Research Excellence

The National Institute for Health Innovation is a recognised leader in conducting large trials of innovative health interventions. Our work on health interventions using mobile phones is unparalleled. The NIHI's Polypill research is leading the world.

The attention accorded to quality of study design, web-based data management and statistical analysis means that the NIHI's research processes and outputs are of a consistently very high standard.

Polypill in the news...

Trials in the spotlight

 

CTRU Trials in the spotlight

 

SHOP: Supermarket Healthy Options Project. A large randomised controlled trial of the effects of price discounts and tailored nutrition education on supermarket food purchases. The study was funded by the Health Research Council of New Zealand. The study showed there was an 11% increase in the amount of healthier food purchased when 12.5% was taken off the price. This increase equates to about half a kilo more fruits and vegetables per household each week, or about six extra servings.

PQNIQ: Pre-quitting nicotine replacement therapy (NRT) to increase quitting. The largest (n=1100) study of its kind, the PQNIQ trial was a pragmatic, randomised, controlled trial involving moderately dependent smokers, half of whom used NRT for two weeks prior to quitting as usual, compared to the other half on usual care. The study was funded by the Health Research Council and National Heart Foundation of NZ and found a small but not statistically significant increase in quitting rates at 6 months in the pre-quit group. However, when the PQNIQ trial data were pooled with data from other pre-quitting trials the effect was significant and moderate (about a 25% increase in sustained quitting), suggesting a real and clinically beneficial effect of this simple innovation to standard practice.