Dr Nick Bowden

Contact Details
- Phone
- +64 27 201 1151
- nick.bowden@otago.ac.nz
University Links
- Position
- Research Fellow
- Department
- Department of Women's and Children's Health (Dunedin)
- Qualifications
- PhD (Otago)
- Research summary
- Quantitative social scientist
- Memberships
Research
I am a quantitative social scientist specialising in using linked whole-of-population data.
Currently I lead three separate projects. The first examines health and non-health outcomes for autistic children and young people and their parents to better understand the impacts of autism. The aim is to establish a nationwide early screening programme to facilitate more timely diagnoses, and an early support programme for autistic children and their whānau.
The second project explores associations between the physical environment that young people grow up in and subsequent mental health outcomes. The third project examines educational outcomes for young people with type 1 diabetes.
More generally, my research explores the intersection between health and non-health outcomes using population level data and I’m involved in a number of ongoing projects in this space.
Publications
Hetrick, S. E., Hobbs, M., Fortune, S., Marek, L., Wiki, J., Boden, J. M., Theodore, R., Ruhe, T., Kokaua, J. J., … Bowden, N. (2023). Proximity of alcohol outlets and presentation to hospital by young people after self-harm: A retrospective geospatial study using the integrated data infrastructure. Australian & New Zealand Journal of Psychiatry. Advance online publication. doi: 10.1177/00048674231203909
Bowden, N., Dixon, R., Anderson, V., de Bock, M., Boucsein, A., Kewene-Edwards, M., Gibb, S., Kokaua, J., Palmer, O., Paul, R., Taylor, B., Vu, H., & Wheeler, B. J. (2023). Associations between type 1 diabetes and educational outcomes: An Aotearoa/New Zealand nationwide birth cohort study using the Integrated Data Infrastructure. Diabetologia. Advance online publication. doi: 10.1007/s00125-023-06026-y
Gorman, E., Bowden, N., Kokaua, J., McNeill, B., & Schluter, P. J. (2023). A national multiple baseline cohort study of mental health conditions in early adolescence and subsequent educational outcomes in New Zealand. Scientific Reports, 13, 11025. doi: 10.1038/s41598-023-38131-8
Anns, F., D'Souza, S., MacCormick, C., Mirfin-Veitch, B., Clasby, B., Hughes, N., … Bowden, N. (2023). Risk of criminal justice system interactions in young adults with Attention-Deficit/Hyperactivity Disorder: Findings from a national birth cohort. Journal of Attention Disorders, 27(12), 1332-1342. doi: 10.1177/10870547231177469
McLay, L., Emerson, L. M., Waddington, H., van Deurs, J., Hunter, J., Blampied, N., … Bowden, N., … Rispoli, M. (2023). Telehealth-delivered naturalistic developmental behavioural intervention with and without caregiver acceptance and commitment therapy for autistic children and their caregivers: Protocol for a multi-arm parallel group randomised clinical trial. BMJ Open, 13, e071235. doi: 10.1136/bmjopen-2022-071235
Anns, F., D'Souza, S., MacCormick, C., Mirfin-Veitch, B., Clasby, B., Hughes, N., … Bowden, N. (2023). Risk of criminal justice system interactions in young adults with Attention-Deficit/Hyperactivity Disorder: Findings from a national birth cohort. Journal of Attention Disorders, 27(12), 1332-1342. doi: 10.1177/10870547231177469
Journal - Research Article
Bowden, N., Dixon, R., Anderson, V., de Bock, M., Boucsein, A., Kewene-Edwards, M., Gibb, S., Kokaua, J., Palmer, O., Paul, R., Taylor, B., Vu, H., & Wheeler, B. J. (2023). Associations between type 1 diabetes and educational outcomes: An Aotearoa/New Zealand nationwide birth cohort study using the Integrated Data Infrastructure. Diabetologia. Advance online publication. doi: 10.1007/s00125-023-06026-y
Journal - Research Article
Gorman, E., Bowden, N., Kokaua, J., McNeill, B., & Schluter, P. J. (2023). A national multiple baseline cohort study of mental health conditions in early adolescence and subsequent educational outcomes in New Zealand. Scientific Reports, 13, 11025. doi: 10.1038/s41598-023-38131-8
