Study finds the cheapest emergency food to stockpile
Friday, 14 December 2012 4:55pm
Storage foods for an emergency such as an earthquake that meet all daily energy requirements can cost as little as $2.22 per day according to a new study by the University of Otago, Wellington.
Shocking disparities in child obesity now exist in New Zealand
Wednesday, 12 December 2012 9:58am
Public health researcher Professor Tony Blakely from the University of Otago, Wellington says the time for prevaricating about obesity is over with the release of latest child obesity figures by the Ministry of Health.
Before Skyfall: 46 years of violence in James Bond movies
Tuesday, 11 December 2012 3:25pm
Violent acts in James Bond films were more than twice as common in Quantum of Solace (2008) than in the original 1962 movie Dr No, University of Otago researchers have found.
Leading international speakers for Public Health Summer School
Monday, 10 December 2012 2:05pm
The largest and longest running Public Health Summer School in New Zealand and Australia will provide an exciting line-up of national and international speakers for three weeks next February.
Binge drinking in young people attracted to more than one gender
Monday, 12 November 2012 4:58pm
A report by the University of Otago, Wellington shows that many young people attracted to more than one gender tend to binge drink because they feel stigmatised and socially excluded.
Swine flu pandemic expensive for NZ
Friday, 9 November 2012 8:44am
A new study estimates the total cost to the New Zealand hospital sector of the 2009 ‘swine flu’ pandemic at around $31 million.
Silicone dressings reduce skin reactions following radiation for breast cancer
Thursday, 1 November 2012 11:31am
Skin reactions following radiation therapy for breast cancer have been the focus of a recent clinical trial conducted by Dr Patries Herst from the Department of Radiation Therapy, University of Otago, Wellington and a team of radiation therapists in public hospitals in Dunedin, Wellington and Palmerston North and Auckland Radiation Oncology.
Professor Brett Delahunt elected Fellow of the Royal Society of New Zealand
Wednesday, 31 October 2012 2:17pm
Professor Brett Delahunt, from the Department of Pathology and Molecular Medicine, has been elected as a Fellow of the Royal Society of New Zealand at the recent Annual General Meeting for his exceptional distinction in research and the advancement of medical science.
Research undermines tobacco industry’s plain packaging claims
Wednesday, 10 October 2012 3:51pm
Two research studies led by University of Otago researchers have challenged tobacco companies’ claims about plain packaging. Both studies were conducted by the ASPIRE2025 research group, which includes Professors Janet Hoek and Phil Gendall working from Otago’s Department of Marketing, and Professor Richard Edwards from the University’s Department of Public Health (Wellington).
Otago study reveals persistent deprivation for NZ children
Friday, 21 September 2012 11:41am
A sizeable and “difficult to ignore” proportion of New Zealand children have experienced persistent low income and deprivation in recent years, according to a new University of Otago study using seven years of longitudinal survey data.
‘Loan sharks’ need tougher regulation and controls
Monday, 20 August 2012 3:25pm
Recent research from the University of Otago, Wellington shows that loan sharks charging interest rates of up to 400% per annum are exploiting Maori, Pacific and low income New Zealanders and need to be better regulated.
Tobacco retailer support for new display legislation
Friday, 20 July 2012 2:20pm
Tobacco retailers interviewed in the Wellington area mostly supported the forthcoming removal of point-of-sale tobacco product displays.
Women more likely to defer health care for financial reasons
Wednesday, 4 July 2012 2:21pm
Women are more likely to put off going to their GP, buying prescriptions or going to the dentist for financial reasons than men according to a new University of Otago study.
Alcohol use common in TV music videos
Tuesday, 19 June 2012 3:54pm
An analysis of music videos on New Zealand television shows that the portrayal of alcohol is commonplace.
Improving health care for inmates and whānau the focus of symposium
Thursday, 7 June 2012 2:45pm
The University of Otago, Wellington in association with Regional Public Health is to hold the first-ever New Zealand symposium on Friday 8 June focusing on health issues and barriers to care faced by people who have been imprisoned, those coming out, and their whānau.
