The rise and fall of excess winter mortality in New Zealand from 1876 to 2020.

Excess winter mortality (EWM) has been used as a measure of how well populations and policy moderate the health effects of cold weather. We aimed to investigate long-term changes in the EWM of Aotearoa New Zealand (NZ), and potential drivers of change, and to test for structural breaks in trends. We calculated NZ EWM indices from 1876 (4,698 deaths) to 2020 (33,310 deaths), total and by age-group and sex, comparing deaths from June to September (the coldest months) to deaths from February to May and October to January.

Protecting school communities from COVID-19 and other infectious disease outbreaks: the urgent need for healthy schools in Aotearoa New Zealand.

Nil.

He Kāinga Oranga: reflections on 25 years of measuring the improved health, wellbeing and sustainability of healthier housing.

This paper reflects on the influences and outcomes of He Kāinga Oranga/Housing and Health Research Programme over 25 years, and their impact on housing and health policy in Aotearoa and internationally. Working in partnership particularly with Māori and Pasifika communities, we have conducted randomised control trials which have shown the health and broad co-benefits of retrofitted insulation, heating and remediation of home hazards, which have underpinned government policy in the Warm Up NZ-Heat Smart programme and the Healthy Homes Standards for rental housing. These trials have been included as evidence in the WHO Housing and Health Guidelines and led to our designation as a WHO Collaborating Centre on Housing and Wellbeing.

Problematic Social Media Use and Its Relationship with Depression or Anxiety: A Systematic Review.

There has been a notable increase in social media and Internet use over recent decades, not only for social interaction or entertainment, but also for working and meeting tools, as seen during the COVID-19 pandemic. A relationship between this usage and the development of mental illness is frequently hypothesized, but a few studies have empirical findings. This study is a systematic review of the relationship between social media use and depression or anxiety.

Retrofitting home insulation reduces incidence and severity of chronic respiratory disease.

To assess whether retrofitting home insulation can reduce the risk of respiratory disease incidence and exacerbation, a retrospective cohort study was undertaken using linked data from a national intervention program. The study population was made up of 1 004 795 residents from 205 001 New Zealand houses that received an insulation subsidy though a national Energy Efficiency and Conservation Authority program. A difference-in-difference model compared changes in the number of prescriptions dispensed for respiratory illness post- insulation to a control population over the same timeframe.

Indoor air quality, largely neglected and in urgent need of a refresh.

Nil.

Liquid-Immersion Reprocessing Effects on Filtration Efficiency of 'Single-Use' Commercial Medical Face Masks.

Purpose: Medical masks have inferior filtration efficiency and fit to filtering facepiece respirators (FFRs) but are widely used in healthcare and the community. These masks are intended for disposal after use but in the event of mask shortage re-use after reprocessing may be an option. We investigated eight reprocessing methods that each involved washing or soaking in liquid, are likely to eliminate respiratory viruses, and are safe and available in most community and healthcare settings.

Potential lessons from the Taiwan and New Zealand health responses to the COVID-19 pandemic.

Approaches to preventing or mitigating the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic have varied markedly between nations. We examined the approach up to August 2020 taken by two jurisdictions which had successfully eliminated COVID-19 by this time: Taiwan and New Zealand. Taiwan reported a lower COVID-19 incidence rate (20.

COVID-19 outbreaks in Aotearoa New Zealand: urgent action is required to address systematic causes and consequences of border failures.

Between August and November 2020, Aotearoa New Zealand experienced eight known failures of the COVID-19 border control system. Multiple introductions of this highly transmissible virus into New Zealand's almost completely susceptible population present a high risk of uncontrollable spread, threatening New Zealand's elimination strategy. In this editorial, we propose that, although steps are being taken reactively in response to these known breaches, systematic underestimation of risk across the pandemic response makes future failures inevitable.

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.

