of polymodal users versus 36 percent of those who primarily smoked, 47 percent of those who smoked and vaped, and 15 percent of those who mainly consumed edibles.

“Our findings suggest that using cannabis in multiple forms may be a red flag for heavier use and symptoms of addiction,” said study lead author Omar El-Shahawy, MD, PhD, MPH, an assistant professor in the Department of Population Health at NYU Grossman School of Medicine. “Asking patients not only whether but how they use cannabis could help clinicians identify when a fuller assessment may be warranted.”

In the first national study to examine how these methods naturally cluster, the researchers analyzed data from 17,732 adults who reported using cannabis in the past month on the 2022–2023 National Survey on Drug Use and Health. The authors used a statistical approach that grouped participants based on their reported patterns.

The results also revealed that types of cannabis users varied demographically. Nearly 1 in 3 people in the smoking-and-vaping and polymodal groups were young adults ages 18 to 25, compared with about 1 in 6 of those who mainly smoked. More than half of the edibles group were women, and edibles were especially prevalent among college graduates. Since the researchers did not examine why participants chose particular methods of cannabis use, the reason behind these patterns remains uncertain, said Dr. El-Shahawy.

Another key finding was that people who smoked cannabis were more likely to also smoke cigarettes, compared with those who mainly vaped or used edibles. Both cigarette and cannabis smoke involve combustion (burning), which can be hard on the lungs, so doing both may add to their overall health risks.

“The strong tie between smoking cannabis and smoking cigarettes is of concern because this subset of people are breathing in a wider range of chemicals via combustion, and their lungs are at risk,” said senior author Joseph J. Palamar, PhD, MPH, a professor in the Department of Population Health at NYU Grossman School of Medicine.

“Public health messages about cannabis still focus mostly on smoking, but people now use the drug in many different ways,” said Dr. El-Shahawy. “For younger adults, that means talking about the risks of vaping and combining multiple forms, while for people who prefer edibles, the message is to ‘start low and go slow’ because the effects take time to kick in.”

According to Dr. El-Shahawy, the team next plans to examine why people choose one method over another—for example, whether those who favor edibles are using cannabis for pain or sleep.

The researchers cautioned that the findings rely on the participants’ self-reports of their cannabis use and that some use may have been underreported. In addition, the study could not establish cause and effect.

Funding for the study was provided by the National Institutes of Health grant R01DA055675.

In addition to Drs. El-Shahawy and Palamar, NYU Langone researchers involved in the study were Mohsen Abbasi-Kangevari, MD, MPH; Michelle He; and Xiaoying Zheng. Another study co-investigator was Neal Doran, PhD, at the University of California, San Diego.

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About NYU Langone Health
NYU Langone Health is a fully integrated health system that consistently achieves the best patient outcomes through a rigorous focus on quality that has resulted in some of the lowest mortality rates in the nation. Vizient Inc. has ranked NYU Langone No. 1 out of 118 comprehensive academic medical centers across the nation four years in a row, and it continues to have the most No. 1– and top 10–ranked specialties among medical centers in the United States, according to U.S. News & World Report. NYU Langone offers a comprehensive range of medical services with one high standard of care across seven inpatient locations, its Perlmutter Cancer Center, and more than 330 outpatient locations in the New York City area and Florida. The system also includes two tuition-free medical schools, in Manhattan and on Long Island, and a vast research enterprise