735 Results

  • Kiwi public health doc reporting back from Victoria (Australia): “Do quarantine well!”

    … A bit like a letter home. I have now been full-time at the University of Melbourne since 2019. Before that, I was 20 … But it has resulted in me becoming a ‘go to’ commentator for the media, given I have an outside perspective. So what … the chase for NZ, when you have eliminated the virus the only way in for the virus is leakage out of quarantine. So …
    Briefing

  • Bowel cancer screening – An interesting new US study and thoughts about the NZ situation

    … published in a top US journal (JAMA). We discuss the cost-effectiveness of such screening and consider the current NZ context for bowel cancer screening.   The US health system is … and early cancer as mentioned above; and the fact that you only need screening once every 10 years, or even just once in …
    Briefing

  • The smokefree policies of political parties: Do they care about people who smoke?

    … many harmful health effects, including severe effects from the virus. Policies that support people who smoke to be … The organisational foundations and determinants for a smokefree society Smokefree work is more likely to … the political parties. Of the seven parties, we found only two that indicated support to improve the underlying …
    Briefing

  • The humility of being second to Australia in cancer mortality

    … There is nothing like being second to Australia to galvanize angst and consternation … Today Alafeishat and colleagues have published a paper in the NZ Medical Journal showing that New Zealand has higher … Australia that cannot be explained by higher incidence for most sites. This suggests that there are differences in …
    Briefing

  • Optimising the effects of plain packaging for tobacco – making Quitline information more salient

    … plain packaging of tobacco products will likely increase the tension many smokers experience, simple measures that … The Health Select Committee has proposed four objectives for the Act, namely to: Discourage smoking uptake and use of … featuring a standard and unattractive colour, embellished only by large and off-putting pictorial health warnings, are …
    Briefing

  • That old chestnut again – does any alcohol consumption reduce cardiovascular disease risk? More evidence for “no”.

    … alcohol consumption – a study design with much potential for identifying causal (as opposed to confounded) … inherit the variant in the alcohol dehydrogenase gene that makes you less likely to drink alcohol. This is because the … randomisation study. First, the genetic variant not only affects alcohol consumption, but also the metabolites of …
    Briefing

  • Increasing speed limits defies the science - more deaths and pollution expected

    … Summary The government is proposing to increase speed limits. Raising … across many of our cities, and expressed strong support for continuing this policy . The New Zealand Transport Agency … in significantly lower emissions than 50km/h whilst having only a ‘small effect on total journey times’. 7   Traffic …
    Briefing

  • Alcohol-related harms now available on demand

    … Summary Alcohol is one of the major causes of health loss in Aotearoa NZ. It is now … hours from ordering. This Briefing summarises the evidence for potential harm that this easy access may contribute to. … they mapped 130 services with 37% offering alcohol. Only 60% of services with restricted items (alcohol, …
    Briefing

  • Care coordination for cancer cost-effective

    … their care – appears to be cost effective, at least for stage III colon cancer . The Government’s 2012 Budget included $33 million for “better … will change how patients are treated, and therefore not only change patient outcomes but also change ‘downstream …
    Briefing

  • A pandemic that won’t go away – as Covid enters its 5th year, NZ needs a realistic strategy

    … refers to Covid-19 as a  continuing pandemic . As Scientific American put it recently, it “has been the elephant in every … changing dynamic. The virus has demonstrated an ability for large, unpredictable evolutionary shifts that …
    Briefing

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Public Health Expert Briefing (ISSN 2816-1203)