Eric Crampton • May 11, 2018 •
Every time I think that the University of Otago’s Public Health people can’t get any worse, they go and surprise me. Today, the Initiative launched Jenesa Jeram’s excellent report on vaping and reduced-harm alternatives to smoking. It walks through the evidence on the risks of vaping, heat-not-burn products, and snus, and makes some recommendations around liberalising access so that … Read More
Eric Crampton • Apr 16, 2018 •
The Fairfax papers have a good summary out today of what’s going on in vaping – as of a month ago. They write: When British public health experts first said vaping (using e-cigarettes) poses only a fraction of the health risk of tobacco smoking, the trend surged in popularity around the world, including in New Zealand. But it remains illegal … Read More
Ken Perrott • Apr 12, 2018 •
Here is another post in my series critiquing a PowerPoint presentation of Paul Connett – a leading US anti-fluoridation activist. Slide 110 from Paul Connett’s presentation prepared for his planned meeting at Parliament Buildings last February. Paul prepared this for a meeting in New Zealand Parliament buildings last February. Although only three MPs turned up his presentation is important as it … Read More
Eric Crampton • Apr 06, 2018 •
Otago’s public health people, perhaps unsurprisingly, didn’t like NZIER’s take on sugar taxes. They’ve blogged on it here, but they seem to have missed a few important points. A Report commissioned by the Ministry of Health, written by NZIER, has recently been getting air-time as an argument against taxing sugary drinks. However, the Report seems to us to be … Read More
Eric Crampton • Mar 08, 2018 •
For the past several years, public health lobbyists have pretended that all opposition to sugar taxes is ideologically motivated or dishonest. They have argued that the only thing stopping the government from implementing their beneficent proposals has been the actions of nefarious interest groups. And so it is interesting to read what the Ministry of Health’s officials actually thought about … Read More
Guest Author • Feb 12, 2018 •
Ayesha Verrall New Zealand is in the grip of its worst mumps outbreak in decades. The outbreak started in Auckland early last year and was initially focused on five schools in the West of the city. Since then there have been over 1000 cases with some spreading to other centres around the country. Mumps causes a fever, headache, muscle … Read More
Eric Crampton • Feb 02, 2018 •
Sugar taxes just are not effective in improving health outcomes. When we surveyed the evidence for our report, The Health of the State, we found no compelling reason to think the things would work. NZIER’s report for the Ministry of Health reaches the same conclusion. First, some backstory and grousing about document release under OIA. Back in October, I … Read More
Public Health Expert • Dec 21, 2017 •
Prof Michael Baker, Prof Nick Wilson, Prof Alistair Woodward The huge campylobacteriosis outbreak in Havelock North in August 2016 caused by contaminated drinking water was a public health disaster. The second report of the Havelock North Drinking Water Inquiry describes a long list of failings that contributed to the outbreak. In this blog we argue that the failings are much … Read More
Eric Crampton • Nov 20, 2017 •
The Press reports that the new NZ Health Survey data is up. Smoking rates are down; obesity’s up. Here’s how they describe the drinking stats: Meanwhile, 748,000 people, or 19.5 per cent of the adult population are considered “hazardous drinkers”, according to a World Health Organisation definition, which takes into account a combination of factors including binge drinking, dependency, … Read More
John Kerr • Mar 29, 2017 •
The Government has announced new regulations to allow nicotine containing electronic cigarettes to be sold in New Zealand. Currently e-cigarette devices can be sold in New Zealand but nicotine-containing e-liquid can not (nicotine is a scheduled substance under the Medicines Act), although consumers can purchase e-liquid from overseas for personal use. That is set to change with announcement of … Read More