Pānui pāpāho
New Zealand could be lifeboat to save humanity from extinction in a catastrophic pandemic, researchers say
Tuesday, 1 October 2019 10:32am
New Zealand, Australia and Iceland could act as island refuges to save humanity from extinction in the event of a catastrophic global pandemic, researchers have found.
Seven inaugural Sesquicentennial Distinguished Chair appointments to mark 150th
Monday, 30 September 2019 3:22pm
In a new initiative, the University is celebrating its internationally acclaimed scholars by creating a prestigious new role - the Sesquicentennial Distinguished Chair (Poutoko Taiea).
Through the haze: smoke-free laws failing to protect bar staff, patrons
Monday, 23 September 2019 3:10pm
Patrons and workers continue to be exposed to hazardous tobacco smoke in bars, restaurants and cafés, despite legislation designed to protect them, researchers have found.
Remove nicotine from cigarettes, smokers say
Monday, 16 September 2019 10:35am
New Zealand smokers overwhelmingly support removing the nicotine from cigarettes to make them less addictive, a national survey has found.
Smokers concealing cigarette packs’ graphic warnings, study finds
Tuesday, 10 September 2019 10:48am
Smokers are less likely to display packs of cigarettes and tobacco on tables at cafés and bars now that standardised packs with larger graphic health warnings have been introduced, according to a new study.
Otago academic to head new national cancer strategy
Monday, 2 September 2019 12:33pm
The new interim National Director of Cancer Control, University of Otago academic Professor Diana Sarfati, believes lives will be saved as a result of the new National Cancer Action Plan.
New research collaboration to fight cancer in New Zealand
Tuesday, 20 August 2019 8:57am
University of Otago cancer researchers are coming together in a new collaboration awarded a $2 million grant by the Cancer Society in a bid to better tackle a leading cause of death in New Zealand.
Teenagers say ‘nope’ to dope
Friday, 16 August 2019 11:18am
New research from the University of Otago, Wellington, has shed light on the declining use of cannabis use by teens.
Moving house related to behavioural difficulties in four-year-olds, study finds
Tuesday, 13 August 2019 12:02pm
Moving house is linked with increases in emotional and behavioural difficulties in four-year-olds, with the problems compounding each time a family moves, researchers have found.
Massive potential health gains in switching to active transport – Otago study
Thursday, 18 July 2019 12:24pm
Swapping short car trips for walking or biking could achieve as much health gain as ongoing tobacco tax increases, according to a study from the University of Otago, Wellington.
New data on e-cigarette use among New Zealand adults
Monday, 15 July 2019 12:59pm
Around one in six New Zealand adults have tried e-cigarettes but only 2 per cent are using them currently, a national survey has found.
Eliminating waiting lists for cataract surgery prevents falls and is cost effective
Thursday, 4 July 2019 11:21am
Eliminating waiting times for cataract surgery would be a cost-effective health system intervention, largely driven by the falls prevention benefits related to improved vision, a just-published New Zealand study has found.
Sugary drink taxes reduce consumption, major review shows
Tuesday, 25 June 2019 2:32pm
A 10 per cent tax on sugary drinks has cut the purchase and consumption of sugary drinks by an average of 10 per cent in places it has been introduced, a just published major review shows.
Butting Out: Researchers gauge public opinion on tobacco product waste
Friday, 14 June 2019 11:25am
Requiring cigarettes to contain biodegradable filters, fining smokers who litter cigarette butts and expanding smoke free outdoor areas are measures the public considers are most likely to reduce tobacco product waste, new University of Otago research reveals.
More awareness needed about lead exposure from firearms, researchers say
Tuesday, 11 June 2019 3:10pm
Researchers are warning that lead-based ammunition is posing a risk to firearms’ users and their families, with a culture of denial about the issue among the firearms community.
Otago’s emerging researchers secure more than $1.7 million in HRC funding
Thursday, 16 May 2019 12:56pm
An occupational therapist who aims to improve the quality of life for children with disabilities is one of several University of Otago early-stage researchers who have together been awarded more than $1.7 million in Health Research Council funding.
Otago alumna behind UK Government’s move to help cerebral palsy children walk
Wednesday, 1 May 2019 8:32am
An Otago alumna has led a study into spinal surgery for children with cerebral palsy in the UK, which has proven it helps them walk and reduces pain, triggering the UK Government to fund the procedure.
Wood is good, research on 1931 Hawke’s Bay earthquake shows
Tuesday, 16 April 2019 9:52am
New research has found that only three per cent of deaths in the 1931 Hawke’s Bay earthquake occurred in people’s homes, almost all of which were at that time constructed from wood.
Public health experts call for use of “tie-down” practice to be abolished in NZ prisons
Friday, 12 April 2019 11:31am
A University of Otago public health physician and researcher and her Australian colleague welcome news that the use of “tie-down” practice will be abolished in New Zealand prisons.
Housing WOFs need to be combined with education, study shows
Tuesday, 9 April 2019 11:01am
Alongside funding and regulatory support, understanding how housing affects health and safety can spur owners to make improvements to their properties, researchers from the University of Otago, Wellington and WISE Better Homes have found.
