News & Events

The use of alternative medicine to help you quit smoking

Dr Natalie Walker, the Heart Foundation Douglas Senior Fellow in Heart Health (Prevention) and Programme Leader of the Addiction group at NIHI will be presenting a free public lecture at the Maidment Theatre on the 30th July, on “Whether alternative medicines can help you quit smoking”. This lecture is one of a series on the “Charms and harms of natural medicines”, as part of the University’s Winter Lecture Series.

WHO Global Action Plan on NCDs

In 10 days' time the World Health Assembly will commence its 66th Session in Geneva, Switzerland. This is an important meeting because a key outcome is likely to be endorsement of the Global Action Plan for the Prevention and Control of Non-communicable Diseases (NCDs).

"The Global Action Plan is based on years of accumulating scientific evidence for what works to prevent and control NCDs - a key focus for our research at NIHI" says Associate Professor Chris Bullen, NIHI's Director.

World Health Day 2013

World Health Day 2013 is this Sunday 7 April 2013 and has the theme ‘ controlling high blood pressure’. Why is high blood pressure so important?

New Zealand Virtual Supermarket study – Participants wanted

In March/April/May 2013 NIHI will be running a study to receive feedback on the content of a new computer programme called the New Zealand Virtual Supermarket. This is a three-dimensional computer simulation of a real NZ supermarket. We are now looking for New Zealanders who are interested in taking part in this study. Are you a regular grocery shopper, do you have access to internet and do you have an email address – then we are looking for you! People who complete the study will receive a $20 gift voucher. You can do this study from your home.

Food pricing can affect health

Subsidising fruit and vegetables and taxing soft drinks and saturated fats would most likely result in dietary changes and have the potential to improve people’s health, according to a large review led by Dr Helen Eyles from the National Institute for Health Innovation at The University of Auckland.

Data from the systematic review, which was published today in the prestigious international journal, PLOS Medicine, also indicated that whilst taxes on food may hit poorer people harder than richer people the positive impact on health is likely to be relatively greater for low-income groups.

Text and video messages help people quit smoking - latest review

Text and video messages designed to help people quit smoking nearly doubled the success rate for attempted quitters, compared to people who didn't have such assistance, in a new review of several studies published in the Cochrane Library led by NIHI researcher Dr Robyn Whittaker.

Research on Electronic Cigarettes

We are currently undertaking ground-breaking research into these novel products, about which very little is known.

A new anonymous questionnaire survey for users of electronic cigarettes throughout the world is now available to complete. The answers will help us better understand who users of this product are, how the product is used, and what are the opinions of users. This study is independent of manufacturers and sellers of electronic cigarettes and tobacco and pharmaceutical industries. It was approved by the ethics committee of the University Hospitals of Geneva. If you use e-cigarettes and are interested, please click here to complete the survey.

Food labelling in Australia and New Zealand: innovation and larger trials needed to provide evidence base to battle obesity

An international evaluation of food labelling systems is the focus of a presentation at this year's Australia and New Zealand Obesity Society (ANZOS) meeting in Auckland (18-20 Oct). In it, Associate Professor Cliona Ni Mhurchu (National Institute for Health Innovation, University of Auckland, New Zealand) will say that the only way to address the current gaps in evidence is to have rigorously conducted trials at a regional (or even national) level in both countries, and embrace innovation

BISKIT Published

The results of a trial of the effects of a free school breakfast programme on children’s attendance, academic achievement, and short-term hunger conducted by NIHI researchers have just been published online in the Journal of Epidemiology and Community Health.

NIHI success with HRC funding for research partnerships between researchers and health delivery organisations

Two projects with NIHI involvement have received HRC funding for research that will provide an evidence base to inform practice or system change and improvement, and support decision making in the area of health delivery in the short term in New Zealand.