Issue

Vol 128 No 1417: 3 July 2015

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Issue Summary

SUMMARY

Getting serious about protecting New Zealand children against unhealthy food marketing

Stefanie Vandevijvere, Boyd Swinburn

Reducing childhood obesity is now a high priority for Government and New Zealand society, and foremost in these efforts should be getting serious about protecting children from being targeted by sophisticated marketing for the very foods and beverages that are making them fat. The marketing of unhealthy food products to children is powerful, pervasive, and predatory. Previous studies in New Zealand found that food marketing targeted at children through various media is predominantly for unhealthy food products. Statutory comprehensive regulations providing full protections for children against unhealthy food marketing are recommended, but strengthening voluntary codes into a more quasi-regulatory system would allow food companies to clearly demonstrate their commitments to become part of the solution for New Zealands unacceptably high rate of childhood obesity.

SUMMARY

An audit on the appropriate use of faecal calprotectin testing within the Taranaki DHB: a case for a more discerning approach

Sean Lance, Campbell White

This audit aimed to explore the current use of faecal calprotectin (a marker of bowel inflammation) in the Taranaki DHB area. It is a highly sensitive test, so correct use can be extremely useful in excluding inflammatory bowel disease. However, due to poor specificity, inappropriate use can lead to a number of unnecessary investigations. Local development of guidelines around its use will help to ensure the test is used appropriately and patients achieve the maximum benefit from it.

SUMMARY

Socioeconomic factors correlating with community antimicrobial prescribing

Genevieve Walls, Alain C Vandal, Tanya du Plessis, Veronica Playle, David J Holland

Increasing resistance of bacteria to antibiotics is a serious concern worldwide and in New Zealand. Increased bacterial resistance is linked to high numbers of community antibiotic prescriptions. New Zealand has surprisingly high rates of community antibiotic prescribing, which need to be decreased. Within New Zealand, Counties Manukau District Health Board (DHB) has the highest rate of community antibiotic prescribing. We hypothesised that there might be socioeconomic factors that influence antibiotic prescribing in our DHB. This paper showed that a higher ratio of number of people in a house to bedrooms in the house (which might indicate crowding) was associated with higher rates of antibiotic prescriptions. There may be a number of reasons for this association and further research is needed in other DHBs and within Counties Manukau DHB.

SUMMARY

Standardised (plain) packaging: the time for implementation has come

Janet Hoek, Richard Edwards, Mike Daube

Although a growing number of countries have passed legislation to introduce standardised (or plain) packaging, New Zealands legislation is currently stalled. The research evidence supporting standardised packaging is strong; furthermore, evaluations from Australia, the first country to introduce this measure, show standardised packaging is reducing the appeal of smoking. Tobacco consumption in Australia has also fallen since the introduction of standardised packaging. The government should reassert its commitment to New Zealands smokefree 2025 goal by recognising the Australian evidence and passing and implementing standardised packaging as soon as possible.

SUMMARY

Inequities in provision of seizure care across the Wellington Region

Purwa Joshi, Eloise Watson, Ian Rosemergy, Sisira Jayathissa

All patients presenting with a first seizure and those with repeated seizures should ideally be reviewed by a neurologist. We wanted to determine whether adult patients presenting with a seizure to the emergency department of Wellington Hospital and Hutt Hospital in the Wellington region were equally likely to be referred to a neurologist. This study showed that patients presenting to Hutt Hospital were less likely to be referred to a neurologist than those presenting to Wellington Hospital.

SUMMARY

Childhood obesity in New Zealand

Steven Kelly, Boyd Swinburn

New Zealand has an unacceptably high rate of childhood obesity at 11 percent of children. The cause is due to an over consumption of food particularly in the form of junk food. To reverse this serious problem an all of society approach with leadership from the government is going to be required. The consequence of ignoring the problem will threaten the future viability of the health service.

ALL ARTICLES
SUMMARY

Glibenclamide, metformin, and insulin for the treatment of gestational diabetes

Milk

Getting serious about protecting New Zealand children against unhealthy food marketing

Stefanie Vandevijvere, Boyd Swinburn

An audit on the appropriate use of faecal calprotectin testing within the Taranaki DHB: a case for a more discerning approach

Sean Lance, Campbell White

Socioeconomic factors correlating with community antimicrobial prescribing

Genevieve Walls, Alain C Vandal, Tanya du Plessis, Veronica Playle, David J Holland

