Issue

Vol 130 No 1456: 2 June 2017

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Issue Summary

SUMMARY

A kick in the butt: time to address tobacco waste in New Zealand

Scott Metcalfe, Peter Murray, Carsten Schousboe

Tobacco consumption remains a major public health issue in New Zealand. It also generates a lot of waste. Cigarette butts are commonly seen on our streets and are an environmental hazard. Seeing this waste in our outdoor spaces is a visible reminder of tobacco use. Action to reduce this waste may reduce this hazard and support a smokefree Aotearoa New Zealand.

SUMMARY

The combination of bed sharing and maternal smoking leads to a greatly increased risk of sudden unexpected death in infancy: the New Zealand SUDI Nationwide Case Control Study

Edwin A Mitchell, John MD Thompson, Jane Zuccollo, Melanie MacFarlane, Barry Taylor, Dawn Elder, Alistair W Stewart, Teuila Percival, Nick Baker, Gabrielle McDonald, Beverley Lawton, Martin Schlaud, Peter Fleming

This study has shown that many of the risk factors that were identified in the original New Zealand Cot Death Study (1987-1989) are still relevant today. The combination of maternal smoking in pregnancy and bed sharing is extremely hazardous for infants. Furthermore, our findings indicate that the SUDI prevention messages are still applicable today and should be reinforced. SUDI mortality could be reduced to just 7 p.a. in New Zealand (approximately one in 10,000 live births).

SUMMARY

Reduced tobacco consumption, improved diet and life expectancy for 1988–1998: analysis of New Zealand and OECD data

Murray Laugesen, Randolph C Grace

New Zealanders are living much longer due to giving up tobacco smoking in the 1985-1995 period. Diet had an improving effect. In 1988, men were living 3.6 years more than 10 years before, and women 2.8 years more. That is equal to three months gain in life per person over these 10 years. Most of the effect has benefited men. Tobacco consumption per adult fell by 41% in these 10 years. To do that, the price of cigarettes went up 230%, and we started eating more vegetables and fruit and a variety of polyunsaturated fats.

SUMMARY

New Zealand tobacco control experts views towards policies to reduce tobacco availability

Lindsay Robertson, Louise Marsh, Janet Hoek, Rob McGee

We undertook a qualitative research study, which involved in-depth interviews with 25 smokefree experts throughout New Zealand, to explore their views about the importance of reducing tobacco retail supply, on different policy options, and barriers to policy adoption. In the long-term, participants envisaged tobacco only being available at a small number of specialised outlets, either pharmacies or adult-only/R18 stores. To achieve that long-term scenario, participants suggested a sinking-lid policy on licences or a zoning approach could be adopted to gradually reduce outlet density. Policies banning sales at only certain types of outlet were not considered feasible.

SUMMARY

New Zealand doctors and nurses views on legalising assisted dying in New Zealand

Pam Oliver, Michael Wilson, Phillipa Malpas

This study explored the views of New Zealand doctors and nurses on legalising assisted dying (AD), including level of support or opposition for legalisation, willingness to engage in legal AD services, what factors might deter generally willing doctors and nurses from providing AD services and what professional supports were perceived as essential or desirable to enable willing engagement in AD service provision. While a majority of doctors in the sample still opposed legalising AD in New Zealand, a majority of nurses supported legalisation and were willing to participate in AD services. Both doctors and nurses supporting legal AD identified authorised guidelines, accountability processes, professional mentoring and a range of other professional supports as essential to safe practitioner engagement, and overwhelmingly saw it as the responsibility of the medical and nursing professional bodies to ensure the provision of robust professional supports for safe AD services.

SUMMARY

A comparison of the use of interpreters in New Zealand and the US

Ben Gray, Eric J Hardt

This paper compares the provision of interpreters in health care settings in New Zealand and the US. The US has a much stronger right to an interpreter being provided than New Zealand has. It is hard to know how big a problem there is in New Zealand because the census question does not count how many people have limited English proficiency and thus might need an interpreter. Interpreter use in both the US and New Zealand is still not provided in anywhere near all the circumstances when it is needed.

ALL ARTICLES
SUMMARY

A kick in the butt: time to address tobacco waste in New Zealand

Scott Metcalfe, Peter Murray, Carsten Schousboe

Treatment of subclinical hypothyroidism or hypothyroxinemia in pregnancy

Tonsils to Toenails: the life of Pat Cotter, Christchurch surgeon and tree farmer

Geoffrey Rice

The combination of bed sharing and maternal smoking leads to a greatly increased risk of sudden unexpected death in infancy: the New Zealand SUDI Nationwide Case Control Study

Edwin A Mitchell, John MD Thompson, Jane Zuccollo, Melanie MacFarlane, Barry Taylor, Dawn Elder, Alistair W Stewart, Teuila Percival, Nick Baker, Gabrielle McDonald, Beverley Lawton, Martin Schlaud, Peter Fleming

