662 Results

  • SARS-CoV-2: A modern Greek Tragedy?

    … Despite a  WHO-led investigation , compelling evidence on the origin … of parsimony to infer the correct explanation, or we can use a principle based on prior knowledge of conditions … the Bulletin of the Atomic Scientists  argues ‘Yes’. You can read the full article by clicking the link, but here are …
    Briefing

  • And now the Brits are doing it: A sugary drink tax levy on the industry

    … From 1 April 2018, the UK is putting in place a type of sugary drinks tax – actually a “soft drinks … than it is for any food. Second, sugary drink taxes can be configured in many ways – let’s jump across the ditch … consistently   Encourages product reformulation Consumers can shift to less sugary SSBs Potentially more complex than a …
    Briefing

  • Why do so many fear the bicycle?

    … This is the reason given most commonly for not riding a bike on the road in New Zealand. In this blog, I summarise a paper we have just published quantifying the risk of … New Zealanders commonly engage in. For example, riding a bike to a rugby game is roughly 500 times safer than …
    Briefing

  • How to best describe NZ’s border control problems around COVID-19 with a possible typology

    … Particular words and phrases can frame how issues are considered and the extent to which they imply the need for a corrective response to improve system design or delivery. … detailed elsewhere 4 ). The inclusion of the word “system” can help ensure focus on the design and implementation of the …
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  • Capitalising on NZ’s linked data by increasing IT and researcher capacity: Opportunity is knocking

    … A key strategic advantage for NZ and research is our national routinely-collected datasets.  This can generate new knowledge in academia, service delivery and … researchers, and a collaborative environment, strengths we can build on. Consider the health data.  All mortality and …
    Briefing

  • Why NZ should consider adopting “mass masking” as an additional step to speed elimination of the Covid-19 pandemic

    … public mask use is common in some Asian countries as a control measure in the current Covid-19 pandemic. There is … elimination goal. There is no doubt that surgical masks can be used to reduce the spread of respiratory … recent evidence, the following conclusions on SARS-CoV-2 can be drawn: The primary route of transmission of SARS-CoV-2 …
    Briefing

  • Reducing nicotine in smoked tobacco products: A pivotal feature of the Smokefree Aotearoa proposals

    … The NZ Government has published a discussion document outlining an Action Plan for the … cigarettes smoked nor more intensive and frequent puffing can provide an effective dose of nicotine because the levels … and growing evidence base supporting this approach, and NZ can potentially draw on ongoing developments with …
    Briefing

  • Long COVID: Century-old Lessons We Still Have Not Learned

    … long COVID – now informed by some very large studies and a meta-analysis. The two most concerning aspects of long … Here, we just focus on a few of the largest studies so we can understand the depth and breadth of the impact of long … these findings are based on very large numbers and show a dose-response relationship between number of …
    Briefing

  • Health-related food taxes and subsidies: A critique of opposition arguments

    … Health-related food taxes and subsidies are a hot topic internationally. Emerging research suggests they … deaths in New Zealand. Nutrition survey data (12) clearly show that New Zealanders are consuming too many (or at least … food industry is an important part of the solution and can address health concerns through voluntary measures”. The …
    Briefing

  • Might a ‘Coasean’ social contract mitigate overall societal harm from COVID-19?

    … In this blog, we outline how a win-win social contract could be forged to address the … ‘Coasean’ in recognising that social costs (externality) can be reciprocal – an idea developed by Ronald Coase, a … for behavioural reasons, they are also more tuneable. It can be difficult, for example, to communicate clearly to the …
    Briefing

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Public Health Expert Briefing (ISSN 2816-1203)