Issue 316 - 20 February 2025

Welcome to the fortnightly Health Improvement and Innovation Digest. The Digest has links to key evidence of interest, with access to new content arranged by topic.

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Article Access

For articles that aren't open access, contact your Health NZ district library, or organisational or local library for assistance in accessing the full text. If your organisation has a subscription, you may be able to use the icon under full text links in PubMed to access the full article.

Māori Innovation

Reclaiming Indigenous systems of healing: experiences of disabled Māori of Māori-centric health service responses in Aotearoa New Zealand during the COVID-19 pandemic
The impact of the pandemic on Indigenous and disabled people's access to healthcare has resulted in significant disruptions and has exacerbated longstanding inequitable healthcare service delivery. Research within Aotearoa New Zealand has demonstrated that there has been success in the provision of healthcare by Māori for their community; however, the experiences of tāngata whaikaha Māori, disabled Māori, have yet to be considered by researchers. Underpinned by an empowerment theory and Kaupapa Māori methodology, this research, published in BMC Health Services Research, explores the lived realities of tāngata whaikaha Māori or their primary caregivers.

Health Equity (New Zealand)

Indigenous people display lower mental illness stigma in Aotearoa
Mental illness stigma continues to be pervasive and problematic in society. Researchers have attempted to better understand this stigma through investigations into demographic factors that may predict stigma, focusing on factors such as age, ethnicity and education. This study, published in The Australian and New Zealand Journal of Psychiatry, investigated demographic factors in the context of Aotearoa New Zealand, with a particular focus on Māori, the Indigenous people of Aotearoa.

Nutrition & Physical Activity (New Zealand)

A DiRECT approach to weight loss in a culturally diverse, low-income population: Pilot randomised controlled trial and meta-analysis of similar interventions
The aim of this study, published in Diabetes, Obesity & Metabolism, was to consider an intensive lifestyle intervention for weight loss in type 2 diabetes or prediabetes when delivered within a primary care service catering to indigenous (Māori), Pacific, refugee, and low-income clientele.

Nutrition & Physical Activity (International)

Interventions implemented through sporting organisations for promoting healthy behaviour or improving health outcomes
The objective of this Cochrane Review was to assess the benefits and harms of interventions implemented through sporting organisations to promote healthy behaviours (including physical activity, healthy diet) or reduce health risk behaviours (including alcohol consumption, tobacco use).

Precision nutrition‐based interventions for the management of obesity in children and adolescents up to the age of 19 years
The objective of this Cochrane Review was to examine the impact of precision nutrition‐based interventions for the management of obesity in children and adolescents in all their diversity.

Cancer Services (New Zealand)

Pacific Peoples' Experiences of Cancer and Its Treatment in Aotearoa New Zealand Through Talanoa: A Qualitative Study of Samoan and Tongan Participants
In Aotearoa New Zealand, there are inequitable outcomes for Pacific peoples who experience higher rates of preventable cancers and poorer survival compared with other ethnicities. The aim of this study, published in JCO Global Oncology, was to explore Pacific peoples lived experience of cancer and its treatment in the Auckland setting.

The potential of a population register for addressing health inequities: an observational study using data linkage to improve breast cancer screening enrolment and participation in Indigenous Māori women in Aotearoa New Zealand
Breast cancer screening in Aotearoa New Zealand (NZ) still has persistent inequitable coverage by ethnicity, especially for Indigenous Māori women. This project, published in BMC Health Services Research, aimed to undertake systematic data linkage to identify and invite eligible Māori women to participate in breast screening.

Cardiovascular Disease and Diabetes (New Zealand)

Barriers and enablers of access to diabetes eye care in Auckland, New Zealand: a qualitative study
The objective of this study, published in BMJ Open, was to explore the barriers and enablers to accessing diabetes eye care services among adults in Auckland.

Primary Health Care (International)

Possible connections between health equity and primary health care: a scoping review
According to the literature, primary health care plays a major role in the dissemination and operation of the principle of health equity. The study, published in BMC Public Health, investigated how health equity is connected with primary care and public health policies in the national and international literature.

Primary Mental Health (New Zealand)

Mai mana: Exploring Pacific peoples' experiences of resilience in Aotearoa
This study, published in Cultural Diversity & Ethnic Minority Psychology, sought to identify the contribution of different facets of resilience to Pacific peoples in Aotearoa New Zealand's mental health and well-being and to explore the construct of resilience in the light of COVID-19 lockdowns.

Primary Mental Health (International)

Prevention of self‐harm and suicide in young people up to the age of 25 in education settings
The objective of this Cochrane Review was to assess the effects of interventions delivered in educational settings to prevent or address self‐harm and suicidal ideation in young people (up to the age of 25) and examine whether the relative effects on self‐harm and suicide are modified by education setting.