Intramural oesophageal haematoma a rare complication of dabigatran

Jonathan Trip, Peter Hamer, Richard Flint

Reduced tobacco consumption, improved diet and life expectancy for 1988–1998: analysis of New Zealand and OECD data

Murray Laugesen, Randolph C Grace

New Zealand tobacco control experts views towards policies to reduce tobacco availability

Lindsay Robertson, Louise Marsh, Janet Hoek, Rob McGee

Melioidosis with possible Haemophagocytic lymphohistiocytosis

Junaid Beig, Kerry Read, Darren Welch, Hasan Bhally

New Zealand doctors and nurses views on legalising assisted dying in New Zealand

Pam Oliver, Michael Wilson, Phillipa Malpas

A comparison of the use of interpreters in New Zealand and the US

Ben Gray, Eric J Hardt

Caesarean Section

A wealth of tobacco control research in New Zealand: time for the New Zealand Government to do its bit

Frederieke Sanne van der Deen, Nick Wilson

SUMMARY

A kick in the butt: time to address tobacco waste in New Zealand

Scott Metcalfe, Peter Murray, Carsten Schousboe

Tobacco consumption remains a major public health issue in New Zealand. It also generates a lot of waste. Cigarette butts are commonly seen on our streets and are an environmental hazard. Seeing this waste in our outdoor spaces is a visible reminder of tobacco use. Action to reduce this waste may reduce this hazard and support a smokefree Aotearoa New Zealand.

SUMMARY

The combination of bed sharing and maternal smoking leads to a greatly increased risk of sudden unexpected death in infancy: the New Zealand SUDI Nationwide Case Control Study

Edwin A Mitchell, John MD Thompson, Jane Zuccollo, Melanie MacFarlane, Barry Taylor, Dawn Elder, Alistair W Stewart, Teuila Percival, Nick Baker, Gabrielle McDonald, Beverley Lawton, Martin Schlaud, Peter Fleming

This study has shown that many of the risk factors that were identified in the original New Zealand Cot Death Study (1987-1989) are still relevant today. The combination of maternal smoking in pregnancy and bed sharing is extremely hazardous for infants. Furthermore, our findings indicate that the SUDI prevention messages are still applicable today and should be reinforced. SUDI mortality could be reduced to just 7 p.a. in New Zealand (approximately one in 10,000 live births).

SUMMARY

Reduced tobacco consumption, improved diet and life expectancy for 1988–1998: analysis of New Zealand and OECD data

Murray Laugesen, Randolph C Grace

New Zealanders are living much longer due to giving up tobacco smoking in the 1985-1995 period. Diet had an improving effect. In 1988, men were living 3.6 years more than 10 years before, and women 2.8 years more. That is equal to three months gain in life per person over these 10 years. Most of the effect has benefited men. Tobacco consumption per adult fell by 41% in these 10 years. To do that, the price of cigarettes went up 230%, and we started eating more vegetables and fruit and a variety of polyunsaturated fats.

SUMMARY

New Zealand tobacco control experts views towards policies to reduce tobacco availability

Lindsay Robertson, Louise Marsh, Janet Hoek, Rob McGee

We undertook a qualitative research study, which involved in-depth interviews with 25 smokefree experts throughout New Zealand, to explore their views about the importance of reducing tobacco retail supply, on different policy options, and barriers to policy adoption. In the long-term, participants envisaged tobacco only being available at a small number of specialised outlets, either pharmacies or adult-only/R18 stores. To achieve that long-term scenario, participants suggested a sinking-lid policy on licences or a zoning approach could be adopted to gradually reduce outlet density. Policies banning sales at only certain types of outlet were not considered feasible.

SUMMARY

New Zealand doctors and nurses views on legalising assisted dying in New Zealand

Pam Oliver, Michael Wilson, Phillipa Malpas

This study explored the views of New Zealand doctors and nurses on legalising assisted dying (AD), including level of support or opposition for legalisation, willingness to engage in legal AD services, what factors might deter generally willing doctors and nurses from providing AD services and what professional supports were perceived as essential or desirable to enable willing engagement in AD service provision. While a majority of doctors in the sample still opposed legalising AD in New Zealand, a majority of nurses supported legalisation and were willing to participate in AD services. Both doctors and nurses supporting legal AD identified authorised guidelines, accountability processes, professional mentoring and a range of other professional supports as essential to safe practitioner engagement, and overwhelmingly saw it as the responsibility of the medical and nursing professional bodies to ensure the provision of robust professional supports for safe AD services.

SUMMARY

A comparison of the use of interpreters in New Zealand and the US

Ben Gray, Eric J Hardt

This paper compares the provision of interpreters in health care settings in New Zealand and the US. The US has a much stronger right to an interpreter being provided than New Zealand has. It is hard to know how big a problem there is in New Zealand because the census question does not count how many people have limited English proficiency and thus might need an interpreter. Interpreter use in both the US and New Zealand is still not provided in anywhere near all the circumstances when it is needed.

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