Kristiina Ojala completed her doctoral degree in 2011 in the field of youth health promotion. Since then, she has been working as a senior lecturer at the Faculty of Sport and Health Sciences in the Ä¢¹½Ö±²¥, Finland, and as a researcher in the Research Center for Health Promotion located at the same university.
Ojala teaches several courses in health education on different levels (basic, subject, and in-depth studies) and supervises teacher and master's degree students. She also gives lectures on health promotion and social determinants of health, as well as on the cultural factors associated with health.
Ojala has 20 years of research experience in an international survey of Health Behaviour in School-aged Children (HBSC study) carried out in cooperation with WHO. A survey that has been going on for 40 years examines young people's health, well-being and health habits in their everyday environment.
Ojala's main research topics include children's and young people's perceptions of their own health and appearance, the mental well-being and health behaviour, especially those of food and exercise habits, and the associations between the above mentioned. In addition to HBSC research cooperation, she has participated in several national research projects on the health and well-being of young people, and in the development of teacher training in health education.
The survey aims to increase understanding into the health and well-being of young people. Researchers, teachers and stakeholders use the cross-national data to monitor young people's health, understand the social determinants of health, and determine needs for health promotion.