The incidence of acute rheumatic fever in New Zealand, 2010–2013

Jason Gurney, Diana Sarfati, James Stanley, Nigel Wilson, Rachel Webb

Standardised (plain) packaging: the time for implementation has come

Janet Hoek, Richard Edwards, Mike Daube

Re: Physician-assisted dying – a survey of Waikato general practitioners

David Richmond

Inequities in provision of seizure care across the Wellington Region

Purwa Joshi, Eloise Watson, Ian Rosemergy, Sisira Jayathissa

Seasonal variability in sepsis hospitalisations

Timothy Ore, Paul Ireland

Clinical governance and point-of-care testing at health provider level

Geoffrey Herd, Samarina Musaad

Electronic cigarettes appealing quit aids for young adult smokers

Marewa Glover, Hayden McRobbie

Oculosympathetic paresis

Ji Young Moon, Yeon-Hee Lee, Hyo Jin Lee

Trends in medical student research and publishing

Yassar Alamri

Childhood obesity in New Zealand

Steven Kelly, Boyd Swinburn

Reversible diabetes insipidus in a patient with multiple myeloma

James AD Shand, Nicole McGrath

SUMMARY

Getting serious about protecting New Zealand children against unhealthy food marketing

Stefanie Vandevijvere, Boyd Swinburn

Reducing childhood obesity is now a high priority for Government and New Zealand society, and foremost in these efforts should be getting serious about protecting children from being targeted by sophisticated marketing for the very foods and beverages that are making them fat. The marketing of unhealthy food products to children is powerful, pervasive, and predatory. Previous studies in New Zealand found that food marketing targeted at children through various media is predominantly for unhealthy food products. Statutory comprehensive regulations providing full protections for children against unhealthy food marketing are recommended, but strengthening voluntary codes into a more quasi-regulatory system would allow food companies to clearly demonstrate their commitments to become part of the solution for New Zealands unacceptably high rate of childhood obesity.

SUMMARY

An audit on the appropriate use of faecal calprotectin testing within the Taranaki DHB: a case for a more discerning approach

Sean Lance, Campbell White

This audit aimed to explore the current use of faecal calprotectin (a marker of bowel inflammation) in the Taranaki DHB area. It is a highly sensitive test, so correct use can be extremely useful in excluding inflammatory bowel disease. However, due to poor specificity, inappropriate use can lead to a number of unnecessary investigations. Local development of guidelines around its use will help to ensure the test is used appropriately and patients achieve the maximum benefit from it.

SUMMARY

Socioeconomic factors correlating with community antimicrobial prescribing

Genevieve Walls, Alain C Vandal, Tanya du Plessis, Veronica Playle, David J Holland

Increasing resistance of bacteria to antibiotics is a serious concern worldwide and in New Zealand. Increased bacterial resistance is linked to high numbers of community antibiotic prescriptions. New Zealand has surprisingly high rates of community antibiotic prescribing, which need to be decreased. Within New Zealand, Counties Manukau District Health Board (DHB) has the highest rate of community antibiotic prescribing. We hypothesised that there might be socioeconomic factors that influence antibiotic prescribing in our DHB. This paper showed that a higher ratio of number of people in a house to bedrooms in the house (which might indicate crowding) was associated with higher rates of antibiotic prescriptions. There may be a number of reasons for this association and further research is needed in other DHBs and within Counties Manukau DHB.

SUMMARY

Standardised (plain) packaging: the time for implementation has come

Janet Hoek, Richard Edwards, Mike Daube

Although a growing number of countries have passed legislation to introduce standardised (or plain) packaging, New Zealands legislation is currently stalled. The research evidence supporting standardised packaging is strong; furthermore, evaluations from Australia, the first country to introduce this measure, show standardised packaging is reducing the appeal of smoking. Tobacco consumption in Australia has also fallen since the introduction of standardised packaging. The government should reassert its commitment to New Zealands smokefree 2025 goal by recognising the Australian evidence and passing and implementing standardised packaging as soon as possible.

SUMMARY

Inequities in provision of seizure care across the Wellington Region

Purwa Joshi, Eloise Watson, Ian Rosemergy, Sisira Jayathissa

All patients presenting with a first seizure and those with repeated seizures should ideally be reviewed by a neurologist. We wanted to determine whether adult patients presenting with a seizure to the emergency department of Wellington Hospital and Hutt Hospital in the Wellington region were equally likely to be referred to a neurologist. This study showed that patients presenting to Hutt Hospital were less likely to be referred to a neurologist than those presenting to Wellington Hospital.

SUMMARY

Childhood obesity in New Zealand

Steven Kelly, Boyd Swinburn

New Zealand has an unacceptably high rate of childhood obesity at 11 percent of children. The cause is due to an over consumption of food particularly in the form of junk food. To reverse this serious problem an all of society approach with leadership from the government is going to be required. The consequence of ignoring the problem will threaten the future viability of the health service.

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