Collaborative care interventions to reduce suicidal behavior among patients with depression or at risk of suicide in primary-care settings: A systematic review and meta-analysis
Suicide is a leading cause of preventable death worldwide. While Collaborative Care (CC) effectively treats depression in primary care led by general practitioners, its impact on reducing suicide behaviour remains uncertain. Additionally, the optimal intensity and duration of CC interventions are unclear. This systematic review and meta-analysis, published in the Journal of Affective Disorders, aimed to evaluate the effect of CC interventions on suicidal behavior in patients with depression or at risk of suicide in primary care settings.

Increased Immunisation (International)

A Bundled, Practice-Based Intervention to Increase HPV Vaccination
Human papillomavirus (HPV) vaccination rates are suboptimal, and missed vaccination opportunities are common. This study, published in Pediatrics, hypothesised that a bundled intervention improves missed HPV vaccination opportunities.

What's in a name? – How migrant populations are classified and why this matters for (in)equitable access to routine childhood and adolescent immunisation services: A scoping review
Migrant populations may be highly susceptible to vaccine-preventable diseases (VPDs) due to factors such as mobility, legal status, and systemic health inequities. This scoping review, published in Vaccine, explores systemic barriers to equitable immunisation services for migrant children and adolescents worldwide.

Smoking Cessation (International)

Incentives for smoking cessation
The objective of this Cochrane Review was to assess the long‐term effects of incentives and contingency management programmes for smoking cessation in mixed and pregnant populations.

Differences in the effectiveness of individual‐level smoking cessation interventions by socioeconomic status
The objective of this Cochrane Review was to assess whether the effects of individual‐level smoking cessation interventions on combustible tobacco cigarette use differ by socioeconomic groups, and their potential impact on health equalities.

Oral Health (International)

Effectiveness of oral health promotion in children and adolescents through behaviour change interventions: A scoping review
The objective of this scoping review, published in PLOS One, was to explore the interventions for change in oral health behaviour that are effective in improving oral health behaviours in 8 to 18-year-old children during oral health promotion.

Disability Services (International)

Self‐management interventions for quality of life in adults with visual impairment
The objective of this Cochrane Review was to assess the effects of self‐management interventions on quality of life in adults with visual impairment compared with inactive or active (usual care) control interventions. 
 

Key Ministry of Health Publications

Interim Government Policy Statement Measures Snapshot Report 2023/24
The Ministry of Health – Manatū Hauora has developed a snapshot report to monitor and report on the progress the health system made on delivery against the Interim Government Policy Statement on Health 2022–2024 (iGPS).

Abortion Services Aotearoa New Zealand: Annual Report 2024
This is the fourth annual report on abortion service the Ministry of Health - Manatū Hauora has published. As the steward of the health system, the Ministry of Health plays an important role in ensuring public safety and quality through our regulatory functions and activities and then monitoring them - including for abortion services. The Abortion Services Aotearoa New Zealand: Annual Report provides a snapshot of abortion services for the 2023 calendar year.

Tatau Kahukura: Māori Health Chart Book 2024
Tatau Kahukura: Māori Health Chart Book 2024 provides reliable and easy-to-access statistical information on key Māori health indicators. Tatau Kahukura has been designed as a tool for all parts of the health sector. The results highlight areas the health system needs to focus on to improve the health of Māori and reduce Māori health inequities.

Public Health Surveillance Strategy 2025–2030
The Public Health Surveillance Strategy 2025-2030 is designed to strengthen our public health surveillance system to better support increased life expectancy with quality of life for New Zealanders. The strategy was a collaboration between the Public Health Agency with the wider Ministry, Health New Zealand, and ESR.

Office of the Director of Mental Health and Addiction Services: Regulatory Report 1 July 2022 to 30 June 2023
The Office of the Director of Mental Health and Addiction Services Regulatory Report 1 July 2022 to 30 June 2023 provides information and statistics relating to the use of compulsory assessment and treatment legislation in Aotearoa New Zealand.

Health Sector Initiatives

First Whānau Āwhina Plunket site in NZ delivering childhood vaccinations
Childhood immunisations are now being delivered at a Whānau Āwhina Plunket site in Whangārei, with other regions soon to also provide the new service. The Plunket Morningside clinic is the first of up to 27 planned to be up and running over the next 18 months in areas where immunisation coverage is particularly low. 

Strengthening Pasifika wellbeing: Healing Centred Care training
In response to key mental health and addiction workforce development needs, Le Va has created Healing Centred Care for Pasifika training.

The information available on or through this newsletter does not represent Ministry of Health policy. It is intended to provide general information to the health sector and the public, and is not intended to address specific circumstances of any particular individual or entity.