Cold New Zealand Council Housing Getting an Upgrade

As people spend most of their time at home, residential thermal conditions are important. Central government debate about minimum temperature requirements for rental properties requires an evidence base of indoor temperature data. We collected temperature, humidity and energy data from 49 council housing dwellings in Wellington over winter, and self-reported thermal comfort and heating behaviour. Mean indoor temperature was 14.9°C, colder than the national average, with 67% of readings under 16°C, which the World Health Organization associates with health implications. With New Zealand’s high rate of excess winter mortality and children hospitalised for housing-related diseases, cold housing should be addressed

Takatāpui/LGBTIQ+ People’s Experiences of Homelessness and Sex Work in Aotearoa New Zealand

At present, there is limited research on the intersection of sex work, takatāpui/LGBTIQ+ communities, and experiences of homelessness in Aotearoa New Zealand. This paper helps to bridge this gap, exploring how takatāpui/LGBTIQ+ people who had been failed by the welfare state engaged in sex work during periods of homelessness, and expressed agency in difficult circumstances. Specifically, we look at sex and sex work as a means to secure basic needs, and in the context of exploitative relationships; the emotional effects of sex work; and safety and policing. A stronger welfare state is needed to provide sufficient support for people to realise an adequate standard of living and treat them with dignity and respect

Interim estimates of the effectiveness of seasonal trivalent inactivated influenza vaccine in preventing influenza hospitalisations and primary care visits in Auckland, New Zealand, in 2014

We present preliminary results of influenza vaccine effectiveness (VE) in New Zealand using a case test- negative design for 28 April to 31 August 2014. VE adjusted for age and time of admission among all ages against severe acute respiratory illness hospital presentation due to laboratory-confirmed influenza was 54% (95% CI: 19 to 74) and specifically against A(H1N1) pdm09 was 65% (95% CI:33 to 81). For influenza-con- firmed primary care visits, VE was 67% (95% CI: 48 to 79) overall and 73% (95% CI: 50 to 85) against A(H1N1) pdm09

Effectiveness of seasonal trivalent inactivated influenza vaccine in preventing influenza hospitalisations and primary care visits in Auckland, New Zealand, in 2013

This study reports the first vaccine effectiveness (VE) estimates for the prevention of general practice visits and hospitalisations for laboratory-confirmed influenza from an urban population in Auckland, New Zealand, in the same influenza season (2013). A case test-negative design was used to estimate propensity-adjusted VE in both hospital and community settings. Patients with a severe acute respiratory infection (SARI) or influenza-like illness (ILI) were defined as requiring hospitalisation (SARI) or attending a general practice (ILI) with a history of fever or measured temperature ≥38 °C, cough and onset within the past 10 days. Those who tested positive for influenza virus were cases while those who tested negative were controls. Results were analysed to 7 days post symptom onset and adjusted for the propensity to be vaccinated and the timing during the influenza season. Influenza vaccination provided 52% (95%CI: 32 to 66) protection against laboratory-confirmed influenza hospitalisation and 56% (95%CI: 34 to 70) against presenting to general practice with influenza. VE estimates were similar for all typeand subtypes. This study found moderate effectiveness of influenza vaccine against medically attended and hospitalised influenza in New Zealand, a temperate, southern hemisphere country during the 2013 winter season

Effects of improved home heating on asthma in community dwelling children: randomised controlled trial

Objective To assess whether non-polluting, more effective home heating (heat pump, wood pellet burner, flued gas) has a positive effect on the health of children with asthma

Statistical Causality in participant unblinded randomised community trials.