Journal - Research Article
Hetrick, S. E., Hobbs, M., Fortune, S., Marek, L., Wiki, J., Boden, J. M., Theodore, R., Ruhe, T., Kokaua, J. J., … Bowden, N. (2023). Proximity of alcohol outlets and presentation to hospital by young people after self-harm: A retrospective geospatial study using the integrated data infrastructure. Australian & New Zealand Journal of Psychiatry. Advance online publication. doi: 10.1177/00048674231203909
Journal - Research Article
Hobbs, M., Bowden, N., Marek, L., Wiki, J., Kokaua, J., Theodore, R., Ruhe, T., Boden, J., … Milne, B. (2023). The environment a young person grows up in is associated with their mental health: A nationwide geospatial study using the integrated data infrastructure, New Zealand. Social Science & Medicine, 326, 115893. doi: 10.1016/j.socscimed.2023.115893
Journal - Research Article
Kokaua, J., Ruhe, T., Bowden, N., Theodore, R., Jensen, S., Jensen, W., … Richards, R. (2023). Parental education and hospitalisations among Pacific children: A cross-sectional study using linked administrative data in New Zealand’s Integrated Data Infrastructure. Journal of the Royal Society of New Zealand, 53(5), 615-630. doi: 10.1080/03036758.2022.2094967
Journal - Research Article
Lorenzoni, L., Marino, A., Or, Z., Blankart, C. R., Shatrov, K., Wodchis, W., … Bowden, N., … Papanicolas, I. (2023). Why the US spends more treating high-need high-cost patients: A comparative study of pricing and utilization of care in six high-income countries. Health Policy, 128, 55-61. doi: 10.1016/j.healthpol.2022.12.004
Journal - Research Article
Mujoo, H., Bowden, N., Thabrew, H., Kokaua, J., Audas, R., & Taylor, B. (2023). Identifying neurodevelopmental disabilities from nationalised preschool health check. Australian & New Zealand Journal of Psychiatry, 57(8), 1140-1149. doi: 10.1177/00048674231151606
Journal - Research Article
Pugh, M., Bowden, N., Kokaua, J., Dawson, P., & Duncanson, M. (2023). Health outcomes of children in state care in Aotearoa New Zealand. Journal of Paediatrics & Child Health. Advance online publication. doi: 10.1111/jpc.16409
Journal - Research Article
Ruhe, T., Broadbent, J. M., Schluter, P. J., Bowden, N., Theodore, R., Richards, R., & Kokaua, J. (2023). Parents' education and Pasifika children's oral health in Aotearoa/New Zealand: A national linked data study using Aotearoa/New Zealand's integrated data infrastructure. Community Dentistry & Oral Epidemiology, 51, 936-944. doi: 10.1111/cdoe.12791
Journal - Research Article
Thomas, C., Braund, R., Bowden, N., Hobbs, M., Kokaua, J., & Paterson, H. (2023). Disparities in utilisation of combined oral contraceptives in Aotearoa New Zealand: A cross-sectional whole-of-population study. Australian & New Zealand Journal of Obstetrics & Gynaecology. Advance online publication. doi: 10.1111/ajo.13672
Journal - Research Article
Bowden, N., Gibb, S., Audas, R., Clendon, S., Dacombe, J., Kokaua, J., … Mujoo, H., … Taylor, B. J. (2022). Association between high-need education-based funding and school suspension rates for autistic students in New Zealand. JAMA Pediatrics, 176(7), 664-671. doi: 10.1001/jamapediatrics.2022.1296
Journal - Research Article
Bowden, N., Milne, B., Audas, R., Clasby, B., Dacombe, J., Forster, W., Kokaua, J., Gibb, S., … Taylor, B., & Mirfin-Veitch, B. (2022). Criminal justice system interactions among young adults with and without autism: A national birth cohort study in New Zealand. Autism, 26(7), 1783-1794. doi: 10.1177/13623613211065541
Journal - Research Article
Cargo, T., Stevenson, K., Bowden, N., Milne, B., Hetrick, S., & D'Souza, S. (2022). Medication dispensing among Māori and non-Māori screened for preschool ADHD. New Zealand Medical Journal, 135(1565), 95-103. Retrieved from https://journal.nzma.org.nz/
Journal - Research Article
