667 Results

  • In May 2022 the COVID-19 Public Health Response Act 2020 expires: what then?

    … Covid policy. A new Bill will require public submissions and thorough consideration by a parliamentary select … legal response to the then unfolding Covid pandemic [1]. The Covid Act now provides the principal means for making … inquiry, and none were made. But now a new Act is needed, or will be soon. The Government has no option but to reflect …
    Briefing

  • Media release: What can we do to reduce the number of babies dying before, during or soon after birth?

    … There were more than 700 fetal and neonatal deaths in 2021, that’s a rate of 11.2 per 1000 births according to the Perinatal and Maternal Mortality Review Committee’s (PMMRC) 16th Annual … suspected. Also, preparation for preterm birth if expected or required.  Dr Elder says this is made so much easier when …
    News

  • Budget 2023 goes a long way to improving housing and wellbeing

    … Budget, announced this week, have implications for housing and public health. This includes new public housing, extending the Warmer Kiwi Homes Programme, and investment in infrastructure. This Briefing article … while most other countries’ populations are stagnant or declining. It is of concern then that the percentage of …
    Briefing

  • Should you swap sugar for artificial sweetener? Maybe not if you’re a mouse, but what if you’re a human?

    … hiding under a rock lately, you’ll be aware that sugar and its negative impact on dental caries, body weight, and … mice and compared them with mice that were fed only water or water supplemented with either glucose or sucrose (sugar). … significant reduction in body weight (-0.80 kg; 95% CI -1.17 to -0.43), BMI (-0.24 kgm 2 ; 95% CI -0.41 to -0.07), …
    Briefing

  • A Statue of Merit: Dr Margaret Cruickshank and the 1918 influenza pandemic

    … Some statues are getting bad press at present – and rightly so for the confederate military statues which … in the USA and internationally. Some have been pulled down or officially removed following the uproar over the General … the colonial Premier’s role in alienating Māori land [1]. There is also current day dispute about a memorial in …
    Briefing

  • The Brits are doing it: likely health benefits from a levy on soft drinks

    … is likely to benefit health (reduced obesity, diabetes and dental caries) – when considering a range of different … into a tax to the consumer who may then choose to buy less or buy cheaper lower-sugar products) Reformulate their … in obesity rates (95% uncertainty interval 0.03% to 1.9%) across all ages, but an approximately 10% reduction in …
    Briefing

  • Market deregulation → ↑ fast food consumption → ↑ obesity. Clever international study that includes NZ data

    … year is associated with increases in BMI by 0.33 units (or 1 kg for an average height person).  Of note, the increase … the rest of this blog I will address the study strengths and limitations a bit more.  But if you are not interested in …
    Briefing

  • Is NZ a laggard in responding to climate change?: Results of a Global Index

    … has just been released by Climate Action Network Europe and Germanwatch. Basically, the index uses set criteria to … from token (see past brief reviews on the NZ response – (1) (2) ). Indeed, this year the Government announced an … ethics of climate change . So, to stay a “climate laggard” or become a more responsible “climate leader”? This seems a …
    Briefing

  • New Zealand E-cigarette trial in Lancet – keeping it in perspective

    … to quit smoking.  This is overstating the study findings. And to be fair to the authors, overstating their conclusions … randomised to e-cigarettes were abstinent at six months, or 7.3%.  This compares to 17 out of 295 people randomised to … patches, or 5.8%.  The difference in percentage points was 1.51%, with a 95% confidence interval of -2.49% (yes, …
    Briefing

  • The case for lowering salt levels in processed foods is now even stronger – new research

    … studies which suggested that both low sodium (salt) intake and high sodium intake were associated with higher risk of … death, based on various methods to assess sodium intake [1]. The findings suggest “that inaccurate measurement of … used in other studies  (ie, just one 24-hour urine, or spot test estimates using the Kawasaki formula), allowing …
    Briefing

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Public Health Expert Briefing (ISSN 2816-1203)