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Digesting things further: High dietary salt intakes are almost certainly problematic

Friday, November 14th, 2014 | Kate Sloane | 3 Comments

Associate Professor Nick Wilson, Professor Tony Blakely, Dr Cristina Cleghorn, Dr Nisha Nair

Too much saltWe recently did a blog post on dietary salt and health, particularly with regard to a new large prospective study (the PURE Study). This facilitated useful feedback from others, along with input from colleagues in a journal club we ran. Based on these discussions, we now have stronger concerns about remaining reverse causation in the PURE Study (and persisting concerns regarding other aspects). Here we update some of our thinking and conclude that the totality of the available evidence is sufficient for health authorities to continue taking a range of evidence-based actions to reduce the hazard of high salt intakes. Again however we invite critical comment on our assessment and suggestions on where to from here.

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

Monday, November 10th, 2014 | Kate Sloane | 1 Comment

Professor Janet Hoek and Emeritus Professor Philip Gendall

Given plain packaging of tobacco products will likely increase the tension many smokers experience, simple measures that enhance smokers’ access to cessation support, and affirm their decision to try and quit, could increase the number and success of quit attempts. This blog post details a just published study on this topic. It also suggests that New Zealand policy makers should ensure plain packaging regulations improve the current presentation of Quitline information and provide smokers with support to manage the dissonance plain packaging is likely to elicit.

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Does healthy food really cost more?

Thursday, November 6th, 2014 | Kate Sloane | 1 Comment

Sally Mackay (Researcher and PhD Candidate, Auckland University)

Blog on food pricesThere is a perception that healthy food costs more – but does it really? It all depends on how you measure the cost. This blog post looks at some of the different metrics and suggests that we need to consider several of them to get a better understanding of this important issue.

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Mounting Complexities in the Dietary Salt & Health Relationship

Tuesday, October 28th, 2014 | Kate Sloane | 9 Comments

Associate Professor Nick Wilson, Professor Tony Blakely, Dr Cristina Cleghorn

salt picA large prospective study on dietary salt and health has recently been reported in the New England Journal of Medicine. While reinforcing extensive past work that a (very) high intake of salt is hazardous to health – an increased hazard was also found for low intakes of salt (i.e., a “J-shaped” or “U-shaped” relationship). This blog post considers this new study in more detail and suggests that we need a high-level international review to clarify the research and policy agenda from here. Our interpretation should be treated as preliminary on what may be an important study; therefore, we welcome and encourage comments on this blog post.  [SEE MULTIPLE COMMENTS ON THIS BLOG BELOW.  AND IN PARTICULAR SEE SUBSEQUENT BLOG WHERE WE UPDATE ANALYSIS BELOW BASED ON DISCUSSIONS WITH COLLEAGUES – IMPORTANT.]

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Being Bolder – Public Health Endgames for NZ

Monday, October 20th, 2014 | Kate Sloane | 4 Comments

Associate Professor Nick Wilson, Frederieke S. van der Deen

Southern saltmarsh mosquito: A disease vector successfully eliminated from NZ

Southern saltmarsh mosquito: A disease vector successfully eliminated from NZ

At the Public Health Congress in Auckland last week, one of us presented on potential public health endgames – partly to inform thinking around the tobacco endgame in New Zealand (the Smokefree Nation Goal for 2025). This blog post provides a brief historical perspective and international perspective on public health-related endgames. It also considers what additional endgames this country could be bolder about tackling.  

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