I am a Professor of Health Sociology at Tampere University, specializing in health, nutrition, special diets, weight management, and food-related behaviors. I am affiliated with the TED Health Promotion Research Group, where I conduct research on these topics and teach in both master’s and doctoral programs.
Topics of my research
Throughout my research career, I have explored how modern and late-modern dynamics – such as individualism, consumerism, technologization, and the evolving authority of medical profession – shape the relationships between citizens, healthcare clients, professionals, alternative care advocates, food and health activists, and the media. My sociological approach to health and medicine emphasizes the broader societal and historical contexts in which public health phenomena emerge and evolve. I am fascinated by how lifestyles and food choices are shaped, debated, and influenced by the ethos of duty and responsibility, as well as the ethos of pleasure and self-actualization. In this context, individuals are continually drawn to explore new ways to enhance their health and bodies, and to tune their diets into healthier and more pleasurable. Currently, this landscape is undergoing significant transitions in which new weight loss medications play a significant role.