 |
 |
 |
|
What's New ArchiveTatau Kahukura: Māori Health Chart Book 2010June 2010 Tatau Kahukura: Māori Health Chart Book 2010, provides a snapshot of Māori health in the mid to late 2000s. It updates the first Māori Health Chart Book, which was released in 2006. The chart book presents key indicators relating to the socioeconomic determinants of health, risk and protective factors for health, health status, health service utilisation, and the health system.
The Best Start in Life: Achieving Effective Action on Child Health and WellbeingJune 2010 This report prepared by the Public Health Advisory Committee, outlines the key issues and steps required to improve child health in New Zealand. It has a number of references to nutrition and physical activity related issues.
MOH Nutrition and Physical Activity UpdateJune 2010 The nutrition and physical activity policy team at the Ministry of Health has been busy working on a number of key projects. The revised Food and Nutrition Guidelines for Healthy Older People: A background paper will soon be available to download from the Ministry of Health's website: www.health.govt.nz/our-work/preventative-health-wellness/nutrition. The team is also in the process of developing the first national physical activity guidelines for older people, starting with a literature review which is expected to be completed by the end of the year. Another major project has involved work around creating a new subsidised iodine tablet for pregnant and breastfeeding women. This will be available in New Zealand pharmacies from July 2010. For further information email elizabeth_aitken@moh.govt.nz. Clinical Guidelines for Weight Management in Children and Young PeopleJune 2010 Developed by the Clinical Trials Research Unit, the aim of this guideline is to provide evidence-based guidance for the management of overweight and obesity in children and young people. It is expected this guideline will be used principally in primary care and community-based initiatives.
Toronto Charter for Physical Activity: A Global Call for ActionMay 2010 Launched 8 May 2010, this charter is a call to all countries to make physical activity a priority for all. The Charter provides a framework for action and partnerships across multiple sectors and with communities to build healthier, active, environmentally sustainable communities. It is a result of two years of international drafting and large scale global consultation.
Local Government's Contribution to WellbeingMay 2010 Published by the Ministry of Health in 2009, the purpose of this document is to highlight good practice and encourage more effective working relationships between health and local government agencies. The document provides a selection of intersectoral examples of work that local government is involved in for other agencies to consider applying in other districts
Cost of physical inactivity fact sheet1 April 2010 This fact sheet was produced by the British Heart Foundations Centre for Physical Activity and Health. It summarises some of the key facts and figures on the disease burden of physical inactivity and the associated healthcare and economic costs in the UK. This fact sheet can be used to make the economic case for physical activity intervention and may prove useful considering the current economic climate.
Walk this Way1 April 2010 This British report offers practical guidance and support on key components of successful walking initiatives that physical activity and health professionals can use to make the case for investment in walking.
Romania mulls over fast food tax27 March 2010 An interesting article published in the Lancet on Saturday, discussing Romania's push to introduce taxes on fast food.
Kōrero Mārama: Health literacy and Māori3 March 2010 This new report published by the Ministry of Health describes the health literacy skills of the adult Māori population (aged 16-65 years) compared to the adult non-Māori population (aged 16-65 years). The findings show that overall the majority of New Zealanders are limited in their ability to obtain, process and understand basic health information and services in order to make informed and appropriate health decisions. Furthermore, Māori have much poorer health literacy skills compared to non-Māori, and this is likely to have a negative impact on their health status. The report poses questions for health promoters as to how we acknowledge low health literacy levels.
Price discounts more effective than education in encouraging people to purchase healthy food3 March 2010 Results for the long awaited SHOP study have just been published in the March edition of the American Journal of Clinical Nutrition.
Food Security: The what, how, why and where to of food security in New South Wales22 February 2010 Cancer Council NSW has collaborated with The Physical Activity and Nutrition Obesity Research Group (PANORG) at Sydney University and Heart Foundation NSW to prepare a discussion paper on food security. The paper considers food security in the context of food supply and access systems, and articulates how it links with food consumption patterns, weight and risk of chronic disease, in order to provide direction for research, policy and programmes. The paper also provides a summary of studies describing patterns of food insecurity in Australia, and strategies for promoting food security, with examples of programmes.
Advocacy in Action: A toolkit for Public Health Professionals 2nd Edition21 January 2010 Released by the Public Health Institute of Western Australia this toolkit provides an introduction to public health advocacy. It also gives an outline and examples of key advocacy strategies and samples of practical tools to get you started.
Financial incentives and disincentives to encourage healthy eating19 October 2009 This new report from Australia identifies and exemplifies the different types of financial incentives that could be applied to help consumers make healthier food choices.
ENHANCE report released19 October 2009 The long awaited ENHANCE report has been released. It is a culmination of a multi-phase programme of research on the environmental influences on food security and physical activity among Māori, Pacific and low-income families/whānau.
New Research: Policy recommendations for household economic determinants of childhood obesity30 September 2009 This new research published by the Department of Public Health, University of Otago, Wellington, gives policy options for subsidies on non-discretionary household items and policies to increase access to nutritious foods, including fruit and vegetables.
Communities petition local council to plant more food bearing plants in public spaces18 September 2009 A petition is currently underway in Wellington for the Council to provide and care for food bearing trees in public areas and communities, utilising land that is green, but otherwise unproductive. This action will help provide freely accessible, locally grown food for the communities involved, jobs for those who tend the trees, as well as beneficial community gathering places. Such actions have been taken in a number of cities throughout the world with great success.
Local government actions to prevent childhood obesityThis publication from the United States provides recommendations for local governments to consider when designing and redesigning local environments. Based on an extensive research review, the report highlights 12 actions which have the greatest potential to make a difference in preventing childhood obesity at the community level.
Recommended community strategies and measurements to prevent obesityThis report developed by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (US) identifies and recommends a set of strategies and associated measurements that communities and local governments can use to plan and monitor environmental and policy-level changes for obesity prevention.
Community Public Health, Canterbury District Health Board (2009)Valuing the health benefits of active transport modesReleased by the NZ Transport Agency, this report was commissioned to determine the monetary value of the health benefits of active transport modes, in order to include it in cost-benefit analyses for transport and other government sectors.
Kiwisport initiative launchedOn 11 August Prime Minister John Key Launched the National-led Government's Kiwisport initiative for you people, which will see $82 million invested in school sports over the next four years.
Government gets behind Food for Kids programmePrime Minister John Key announced the Ministry of Social Development and Ministry of Health will be putting $320,000 into the KidsCan Stand Tall food in schools scheme. Almost 150 schools have put their name on the waiting list for the programme, which will target children of families that struggle with food security. GST off food petition goes to select committeeA petition calling on the government to remove GST from all out food was discussed by Parliament's Finance and Expenditure Select Committee on 29 July 2009.
|
|
 |