Issue

Vol 123 No 1311: 19 March 2010

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Issue Summary

SUMMARY

Healthier vending machines in workplaces: both possible and effective

Delvina Gorton, Julie Carter, Branko Cvjetan, Cliona Ni Mhurchu

Vending machines typically supply snack foods with poor nutritional quality, with few if any healthier choices. Better Vending for Health Guidelines were developed by a collaboration of health organisations in Auckland to guide provision of healthier options in vending machines. The guidelines were trialled in a hospital workplace to determine their impact on nutrition content and sales of vending products. The amount of total energy, saturated fat, and sugar sold decreased substantially while total sales volume was not affected. The guidelines appear to be an effective way of encouraging provision of healthier options in vending machines.

SUMMARY

Ethnic-specific body mass index cut-off points for overweight and obesity in girls

J Scott Duncan, Elizabeth K Duncan, Grant Schofield

This study follows on from a previous publication that demonstrated the considerable differences in body fat at a given height and weight in girls from NZs five major ethnic groups. As our current classification system depends on a weight-based index (BMI), this means that our estimates of overweight and obesity in girls could be inaccurate. In this paper, we provide the first ethnic-adjusted BMI thresholds for detecting overweight and obesity in Maori, Pacific Island, East Asian, and South Asian girls. We conclude that current BMI thresholds should be lowered for South and East Asian girls and raised for Maori and Pacific Island girls to represent the same level of body fatness as European girls. Such changes could result in dramatic changes to our understanding of obesity in these population groups.

SUMMARY

Addictive overeating: lessons learned from medical students’ perceptions of Overeaters Anonymous

Ria Schroder, Doug Sellman, Jane Elmslie

Obesity is a serious and debilitating medical condition which can impair both physical and psychological health. Addictive behaviours, especially tobacco smoking and compulsive alcohol use are accepted as important causes of ill health in modern society. To conceive that something as fundamental to human survival as food has the potential to trigger compulsive behaviour that may seriously compromise health and wellbeing is perhaps counterintuitive. This study viewed the concept of addictive overeating through the eyes of a group of fifth-year medical students who attended Overeaters Anonymous meetings as part of their course requirements. The study findings highlight the value of developing empathy in trainee doctors towards patients with obesity and suggest that exposure to groups such as Overeaters Anonymous during training may better equip doctors and other health professionals to become more therapeutically effective with this major health problem.

SUMMARY

Overweight and obesity prevalence among adult Pacific peoples and Europeans in the Diabetes Heart and Health Study (DHAHS) 2002–2003, Auckland New Zealand

Gerhard Sundborn, Patricia A Metcalf, Dudley Gentles, Robert Scragg, Lorna Dyall, Peter Black, Rod Jackson

This paper describes and compares proportions of overweight and obese Pacific (Samoan, Tongan, Niue, Cook Islands) and European New Zealanders who participated in the DHAHS 2002-2003 survey. 1011 Pacific people were surveyed of whom almost all are now overweight or obese.

ALL ARTICLES
SUMMARY

The right diet—‘sweet as’?

Anne-Thea McGill

The New Zealand sugar (fructose) fountain: time to turn the tide?

Simon Thornley, Hayden McRobbie, Gary Jackson

A new opportunity to eliminate policy incoherence in tobacco control in New Zealand

Nick Wilson, George Thomson, Tony Blakely, Richard Edwards

Medical image. A case of rhinodynia and asthma

Tarek Darwish

Health Practitioners Disciplinary Tribunal – Professional Misconduct (Med08/102P)

Healthier vending machines in workplaces: both possible and effective

Delvina Gorton, Julie Carter, Branko Cvjetan, Cliona Ni Mhurchu

The extent of YouTube videos with smoking and smokefree words

Lucy Elkin, George Thomson

An unusual presentation of staphylococcal tricuspid valve infective endocarditis

Arindam Pande, Biswadip Ghosh, Shantasil Pain, Rathindra Nath Karmakar, Anirban Ghosh, Sandip Saha

Deaths of King Edward VII and Thomas Hocken

Ethnic-specific body mass index cut-off points for overweight and obesity in girls

J Scott Duncan, Elizabeth K Duncan, Grant Schofield

In defence of Linda Bryder's book A History of the 'Unfortunate Experiment' at National Women's Hospital

Helen Overton

Proceedings of ‘Tinnitus Discovery’: Asia-Pacific Tinnitus Symposium, 11–12 Sept 2009, Auckland, New Zealand

