Research

Immunisation is a simple, safe and effective way of protecting people against harmful diseases. The rate of childhood immunisation has increased over time and are now declining. Will targeted interventions be effective in raising the immunisation rate and reducing inequities?

This project aims to inform the Government’s priority on improving child well-being. We will analyse the group of children that are not immunised with those that are. We are planning to identify changes and trends over time and space. The results should lead to the identification of groups of children and the areas they live in. This will show locations that will benefit from targeted interventions.

Birth rates across New Zealand are not uniform. The provision of midwifery services is not necessarily aligned with birth rates. This can lead to women not having access to appropriate and local care during a pregnancy. Hence this can have an impact on future child well-being.

This project will use spatial-temporal analysis to explore maternity health outcomes. Also, in what areas do pregnant woman have difficulty accessing maternity care services? And how do the economic, environmental and social factors differ for those that have difficulty?

This project will contribute to the governments’ key priority on improving child well-being and reducing equity. This is done by highlighting the impact of women having timely access to maternity care services.

The increased risk of infectious disease transmission due to overcrowding in the home is an area that is receiving increased attention. This research examined the effect of neighbourhood level household crowding on hospital admissions for Otitis media (glue ear) among children in NZ.

Results indicated that children living in neighbourhoods with a high level of crowding were more at risk of admission to hospital for Otitis media than those living in relatively un-crowded areas after controlling for known individual and environmental risk factors. This research adds weight to the debate surrounding social housing policy and the population health benefits that can be derived from provision of adequate and affordable housing for vulnerable groups in NZ.

The positive effects of access and exposure to greenspace in the urban environment have included increased activity levels, reduced stress and increased mental wellbeing. Emerging research is examining the effect of living close to or being exposed to bluespace such as rivers, lakes and the coast. Does living near these areas increase the well-being of residents or are less deprived and therefore potentially more healthy individuals more likely to be able to afford to live in these desirable places?

This project will determine how where you live and your movement frequency affect life for the people of Lakes DHB. We will focus on Primary Health Organisations (PHO) enrolment, service access/community support, and LTC outcomes/quality of life.

One of the project’s main focuses is the identification of people with limited or irregular interaction with the health services. Reasons such as low-engagement, non-enrolment or transience can play a part. We will also try to identify possible barriers limiting the access to services.

Better access to primary care might lead to a reduction in potentially avoidable hospitalisations (PAH). From 2007, the Ministry of Health identified reducing ASH among children aged 0–4 years in New Zealand as a priority. ASH conditions include, for example, respiratory infections, dental conditions and asthma.

ASH accounts for approximately 30% of all acute and arranged medical and surgical discharges each year. This figure applies to New Zealand children.

A better understanding of ASH rates in relation to healthcare facilities may help inform policy. We will break this down by area-level deprivation, urban classification and ethnicity.

The project results will be of interest for the Ministry of Health contacts. This includes the general managers, the clinical groups, and the stakeholders. As well as everyone involved in the delivery of services.

The Christchurch earthquakes were an event which impacted on the entire population of the City and wider region; however the effects were not uniform. Individuals had vastly different experiences at the time of the devastating Christchurch earthquakes, especially on the 22nd of February 2011, while different individuals, families, neighbourhoods and communities were faced with much different patterns of destruction and ongoing trauma in their lives.

Current research aims to examine the relationship between the mental well-being and exposure to earthquake-related impacts in post-earthquakes Christchurch. Particular emphasis is placed on exploring whether the city has been negatively impacted as a whole or if different groups are suffering more greatly due to their exposure and damage to their home environment and community.

A recent trend in the literature has been on investigating the effects of the built environment on active travel behaviour and related health outcomes.  Research to date has focused mainly on walkability and to a lesser extent bikeability of the built environment.  However, other modes of transport commonly used in daily life such as public transport and car use have received less attention.

One of the main aims of this research is to build on previous research and create GIS based indices of walkability, bikeability, public transport-ability and drive-ability for neighbourhoods in two cities in New Zealand: Auckland and Wellington.  A second aim is to assess how these indices relate to active transport behaviours and health outcomes.

These indices may be used by city planners and policy makers alike in deciding where to situate neighbourhood and community resources as well as identify areas that can be developed to promote more active forms of transport. It is also important for health research to inform why residents of some neighbourhoods actively engage in physical activity in their local environment while others do not.

In New Zealand, the child obesity rate increased from 8% in 2006/07 to 12% in 2016/17. The lifetime cost of obesity is difficult to estimate. Child obesity places a significant burden on health care systems, families, and employers. Non-communicable diseases, for example, showed to impair an individual’s lifetime educational attainment.

It is difficult to see obesity declining when living in built environments that actively encourage weight gain.

Some of these upstream factors, for example the design of the built environment, are not in the control of a child. Therefore it cannot be seen as a result of lifestyle choices by a child.

Previous studies rarely considered aspects of the environment alongside parental risk factors.

This project will investigate the risk of childhood obesity. We are investigating the relationship between the built environment and the parental characteristics. The analysis uses pooled New Zealand Health Survey data.

This project will assist the Protection Regulation and Assurance business unit. We aim to provide statistical information for the physical activity guidelines and justification. This can provide advice on the importance of physical activity to other agencies and Ministers.