Time for time off? Secondary public holiday shows minimal net hospitalisation benefit.

Background: We aimed to use New Zealand's Anzac Day to test the public health effect of secondary public holidays; and to use weekly hospitalisation counts to identify which dates were more health suitable for a potential new public holiday.

Methods: We conducted a retrospective population cohort study of hospital admissions in New Zealand between 23 April and 27 May 1988-2018. We compared acute and arranged hospitalisation and mortality rates in holiday (Anzac Day Monday to Friday) and non-holiday (Anzac Day Saturday or Sunday) years, for mid-week holidays and long weekends; and measured total weekly average acute and arranged hospitalisation counts.

Modelled seasonal influenza mortality shows marked differences in risk by age, sex, ethnicity and socioeconomic position in New Zealand.

Objectives: Influenza is responsible for a large number of deaths which can only be estimated using modelling methods. Such methods have rarely been applied to describe the major socio-demographic characteristics of this disease burden.

Methods: We used quasi Poisson regression models with weekly counts of deaths and isolates of influenza A, B and respiratory syncytial virus for the period 1994 to 2008.

Estimating the contribution of influenza to hospitalisations in New Zealand from 1994 to 2008.

Background: Influenza has a substantially but poorly measured impact on population health. Estimating its true contribution to hospitalisations remains a challenge.

Methods: We used simple and comprehensive negative binomial regression models with weekly counts of hospitalisations and isolates of influenza A, B and respiratory syncytial virus for the period 1994- 2008.