James Fraser Warwick Macky

Addictive overeating: lessons learned from medical students’ perceptions of Overeaters Anonymous

Ria Schroder, Doug Sellman, Jane Elmslie

Preoperative diagnosis of cholecystocolonic fistula on ERCP

John P Rice, Bret J Spier, Anurag Soni

Medical image. Painful foot swellings

Nadir Goksugur, Betul Sereflican, Berna K 0131l 0131 00e7, Kutay Ozturan

Graham Aitken Nuffield Medical Postgraduate Travelling Scholarship

Bariatric surgery: a dilemma for the health system?

Jonathan Foo, Robyn Toomath, S Kusal Wickremesekera, Simon Bann, Richard Stubbs

Bariatric surgery: a cutting-edge cure for Type 2 diabetes?

James Coleman, Simon Phillips

Overweight and obesity prevalence among adult Pacific peoples and Europeans in the Diabetes Heart and Health Study (DHAHS) 2002–2003, Auckland New Zealand

Gerhard Sundborn, Patricia A Metcalf, Dudley Gentles, Robert Scragg, Lorna Dyall, Peter Black, Rod Jackson

The legacy of Sir Charles Hercus

Duncan Adams

Aspartame—facts and fiction

Bernadene Magnuson

Medical Benevolent Fund

Australian dust causing respiratory disease admissions in some North Island, New Zealand hospitals

George Cowie, Wade Lawson, Nick Kim

SUMMARY

Healthier vending machines in workplaces: both possible and effective

Delvina Gorton, Julie Carter, Branko Cvjetan, Cliona Ni Mhurchu

Vending machines typically supply snack foods with poor nutritional quality, with few if any healthier choices. Better Vending for Health Guidelines were developed by a collaboration of health organisations in Auckland to guide provision of healthier options in vending machines. The guidelines were trialled in a hospital workplace to determine their impact on nutrition content and sales of vending products. The amount of total energy, saturated fat, and sugar sold decreased substantially while total sales volume was not affected. The guidelines appear to be an effective way of encouraging provision of healthier options in vending machines.

SUMMARY

Ethnic-specific body mass index cut-off points for overweight and obesity in girls

J Scott Duncan, Elizabeth K Duncan, Grant Schofield

This study follows on from a previous publication that demonstrated the considerable differences in body fat at a given height and weight in girls from NZs five major ethnic groups. As our current classification system depends on a weight-based index (BMI), this means that our estimates of overweight and obesity in girls could be inaccurate. In this paper, we provide the first ethnic-adjusted BMI thresholds for detecting overweight and obesity in Maori, Pacific Island, East Asian, and South Asian girls. We conclude that current BMI thresholds should be lowered for South and East Asian girls and raised for Maori and Pacific Island girls to represent the same level of body fatness as European girls. Such changes could result in dramatic changes to our understanding of obesity in these population groups.

SUMMARY

Addictive overeating: lessons learned from medical students’ perceptions of Overeaters Anonymous

Ria Schroder, Doug Sellman, Jane Elmslie

Obesity is a serious and debilitating medical condition which can impair both physical and psychological health. Addictive behaviours, especially tobacco smoking and compulsive alcohol use are accepted as important causes of ill health in modern society. To conceive that something as fundamental to human survival as food has the potential to trigger compulsive behaviour that may seriously compromise health and wellbeing is perhaps counterintuitive. This study viewed the concept of addictive overeating through the eyes of a group of fifth-year medical students who attended Overeaters Anonymous meetings as part of their course requirements. The study findings highlight the value of developing empathy in trainee doctors towards patients with obesity and suggest that exposure to groups such as Overeaters Anonymous during training may better equip doctors and other health professionals to become more therapeutically effective with this major health problem.

SUMMARY

Overweight and obesity prevalence among adult Pacific peoples and Europeans in the Diabetes Heart and Health Study (DHAHS) 2002–2003, Auckland New Zealand

Gerhard Sundborn, Patricia A Metcalf, Dudley Gentles, Robert Scragg, Lorna Dyall, Peter Black, Rod Jackson

This paper describes and compares proportions of overweight and obese Pacific (Samoan, Tongan, Niue, Cook Islands) and European New Zealanders who participated in the DHAHS 2002-2003 survey. 1011 Pacific people were surveyed of whom almost all are now overweight or obese.

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