Well-planned cities improve people’s health
Friday, 1 June 2012 3:56pm
New Zealand is one of the countries critically examined in a major report on the planning of cities and their impact on population health, released this week. The report ‘Shaping Cities for Health’ was commissioned by a leading UK medical journal The Lancet.
Death by disconnection: ‘Fuel poverty’ issue missed in Muliaga case
Friday, 1 June 2012 2:47pm
An analysis of hundreds of print media stories on the death of Auckland resident, Mrs Folole Muliaga, after her power was cut off by Mercury Energy in 2007 has found that the wider issue of ‘fuel poverty’ was largely ignored.
Short term household income change and impacts on health
Wednesday, 16 May 2012 2:49pm
Short term changes in household income have only small effects on health, but have more significant impacts if income is affected by unemployment or chronic health conditions, new research from the University of Otago, Wellington shows.
Public health expert questions prescription charge move
Tuesday, 15 May 2012 3:02pm
The Government’s announcement that it will increase the co-payment for a prescription from $3 to $5 per item, for up to a maximum of 20 items per year, represents a questionable trade-off, says a University of Otago public health researcher.
The cost of law-making in New Zealand
Monday, 14 May 2012 10:04am
University of Otago, Wellington researchers have just published a study that estimates for the first time the average cost of producing a new law in New Zealand.
High income mobility but one in five households have chronic low income
Wednesday, 9 May 2012 10:05am
A new study by the University of Otago, Wellington shows how the problem of chronic low income for a significant number of New Zealand households co-exists with high income mobility for the rest.
Improving the labelling of food for health
Friday, 20 April 2012 11:41am
Front-of-pack (FOP) labelling of food in New Zealand has support from industry, policy-makers and NGOs according to new research from the Universities of Otago and Auckland.
Cancer Trends survival report shows improvements and inequalities
Wednesday, 18 April 2012 11:47am
Cancer survival is significantly improving in New Zealand, but inequalities in survival remain stark according to a new report released today by the University of Otago and the Ministry of Health.
Screening for abdominal aortic aneurysms indicated
Friday, 24 February 2012 4:01pm
Population-based screening for often fatal abdominal aortic aneurysms (AAAs) should be given serious consideration, according to a new study from the University of Otago, Wellington.
Alarming increase in serious infectious diseases in NZ
Monday, 20 February 2012 4:21pm
Admissions to New Zealand hospitals from infectious diseases have jumped dramatically over the last two decades according to just published research from the University of Otago, Wellington.
Vitamin C may enhance radiation therapy for aggressive brain tumours
Friday, 17 February 2012 11:48am
Recent research by the University of Otago, Wellington has shown that giving brain cancer cells high dose vitamin C makes them much more susceptible to radiation therapy.
Emerging influenza viruses in animals still a threat to human health
Tuesday, 14 February 2012 9:26am
A top international influenza researcher, educated at the University of Otago, warns that public health officials responsible for the surveillance of influenza viruses should not be complacent about the development of new viruses that may spread from the animal world to humans.
Food safety regulation of poultry cuts levels of paralysis
Wednesday, 8 February 2012 3:44pm
A recent large decrease in campylobacter infection from fresh poultry in New Zealand has also resulted in a significant drop in a neurological condition which can result in paralysis or death.
Calories, not protein or carbs, are key to weight loss for people with diabetes
Tuesday, 7 February 2012 11:51am
Overweight or obese people with type 2 diabetes are more likely to reduce weight if they focus on cutting back on total calorie intake, rather than specific high protein/high carbohydrate diets according to a new study from the University of Otago, Wellington.
Nutrition policy favours food industry - not public health
Tuesday, 10 January 2012 3:49pm
The national nutrition policy formulated by Labour and National-led Governments favours the food industry over public health according to new research from the University of Otago, Wellington.
