Tagged: Obesity

Featured image: Junk food and sugar-sweetened beverage taxes: Likely to produce numerous benefits in NZ

Junk food and sugar-sweetened beverage taxes: Likely to produce numerous benefits in NZ - Unsorted

Public Health Expert • Apr 11, 2022 •

Dr Leah Grout, Dr Nhung Nghiem, Dr Christine Cleghorn* Poor diet is a major risk factor for excess weight gain and obesity-related diseases, including cardiovascular diseases, type 2 diabetes mellitus, osteoarthritis, and multiple cancers. In this blog we summarise our recent modelling work that suggests that the implementation of taxes on unhealthy foods and beverages in Aotearoa New Zealand … Read More

Featured image: Our cities are making us fat and unhealthy – a ‘healthy location index’ can help us plan better

Our cities are making us fat and unhealthy – a ‘healthy location index’ can help us plan better - Guest Work

Guest Author • Apr 01, 2022 •

Matthew Hobbs, University of Canterbury and Lukas Marek, University of Canterbury As councils and central government consider what cities of the future will look like, a new tool has been developed to map how various features of where we live influence public health. The Healthy Location Index (HLI) breaks down healthy and unhealthy elements in cities across New Zealand. Read More

Featured image: The cost burden of excess weight in New Zealand: Sizing up a new report

The cost burden of excess weight in New Zealand: Sizing up a new report - Public Health Expert

Public Health Expert • Dec 14, 2021 •

Professor Boyd Swinburn* The latest New Zealand Health Survey results show a substantial up-tick in both childhood and adult obesity prevalence after plateauing for a decade. This is of great concern and it makes a new report from the Sapere Research Group on the Economic Impact of Excess Weight in Aotearoa all the more important. The report was … Read More

Featured image: The SMC Video Competition: The DREAM Study

The SMC Video Competition: The DREAM Study - Guest Work

Guest Author • Aug 27, 2020 •

Recently, the Science Media Centre ran the first round of its 2020 SAVVY Video Competition for science researchers. With twelve entries, ranging from infant nutrition to the science of bell-ringing, we judges were incredibly impressed by the creativity and quality of submissions. This week, we’re featuring the work of runner-up prize winner, Dr Cherie Stayner. Introducing the Diet, … Read More

Featured image: Limiting the size of single serve sugary drinks: New NZ study on health and cost impacts

Limiting the size of single serve sugary drinks: New NZ study on health and cost impacts - Public Health Expert

Public Health Expert • Apr 01, 2019 •

Dr Cristina Cleghorn, Prof Nick Wilson, Dr Helen Eyles There is a lot of focus on sugar-sweetened beverages (SSBs) internationally, due to their role in tooth decay, obesity and diabetes [1-3], their lack of beneficial nutrients, and potential acceptability as an intervention target [4]. Our just-published study has shown that an intervention to reduce the size of all single-serve SSBs … Read More

Featured image: Better health and diet well before conception results in healthier pregnancies

Better health and diet well before conception results in healthier pregnancies - Guest Work

Guest Author • Apr 24, 2018 •

Gita Mishra, The University of Queensland and Judith Stephenson, UCL This article was originally published on The Conversation. Read the original article. Maternal and child health in Australia, like most countries, has traditionally focused on health during pregnancy and in the early years of life. But this approach may be missing a key opportunity … Read More

Featured image: And now the Brits are doing it: A sugary drink tax levy on the industry

And now the Brits are doing it: A sugary drink tax levy on the industry - Public Health Expert

Public Health Expert • Apr 03, 2018 •

Prof Tony Blakely, Prof Nick Wilson, Dr Anja Mizdrak, Dr Cristina Cleghorn From 1 April 2018, the UK is putting in place a type of sugary drinks tax – actually a “soft drinks industry levy”. This blog reviews how they are doing it, early signs of its success, and ponders its relevance for NZ.  We also take this opportunity to … Read More

Featured image: World-first study links birth interventions and long-term childhood illness

World-first study links birth interventions and long-term childhood illness - News

Jean Balchin • Mar 26, 2018 •

A comprehensive study lead by a team of leading international researchers has found significant links between medical interventions used in the birthing process – such as caesarean section and induction – and a child’s long-term health. Illustration depicting Caesarean section. Blausen.com staff (2014). “Medical gallery of Blausen Medical 2014”. WikiJournal of Medicine 1 Western Sydney University collaborated with University … Read More

Featured image: Dietary counselling – how effective and cost-effective is it?

Dietary counselling – how effective and cost-effective is it? - Public Health Expert

Public Health Expert • Mar 20, 2018 •

Prof Nick Wilson, Dr Cristina Cleghorn, Dr Linda Cobiac, Dr Anja Mizdrak, Prof Cliona Ni Mhurchu, Prof Tony Blakely In this blog we consider recent literature (particularly reviews) on the effectiveness and cost-effectiveness of dietary counselling as a health intervention. Most studies suggest that dietary counselling is effective though the benefits are typically modest and short-term. The literature on cost-effectiveness … Read More

Featured image: When we lose weight, where does it go?

When we lose weight, where does it go? - Guest Work

Guest Author • Mar 15, 2018 •

Ruben Meerman, UNSW and Andrew Brown, UNSW This article was originally published on The Conversation. Read the original article. The world is obsessed with fad diets and weight loss, yet few of us know how a kilogram of fat actually vanishes off the scales. Even the 150 doctors, dietitians and personal trainers we surveyed … Read More