Otago researchers encourage New Zealanders to support Arms Amendment Bill
Wednesday, 3 April 2019 4:28pm
University of Otago firearms researchers are encouraging New Zealanders who are not gun owners to support MPs and political parties with the Arms Amendment Bill.
Kiwi kids call for ban on junk food marketing
Friday, 29 March 2019 4:06pm
If Kiwi kids had the Prime Minister’s job for a day, many would ban junk food marketing, according to new research from the University of Otago, Wellington.
Otago researchers call for urgent law change
Sunday, 17 March 2019 12:25pm
Firearms law changes promised by the Prime Minister are long overdue, according to experts in the Department of Public Health, University of Otago, Wellington, Dr Marie Russell and Dr Hera Cook.
Liberal access to e-cigarettes likely to bring health benefits, NZ study finds
Tuesday, 12 March 2019 11:16am
New Zealand’s approach of allowing wide access to e-cigarettes is likely to be bringing overall health gains and cost savings for the health system, researchers from the University of Otago, Wellington have found.
‘Invisible wounds’ may have cut WWII veterans’ lives short
Friday, 8 March 2019 9:08am
Kiwi men who were veterans of World War II appear to have had a shorter lifespan than other New Zealand men who were born at the same time, new research shows.
New WHO housing and health guidelines could save millions each year
Monday, 25 February 2019 3:00pm
Preventable injuries and hospitalisations due solely to poor housing conditions in New Zealand could be costing more than $145 million annually in ACC claims and hospitalisation costs, according to new research.
Train station signs send weak smokefree signal
Friday, 22 February 2019 9:58am
More than 20 per cent of the 54 railway stations in the lower North Island have no smokefree signs at all and many others have signs of poor quality, researchers from the University of Otago, Wellington have found.
Surprise te reo Māori finding in pre-diabetes research
Monday, 18 February 2019 2:27pm
New research from the Healthier Lives National Science Challenge has found people who speak te reo Māori have a reduced risk of progressing from pre-diabetes to diabetes.
New Zealand leads global effort to control rheumatic fever
Monday, 11 February 2019 4:20pm
A three-year project aimed at pinpointing the most effective ways to prevent and control rheumatic fever and associated heart disease in New Zealand is being launched tomorrow (Tuesday 12 February) at the University of Otago, Wellington.
One plus one equals more than two for health expenditure in patients with multiple conditions, study finds
Wednesday, 9 January 2019 1:27pm
Caring for patients with two or more chronic diseases costs the health system more than it would to treat each disease in isolation, a new study has shown.
Call for pandemic research fund as “living memorial” to 1918 flu victims
Friday, 14 December 2018 9:11am
Professors from the Department of Public Health at the University of Otago, Wellington are calling on the government to set up a research fund to help prevent pandemics and increase New Zealand’s preparedness to deal with such disasters.
Licence to Swill: James Bond’s drinking over six decades
Monday, 10 December 2018 1:17pm
He may be licensed to kill but fictional British secret service agent James Bond has a severe alcohol use disorder, according to an analysis of his drinking behaviour published in the Medical Journal of Australia’s Christmas issue.
Cycle lanes and walkways cut car use, reduce emissions, study finds
Monday, 3 December 2018 3:32pm
Researchers have shown for the first time that investing in cycle lanes and walkways encourages people to drive less and cuts carbon emissions.
The challenge of reducing health inequities and improving health outcomes in New Zealand
Monday, 19 November 2018 2:21pm
The Healthier Lives – He Oranga Hauora National Science Challenge, hosted by the University of Otago, welcomes the announcement from the Minister of Research, Science and Innovation Hon Megan Woods, confirming funding for its 2019-2024 research strategy
Sobering insights into alcohol marketing and Māori children
Thursday, 1 November 2018 9:07am
Innovative camera research has revealed that New Zealand children are exposed to alcohol marketing in their residential and school neighbourhoods. The collaborative research by the Universities of Otago and Auckland, found children’s exposure to alcohol marketing was higher in neighbourhoods with greater numbers of alcohol outlets and for Māori participants.
WWI cast a long shadow over New Zealanders’ health, study finds
Tuesday, 30 October 2018 10:42am
World War I cast such a long shadow over New Zealand that the health and social impacts continued through to the next generation, public health researchers say.
Increasing alcohol tax could benefit health and save money for society – NZ study
Monday, 29 October 2018 12:52pm
Increasing the excise tax on alcohol would likely result in fewer people dying or being injured in vehicle crashes – and generate savings for society, according to a just-published New Zealand study.
Kiwis failing to slip into shade and slap on a hat for sun protection, researchers find
Friday, 26 October 2018 10:44am
An alarming proportion of New Zealanders are neither wearing hats nor seeking shade to protect themselves from the sun, University of Otago research reveals.
Flavoured capsule cigarettes pose a threat to smokefree goals
Tuesday, 23 October 2018 9:17am
New research from ASPIRE2025, a University of Otago research theme, challenges tobacco companies’ claims they are working towards a smokefree world and suggests young people are vulnerable to tobacco companies’ product innovations.