Renting Poorer Housing: Ecological Relationships Between Tenure, Dwelling Condition, and Income and Housing-Sensitive Hospitalizations in a Developed Country.

Background: Previous research has shown two-way associations between rental tenure, poorer housing quality, and health outcomes, but little research has looked at relative housing contributions to health outcomes.

Aims: We investigated whether tenure and/or dwelling condition were associated with housing-sensitive hospitalizations and whether any association differed by income.

Method: Using a data set of housing characteristics matched to hospitalization records, rental tenure data, and income quintiles, we modeled differences in housing-sensitive hospitalization rates by ecological-level tenure and housing condition, controlling for age-group and mean temperatures.

Case-Fatality Risk Estimates for COVID-19 Calculated by Using a Lag Time for Fatality.

We estimated the case-fatality risk for coronavirus disease cases in China (3.5%); China, excluding Hubei Province (0.8%); 82 countries, territories, and areas (4.

Evidence base for a housing warrant of fitness.

Substandard housing is a major public health issue in New Zealand. Approximately, two-thirds of the housing stock is uninsulated and many homes are inadequately heated, with an average indoor temperature of 14.5°C.

Why don't owners improve their homes? Results from a survey following a housing warrant-of-fitness assessment for health and safety.

Objective: To assess homeowners' intentions to make voluntary improvements to their homes following a warrant-of-fitness (WOF) assessment to highlight health and safety issues.

Methods: We recruited 83 homeowners, including nine landlords, in Taranaki, New Zealand, who agreed to have a WOF assessment carried out on their homes. We interviewed 40 of the homeowners to ascertain what improvements they planned to make, and barriers to improving their homes.

Impact of improved insulation and heating on mortality risk of older cohort members with prior cardiovascular or respiratory hospitalisations.

Objectives: We carried out an evaluation of a large-scale New Zealand retrofit programme using administrative data that provided the statistical power to assess the effect of insulation and/or heating retrofits on cardiovascular and respiratory-related mortality in people aged 65 and over with prior respiratory or circulatory hospitalisations.

Design: Quasi-experimental cohort study based on administrative data.

Setting: New Zealand.

Measuring the Effect of Housing Quality Interventions: The Case of the New Zealand "Rental Warrant of Fitness".

In New Zealand, as in many other countries, housing in the private-rental sector is in worse condition than in the owner-occupier housing sector. New Zealand residential buildings have no inspection regime after original construction signoff. Laws and regulations mandating standards for existing residential housing are outdated and spread over a range of instruments.

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.

Novel use of three administrative datasets to establish a cohort for environmental health research.

Background: In recent years publications have called for increased use of administrative data for research; predicted that use would rise; and discussed possible ethical parameters for that use. This paper describes the novel combination of three administrative datasets to create a population cohort for environmental health research, and investigates the potential use of a national health register as a total population denominator.

Methods: We matched a national health register (the New Zealand national health index or NHI) to Quotable Value New Zealand Ltd (QV) nationwide residential dwelling data, and to hospital admissions data, to create a national matched cohort with health outcomes for the period 2000 - 2006.

Increasing incidence of serious infectious diseases and inequalities in New Zealand: a national epidemiological study.

Background: Although the burden of infectious diseases seems to be decreasing in developed countries, few national studies have measured the total incidence of these diseases. We aimed to develop and apply a robust systematic method for monitoring the epidemiology of serious infectious diseases.

Methods: We did a national epidemiological study with all hospital admissions for infectious and non-infectious diseases in New Zealand from 1989 to 2008, to investigate trends in incidence and distribution by ethnic group and socioeconomic status.

Differential mortality rates by ethnicity in 3 influenza pandemics over a century, New Zealand.

Evidence suggests that indigenous populations have suffered disproportionately from past influenza pandemics. To examine any such patterns for Māori in New Zealand, we searched the literature and performed new analyses by using additional datasets. The Māori death rate in the 1918 pandemic (4,230/100,000 population) was 7.