662 Results

  • Making the most of masks

    … Masks and vaccination have a central role in minimising the health and economic impact … remains imperative. One of the most effective ways we can quickly accomplish a safe move down Alert Levels is … studies from the 1930s [18]. Technological advances show that simply breathing, talking, laughing, sneezing, …
    Briefing

  • Preparing for Omicron: A proactive Government response is urgently needed to minimise harms

    … Aotearoa New Zealand (NZ) could improve preparations for a likely national outbreak of the Omicron variant of … of Australia probably provides the best example of what NZ can expect to see, given that its population immunity has … illness (eg, temporarily lowering traffic speed limits and blood alcohol limits; re-energising our current childhood …
    Briefing

  • Nationwide Colorectal Screening in New Zealand: a tricky balance of improving overall population health and addressing inequalities

    … In this blog we will discuss a paper recently published in Cancer Epidemiology Biomarkers … offering free CRC screening (with the faecal occult blood test every two years) for those aged 60-74 years of … such as Australia, England [3-5, 8]. What health gains can we expect from a national CRC screening programme? In our …
    Briefing

  • Would a sugary fizzy drink tax reduce health inequalities? Probably Yes

    … A possible tax on sweetened sugary beverages (SSBs, and in … prices and demand, epidemiological predictions, and then a recent Australian study on the topic. The bottom line is that such a tax would probably be good for health of all groups in NZ, …
    Briefing

  • A new online calculator for estimating how much a society might spend on life-saving interventions

    … NZ$ 1.2 million for an intervention to save the life of a child, NZ$ 0.7 million for a 50-year-old, and NZ$ 0.2 … conducting new cost-effectiveness analyses. Such analyses can also take many months and cost tens of thousands of … (outlined in an online user guide). What do the results show for NZ? The EMIC to save a life (where the person then …
    Briefing

  • What the Pacific & Mexico can tell us about soft drink taxes and public health

    … many ways that taxes on sugar-sweetened beverages (SSBs) can be designed and implemented. These aspects can affect the … impact on SSB consumption and health. This blog looks at a policy discussion document from the Pacific and explores … some of the reasons SSB tax outcomes from Mexico appear to show positive reductions in SSB consumption. SSBs are defined …
    Briefing

  • Strong public support for healthy food policies in Aotearoa

    … like cancer, heart disease, and diabetes, affecting a growing number of people who struggle to afford nutritious … to improve the food environment in Aotearoa. The results show 84% of New Zealanders support government action to … influences health. Overall public awareness of how diet can influence cancer risk was low among those surveyed. For …
    Briefing

  • When can COVID-19 be Declared Eliminated from NZ? New Modelling Study

    … This blog details a recent modelling study we conducted. In it we estimated … its website so that the public, the media and researchers can monitor progress towards achieving the goal. NZ is a rare … (as Trinidad and Tobago have just declared). Once NZ can declare itself having achieved SARS-CoV-2 elimination …
    Briefing

  • The COVID-19 house fire and the unbearable silence of fire alarms

    … of the World Health Organization (WHO) to declare a Public Health Emergency of International Concern (PHEIC) in … concern. The world saw in 2003 how SARS coronaviruses can behave. Surely there was a strong argument for convening … activate at a low threshold and early enough that the fire can still be extinguished. The alarm must be piercing enough …
    Briefing

  • Highlights of the World Conference on Tobacco or Health

    … to Smokefree 2025 in New Zealand. In summary, New Zealand can still learn a lot from other countries as we move to the adoption of a … the regressivity effect remains strong for smokers who can’t or don’t want to stop or cut down. Plain packs were a …
    Briefing

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Public Health Expert Briefing (ISSN 2816-1203)