The Briefing

This blog looks at a new study we just published that found that New Zealanders who walk or cycle to their main activity each day have a 76% higher chance of achieving the Ministry of Health physical activity guidelines than those who drive cars.

Our just published modelling study on a home safety and modification programme to prevent falls in older people suggests this intervention could produce considerable health gain and be cost-effective

The “Achieving Smokefree Aotearoa by 2025” Action Plan sets out an evidence-based, logical approach to ensure the Smokefree 2025 goal is achieved for all peoples in Aotearoa, including Māori.

The health organisation OraTaiao convened a group of experts to analyse the climate change policies of NZ political party policies. This blog takes a supplementary approach, looking at actual climate related actions taken in the last Parliamentary term (since late 2014).

Commemorative statues have been getting a lot of bad press lately but some have their merits such the statue of Dr Margaret Cruickshank who died caring for patients during the 1918 influenza pandemic.

A new Action Plan for Aotearoa NZ was launched on 2 August. This blog describes the plan’s key features and the rationale for the proposed measures.

In this fourth blog that features the Burden of Disease Epidemiology, Equity and Cost-Effectiveness Programme (BODE³) Interactive League Table, we look at substantive findings across the interventions (so far) in the league table. 

Last week we introduced the concept of league tables to compare interventions. This week we provide a brief ‘user guide’ for our just launched Burden of Disease Epidemiology, Equity and Cost-Effectiveness Programme (BODE³) Interactive League Table. 

In this blog we also compare the New Zealand Quitline intervention with other tobacco interventions using our just launched BODE3 Interactive League Table. We find that whilst the Quitline is a good thing to do, much more health gain is possible through other tobacco control interventions.

Last year the New Zealand Environmental Protection Authority (EPA) chose not to accept the assessment of the International Agency for Research on Cancer (IARC) that the herbicide glyphosate (the active ingredient in “Roundup”) was a “probable carcinogen”. The story just got more muddled.