McLay, L. K., Bowden, N. J., Eggleston, M. J. F., Thabrew, H., Braund, R., & Schluter, P. J. (2022). Melatonin dispensing and polypharmacy rates for New Zealand children with autism or attention deficit hyperactivity disorders: A nationwide pharmacoepidemiological study. Research in Autism Spectrum Disorders, 101948. doi: 10.1016/j.rasd.2022.101948
Journal - Research Article
Ruhe, T., Bowden, N., Theodore, R., Stanley-Wishart, B., Hetrick, S., Thabrew, H., … Boden, J., & Kokaua, J. (2022). Identification of mental health and substance use-related conditions among Pasifika young people in Aotearoa New Zealand: A cross-sectional study using the Integrated Data Infrastructure (IDI). Pacific Health Dialog, 21(10), 663-672. doi: 10.26635/phd.2022.147
Journal - Research Article
Ruhe, T., Kolose-Pulefolau, B., Foliaki, S. '., Bowden, N., Richards, R., & Kokaua, J. (2022). Examining case complexity among Pasifika with autism/Takiwātanga in Aotearoa New Zealand: A national cross-sectional study. Pacific Health Dialog, 21(10), 673-682. doi: 10.26635/phd.2024.144
Journal - Research Article
Thabrew, H., Aljawahiri, N., Kumar, H., Bowden, N., Milne, B., Prictor, M., … Hetrick, S. (2022). 'As long as it's used for beneficial things': An investigation of non-Māori, Māori and young people's perceptions regarding the research use of the Aotearoa New Zealand Integrated Data Infrastructure (IDI). Journal of Empirical Research on Human Research Ethics, 17(4), 471-482. doi: 10.1177/15562646221111294
Journal - Research Article
Theodore, R., Bowden, N., Kokaua, J., Ruhe, T., Hobbs, M., Hetrick, S., … Boden, J. (2022). Mental health inequities for Māori youth: A population-level study of mental health service data. New Zealand Medical Journal, 135(1567), 79-90. Retrieved from https://journal.nzma.org.nz/
Journal - Research Article
Blankart, C. R., van Gool, K., Papanicolas, I., Bernal-Delgado, E., Bowden, N., Estupiñán-Romero, F., Gauld, R., … on behalf of the ICCONIC Collaboration. (2021). International comparison of spending and utilization at the end of life for hip fracture patients. Health Services Research, 56(Suppl. 3), 1370-1382. doi: 10.1111/1475-6773.13734
Journal - Research Article
Figueroa, J. F., Papanicolas, I., Riley, K., Abiona, O., Arvin, M., Atsma, F., … Bowden, N., … Gauld, R., … Jha, A. K. (2021). International comparison of health spending and utilization among people with complex multimorbidity. Health Services Research, 56(3), 1317-1334. doi: 10.1111/1475-6773.13708
Journal - Research Article
Findlay, R., Hamm, L., Anstice, N., Chelimo, C., Grant, C. C., Bowden, N., Kokaua, J., & Black, J. (2021). Vision screening in New Zealand pre-school children: Is it equitable? Journal of Paediatrics & Child Health, 57, 1594-1599. doi: 10.1111/jpc.15548
Journal - Research Article
Gibb, S., Brewer, N., & Bowden, N. (2021). Social impacts and costs of schizophrenia: A national cohort study using New Zealand linked administrative data. New Zealand Medical Journal, 134(1537), 66-83. Retrieved from https://www.nzma.org.nz/journal
Journal - Research Article
Kokaua, J., Jensen, S., Theodore, R., Bowden, N., Blakelock, R., Sorensen, D., … Richards, R. (2021). Is parent education protective of mental wellbeing in Pacific young people? A cohort study of mental health and census data in Aotearoa/New Zealand's integrated data infrastructure. Pacific Health Dialog, 21(7), 361-372. doi: 10.26635/phd.2021.112
Journal - Research Article
McLay, L. K., Schluter, P. J., Eggleston, M. J. F., Woodford, E. C., & Bowden, N. (2021). Melatonin dispensing among New Zealand children aged 0-18 years with autism: A nationwide cross-sectional study. Sleep Medicine, 80, 184-192. doi: 10.1016/j.sleep.2021.01.028
Journal - Research Article
Or, Z., Shatrov, K., Penneau, A., Wodchis, W., Abiona, O., Blankart, C. R., Bowden, N., … Figueroa, J. F. (2021). Within and across country variations in treatment of patients with heart failure and diabetes. Health Services Research, 56(Suppl. 3), 1358-1369. doi: 10.1111/1475-6773.13854
Journal - Research Article
