What could we do, and what should we not do, to improve public health? This Blog has postings from public health experts on issues such as efficiency, equity, interventions, politics, cost effectiveness and much more.
Thursday, September 12th, 2013 | | 5 Comments
Professor Tony Blakely
Everyone knows that lower socioeconomic groups are more likely to smoke. But why? Is it because of things like less education or more deprivation actually causing you to smoke? Or is it other correlated things like personality? The answer to these questions matter, both for tobacco control policy and political debate. Moreover, not all is as you might expect, and it differs for deprivation and income. Continue reading
Monday, September 9th, 2013 | | 9 Comments
Professor Tony Blakely
A New Zealand randomized trial of e-cigarettes just published in the prestigious Lancet journal has been touted in the media as showing how good e-cigarettes are for people wanting to quit smoking. This is overstating the study findings. And to be fair to the authors, overstating their conclusions too.
So what did the study find? No statistically significant difference in abstinence at 6 months.
Friday, September 6th, 2013 | gibju57p | No Comments
Professor Janet Hoek, University of Otago
It is now time to reduce the number and density of retail outlets selling tobacco. Retail supply restrictions are both a logical component of policies that will achieve a tobacco-free New Zealand by 2025, and what the majority of consumers want. Continue reading
Wednesday, September 4th, 2013 | Nick Wilson | No Comments
Assoc Prof Nick Wilson.
It’s official, this was the warmest winter ever recorded for New Zealand according to NIWA scientists. They also list 29 cities, towns and other sites around the country which had the highest average winter temperatures ever documented – some with records going back to the 1860s (full report). This is good news in lots of ways. Warmer winters mean more comfort, more time outdoors, lower electricity bills, less air pollution from domestic fires, and perhaps even fewer excess winter deaths (a documented problem in this country, especially for low-income New Zealanders).
Monday, September 2nd, 2013 | | 2 Comments
Dedicated cancer care coordinators – a clinical nurse specialist charged with navigating patients through their care – appears t
o be cost effective, at least for stage III colon cancer.
The Government’s 2012 Budget included $33 million for “better and faster” services for cancer patients, of which $16 million dollars was for care coordination nurses. This all seems sensible, in that the immediate and net cost of cancer care coordinators may be negligible – putting in place coordinators frees up other staff to do other things as we show in a publication last week in the NZ Medical Journal. Continue reading