Introduction: The double-blinded randomised control trial (RCT) has been developed in order to provide gold standard estimation of causal effects. However, in many circumstances it is impossible to design studies that meet this standard of blinding and hence this potentially introduces a placebo effect. One example of a study where it was impossible to blind the participants was the Heating Housing and Health Study (HHHS); the intervention was the installation of modern, efficient heaters in the participants’ homes. The statistical models used explicitly assume there is no placebo effect. Method: In order to clarify the meaning of the placebo effect, we defined the contrast between the placebo effects from assignment to the treatment group and the placebo effects of assignment to the control group as the Assignment Effect. Using this definition we developed three approaches, which allow the explicit assumption of such an assignment effect. Using the HHHS as a worked example, we explored three different approaches; Dummy outcome variables, where the intervention is assumed to have no effect, but we assume that these variables have similar assignment effects. The observed changes in such variables are estimates of the assignment effect. Secondly, we attempt to directly measure the susceptibility to this assignment effect by the use of proxy variables of assignment susceptibility. Intermediate Variables. We measure the assignment effect by looking at the effects that are unexplained by changes in the intermediate variables. (In the HHHS example the direct effect of the intervention should be largely due to a rise in temperature, hence we estimate the assignment effect by health effects unexplained by temperature) Results: We explore, through both simulated and real data, the implications of these approaches and then give recommendations on what is needed in order to use models with an assumption of an assignment effect. Combining these approaches in a Bayesian framework, we have calculated estimates of the assignment effect and updated the intervention effects in the HHHS. While the assignment effect itself was not significant with an OR (Odds Ratio) of 0.86 (0.63 to 1.20), there was little change in the size of the intervention effect for Dry Cough at night from OR= 0.50 (0.32 to 0.79) to OR= 0.53 (0.28 to 0.98), but a large reduction in the effect of the intervention on self-reported poor health from 0.46 (0.30 to 0.71) to 0.70 (0.30 to 1.63). Conclusion: We recommend that analyses of single-blinded RCTs include a sensitivity analysis that assumes an assignment effect. We show how, with carefully chosen assumptions, it is possible to use data already collected, and a Bayesian modelling approach, to give informative estimates of the likely size of the assignment effect and hence provide a better estimate of the true effect of the intervention in participant unblinded RCTs

Housing, Instability, and Discrimination amongst Takatāpui/LGBTIQ+ Youth in Aotearoa New Zealand

Takatāpui/LGBTIQ+ people’s housing experiences are poorly understood in Aotearoa, New Zealand, including those of young people. We use data from an online survey to investigate experiences of homelessness, involuntary mobility, and housing-related discrimination amongst Takatāpui/LGBTIQ+ youth (n = 334). Multiple linear regression analysis shows a significant relationship between homelessness scores and experience of state care, involuntary mobility, and housing discrimination. Furthermore, these young people had high rates of poverty (57% reporting an annual income below NZD 20,000), involuntary mobility (56%), housing-related discrimination (55%), and lifetime experiences of homelessness (31%). These findings highlight the difficulties that Takatāpui/LGBTIQ+ young people face in the housing market, emphasising the need for targeted programs and policies to meet their needs and prevent homelessness from occurring

Housing, Instability, and Discrimination amongst Takatāpui/LGBTIQ+ Youth in Aotearoa New Zealand

Takatāpui/LGBTIQ+ people’s housing experiences are poorly understood in Aotearoa, New Zealand, including those of young people. We use data from an online survey to investigate experiences of homelessness, involuntary mobility, and housing-related discrimination amongst Takatāpui/LGBTIQ+ youth (n = 334). Multiple linear regression analysis shows a significant relationship between homelessness scores and experience of state care, involuntary mobility, and housing discrimination. Furthermore, these young people had high rates of poverty (57% reporting an annual income below NZD 20,000), involuntary mobility (56%), housing-related discrimination (55%), and lifetime experiences of homelessness (31%). These findings highlight the difficulties that Takatāpui/LGBTIQ+ young people face in the housing market, emphasising the need for targeted programs and policies to meet their needs and prevent homelessness from occurring

Entertainment education: Communicating public health messages through dance

Public health communication, if done well, can make a significant positive contribution to people’s health. Entertainment education provides audiences with a creative and pleasurable experience to promote uptake of key messages. ‘Dance Your PhD’ entry views outnumber the majority of journal article citations, so the first author chose to partake in the competition to raise awareness of the poor quality of New Zealand housing and its impact on wellbeing, and explore non-traditional methods to communicate research findings. A range of dance styles were utilised in the film including contemporary, reggaeton, disco and salsa to illustrate various concepts including water ingress and mouldy housing conditions negatively impacting health. In a short timeframe, the dance film received a relatively large number of views on YouTube. Non-traditional forms of communicating research should be readily considered, as they provide a quick, accessible and memorable way of disseminating messages to a wide audience and can improve health literacy