title: Somatic morbidity and criminality: the Northern Finland 1966 Birth Cohort Study.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  The aim of this study was to investigate the association between adverse physical disorders and violent/non-violent criminal behaviour.
  
  
  METHODS
  The study material consisted of the large, prospectively followed, unselected and genetically homogeneous Northern Finland 1966 Birth Cohort, the Finnish Hospital Discharge Registers and the National Crime Register (n=10934).
  
  
  RESULTS
  The results of the logistic regression analyses showed that male offenders had statistically significantly more injuries (adj. OR=1.81, 95% CI=1.51-2.17), when compared with males without a criminal history. Violent male offenders exhibited greater morbidity to the diseases of the respiratory system (adj. OR=1.64, 95% CI=1.03-2.60) when compared with non-violent criminals. Female offenders suffered more commonly from poisonings (adj. OR=3.84, 95% CI=1.69-8.72), injuries (adj. OR=2.79, 95% CI=1.67-4.66), infections (adj. OR=1.87, 95% CI=1.16-2.99) and indefinite symptoms (adj. OR=2.02, 95% CI=1.20-3.40) than non-offending females.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  At epidemiological level, criminal behaviour seems to be associated especially with an increased risk of injuries for both sexes. The observed increase of the diseases of the respiratory system among violent but not among non-violent males calls for further investigations.
authors.affiliation: Department of Psychiatry, University of Oulu, Box 5000, FIN-90014, Oulu Finland. markku.timonen@oulu.fi
authors.forename: Markku
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Timonen
authors.forename: Taru
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: Mäkikyrö
authors.forename: Jouko
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Miettunen
authors.forename: Helinä
authors.initials: H
authors.lastname: Hakko
authors.forename: Paavo
authors.initials: P
authors.lastname: Zitting
authors.forename: Juha
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Kinnunen
authors.forename: Pirkko
authors.initials: P
authors.lastname: Räsänen
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D015331:Cohort Studies; D015897:Comorbidity; D003415:Crime / Q000706:statistics & numerical data*; D005260:Female; D005387:Finland / Q000453:epidemiology; D005554:Forensic Medicine; D006801:Humans; D016015:Logistic Models; D008297:Male; D009017:Morbidity; D011446:Prospective Studies; D012042:Registries; D012044:Regression Analysis; D012737:Sex Factors; D014754:Violence / Q000706:statistics & numerical data*