Papanicolas, I., Figueroa, J. F., Schoenfeld, A. J., Riley, K., Abiona, O., Arvin, M., … Bowden, N., … Gauld, R., … Jha, A. K. (2021). Differences in health care spending and utilization among older frail adults in high-income countries: ICCONIC hip fracture persona. Health Services Research, 56(Suppl. 3), 1335-1346. doi: 10.1111/1475-6773.13739
Journal - Research Article
Papanicolas, I., Riley, K., Abiona, O., Arvin, M., Atsma, F., Bernal-Delgado, E., Bowden, N., … Gauld, R., … Figueroa, J. F. (2021). Differences in health outcomes for high-need high-cost patients across high-income countries. Health Services Research, 56(Suppl. 3), 1347-1357. doi: 10.1111/1475-6773.13735
Journal - Research Article
Bowden, N., Gibb, S., Thabrew, H., Kokaua, J., Audas, R., Merry, S., Taylor, B., & Hetrick, S. E. (2020). Case identification of mental health and related problems in children and young people using the New Zealand Integrated Data Infrastructure. BMC Medical Informatics & Decision Making, 20, 42. doi: 10.1186/s12911-020-1057-8
Journal - Research Article
Bowden, N., Thabrew, H., Kokaua, J., & Braund, R. (2020). National prescribing rates and polypharmacy for children and young people in New Zealand with and without autism spectrum disorder. Research in Autism Spectrum Disorders, 78, 101642. doi: 10.1016/j.rasd.2020.101642
Journal - Research Article
Bowden, N., Thabrew, H., Kokaua, J., Audas, R., Milne, B., Smiler, K., … Taylor, B., & Gibb, S. (2020). Autism spectrum disorder/Takiwātanga: An Integrated Data Infrastructure-based approach to autism spectrum disorder research in New Zealand. Autism, 24(8), 2213-2227. doi: 10.1177/1362361320939329
Journal - Research Article
D'Souza, S., Bowden, N., Gibb, S., Shackleton, N., Audas, R., Hetrick, S., Taylor, B., & Milne, B. (2020). Medication dispensing for attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder to New Zealand youth. New Zealand Medical Journal, 133(1522), 84-95. Retrieved from https://www.nzma.org.nz/journal
Journal - Research Article
Bowden, N., Gibb, S., Thabrew, H., Audas, R., Camp, J., Taylor, B., & Hetrick, S. (2019). IDI trends in antidepressant dispensing to New Zealand children and young people between 2007/08 and 2015/16. New Zealand Medical Journal, 132(1505), 48-61. Retrieved from https://www.nzma.org.nz/journal
Journal - Research Article
McLay, L., Emerson, L. M., Waddington, H., van Deurs, J., Hunter, J., Blampied, N., … Bowden, N., … Rispoli, M. (2023). Telehealth-delivered naturalistic developmental behavioural intervention with and without caregiver acceptance and commitment therapy for autistic children and their caregivers: Protocol for a multi-arm parallel group randomised clinical trial. BMJ Open, 13, e071235. doi: 10.1136/bmjopen-2022-071235
Journal - Research Other
Boden, J., Hetrick, S., Bowden, N., Fortune, S., Marek, L., Theodore, R., Ruhe, T., Kokaua, J., & Hobbs, M. (2022). Empowering community control over alcohol availability as a suicide and self-harm prevention measure: Policy opportunity in Aotearoa New Zealand. Lancet Regional Health: Western Pacific, 29, 100631. doi: 10.1016/j.lanwpc.2022.100631
Journal - Research Other
Chambers, T., Boden, J., Hobbs, M., & Bowden, N. (2022). Why New Zealand must consider restricting alcohol sponsorship of broadcast sports as part of a wider law reform. The Conversation. Retrieved from https://theconversation.com/why-new-zealand-must-consider-restricting-alcohol-sponsorship-of-broadcast-sports-as-part-of-a-wider-law-reform-193523
Journal - Research Other
Maw, M., & Bowden, N. (2022). Letter to the editor regarding 'Falling through the cracks in science and clinical service: A call to action for people with OCD'. Australian & New Zealand Journal of Psychiatry. Advance online publication. doi: 10.1177/00048674221134502
Journal - Research Other
Figueroa, J. F., Horneffer, K. E., Riley, K., Abiona, O., Arvin, M., Atsma, F., … Bowden, N., … Gauld, R., … Papanicolas, I. (2021). A methodology for identifying high-need, high-cost patient personas for international comparisons. Health Services Research, 56(Suppl. 3), 1302-1316. doi: 10.1111/1475-6773.13890
Journal - Research Other