635 Results

  • What we would like to see on the Ministry of Health’s website to better inform progress on COVID-19 elimination

    … data from the Ministry of Health’s COVID-19 website and display a key graph that we think should be routinely on … NZ, belong to one of two broad groups: infected overseas or infected within NZ. The Ministry of Health (MoH) provides … status         Cases linked to imported infections 1 Aircrew or airport staff, ship crews or seaport staff …
    Briefing

  • Public health and Budget 2024

    … 2024 emphasises tax cuts, funded by spending reductions and increased borrowing, amid a recession. This situation … results within timeframes for which they can take credit. 1 This has led to health being predominantly the domain of … course is that $173,000 is not currently available today (or in a programme over say a decade) to avoid future costs. …
    Briefing

  • Junk food and sugar-sweetened beverage taxes: Likely to produce numerous benefits in NZ

    … Poor diet is a major risk factor for excess weight gain and obesity-related diseases, including cardiovascular … is an important driver of the global obesity epidemic.[1-4] Moreover, both poor diet and obesity are major risk … of jurisdictions have also implemented taxes on junk food or other products. For example, in addition to an excise tax …
    Briefing

  • Avoidable hospitalisations: Helping our health system get through COVID-19

    … are sick – including many urgently hospitalised. 1 Better resilience for our health system in the face of … injuries that currently take a toll on hospital and health resources. These include those caused by alcohol, … Increased alcohol prices, reduced sales hours, and reduced or banned advertising of alcohol would make significant and …
    Briefing

  • Reducing tobacco retail availability: how could this be achieved and what evidence supports the NZ Government’s proposals?

    … key aspects of the plan to help inform the debate and submissions. Here we examine the proposals to reduce the … retailers is associated with higher odds of youth smoking [1, 2], increased smoking among established smokers [3], and … a large reduction in tobacco retailers (by 90 or 95%) is required to drive up the ‘full cost’ of tobacco …
    Briefing

  • Cycling and walking in six NZ cities: Where are we at?

    …   Figure 1 On-road cycle lane Wellington. Photo credit: Jenny Ombler Active transport is important for health and sustainability. But no one has previously looked … in NZ. The number of city council staff working on cycling or walking issues ranges from 1.5 FTE/100,000 people …
    Briefing

  • Improving NZ Government communication about COVID-19: Five suggestions

    … NZ has done very well with its COVID-19 pandemic response and it is typically ranked in the top few performing countries. 1 2 NZ’s economic indicators, such as GDP impacts, also … have been involved in joint “War Cabinets” or similar bodies during World War Two in NZ, Australia and …
    Briefing

  • “Nudging” to improve QR scanning and mask wearing to protect us all during a pandemic

    … COVID-19 elimination strategy is the rapid identification and then management of any COVID-19 cases arising from border … in settings where scanning will likely remain voluntary. 1 Furthermore, although mask-wearing on public transport is … protect themselves and others by doing the “right thing”, or that provides new information about why these behaviours …
    Briefing

  • When the first barrier fails: Strengthening protection for drinking water sources

    … water is a foundation of public health. The first, and most significant, barrier against drinking water … barrier against drinking water contamination and illness”. 1  The case of the Waimate breach exposes weaknesses in … the risk of colorectal cancer and exposure to nitrites and/or nitrates, whether they are ingested via the consumption of …
    Briefing

  • The long shadow of Cyclone Gabrielle: Brief review at 12 months

    … A year ago Cyclone Gabrielle struck Aotearoa New Zealand and it became the most costly weather-related disaster in the … regions of the North Island. The cyclone killed 11 people, 1 displaced more than 10,500 , and caused a range of acute … followed by stress (24%), and feeling depressed, low, or down (16%).” As a result, an “overall mental wellbeing …
    Briefing

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Public Health Expert Briefing (ISSN 2816-1203)