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Ministry of Health - Health Improvement & Innovation Digest


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Issue 331 - 16 October 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.


You can forward this newsletter to others who may be interested in receiving it. They can register and subscribe here. You can also access other recent issues of the digest here.


If you have any queries, please email us at library@health.govt.nz.


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.


Health Equity (New Zealand)


Utilisation of specialist mental health and addiction services in New Zealand: a comparative analysis of refugees with the general populationThis study, published in BMC Health Services Research, describes and compares the utilisation rates of specialist mental health and addiction (MH) services between different refugee groups and the New Zealand (NZ) resident population.


Outcomes for Pacific families during the COVID-19 pandemic: a cohort study of Pacific Whānau Ora dataThis national cohort study, published in the Pacific Health Dialog, investigated Pacific families’ levels of wellbeing and engagement with Pasifika Futures and levels of need for Whānau Ora (WO) services during the COVID-19 pandemic.



Indigenous and ethnic minority health and wellbeing microcredential courses can offer a time-efficient and effective foundation for developing cultural competency for health professionals serving diverse patient populations. These courses can be a valuable component of ongoing professional development and may also serve as a pathway to further education. This scoping review, published in the Pacific Health Dialog, provides an overview of accredited microcredentials focused on Indigenous and ethnic minority health and wellbeing currently available across English-speaking countries in North America and Oceania.



The healthcare needs of people living in areas of high deprivation are complicated by the cumulative effect of the sociodemographic factors known to impact on health outcomes, such as income, housing and education. Of note, for people living in more deprived areas, life expectancy is shorter and the onset of chronic disease and multimorbidity occurs much earlier. The objective of this study, published in Palliative Care and Social Practice, was to identify associations between area deprivation and the use of generalist and specialist palliative care services in the last year of life.



Health inequalities (HI) are systematic and avoidable disparities. While many public health interventions target HI reduction, their impact is not always evaluated. This scoping review, published in Public Health, assessed the extent to which economic indicators and methods are used to evaluate HI reduction in complex health interventions.


Health Equity (International)


Structural racism is increasingly recognized as a fundamental cause of health inequities. It operates through laws, institutional policies, and systemic practices that disproportionately disadvantage racially and ethnically minoritized populations. Although the body of evidence on structural racism and health is expanding, much of it remains fragmented across disciplines and sectors. This scoping review, published in the International Journal for Equity in Health, synthesised peer-reviewed research by examining the pathways through which structural racism affects health, the most frequent outcomes, and the interventions and policies implemented to address these disparities.


Nutrition & Physical Activity (International)


Children of families with low socioeconomic status (SES) are at higher risk for obesity and obesity-related lifestyle behaviors. This review, published in the Journal of Obesity, aims to identify changeable determinants of obesity and obesity-related lifestyle behaviors in children aged 0-12, with a focus on those specific to low SES.


Childhood obesity and poor dietary habits represent significant public health challenges globally. Schools provide a crucial environment for interventions promoting physical activity and healthy eating behaviors due to their extensive reach and influential role in child development. This overview, published in Scientific Reports, aims to synthesize evidence on the effectiveness of school-based interventions promoting physical activity and healthy eating behaviours among school-aged children, examining the role of behaviour change techniques (BCTs) and behavioural determinants influencing their success.


Quality Improvement (International)

The objective of this study, published in Age and Ageing, was to investigate if a multi-component hospital avoidance intervention would reduce hospital bed days in residential aged care (RAC) homes.


Public Health (New Zealand)

This paper, published in the New Zealand Medical Journal, addresses the evidence on the health impacts of climate change in Aotearoa New Zealand with particular attention to who, where and what activities are most vulnerable.


Cancer Services (International)

Patient navigation services can substantially boost participation in colorectal cancer screening and follow-up. As part of the Accelerating Colorectal Cancer Screening and follow-up through Implementation Science (ACCSIS) consortium, this study, published in Cancer, describes facilitators, barriers, and context-specific adaptations to sustainably deliver navigation in diverse settings.


Cardiovascular Disease and Diabetes (New Zealand)

The objective of this study, published in The Australian Journal of Rural Health, was to examine the demographic differences between individuals with Type 2 Diabetes (T2D) enrolled in rural and urban clinics and evaluate the quality of care they receive.


Primary Health Care (New Zealand)

This study, published in The Australian Journal of Rural Health, aimed to explore healthcare experiences of transgender and gender diverse (TGD) individuals, their whānau (family), and primary care clinicians in rural Aotearoa New Zealand.


Primary Health Care (International)


The terms coproduction, co‐creation and codesign (called the ‘Three‐Cs’ in this article) are applied to activities that include stakeholders in the design and implementation of health services. This scoping review, published in Health Expectations, sought to understand how Three‐Cs approaches have been designed and implemented sustainably in the primary health care context.


In the past, reviews have found high levels of variability in physician consultation times across the globe in general patients attending primary care consultations. The matter remains a pressing public health policy topic, given that some health systems put pressure to decrease time physicians may spend with their patients. Little is presently known about the consultation time needs in specific potentially vulnerable populations including patients with disabilities, multimorbid conditions, older adults, patients from lower socioeconomic status, and patients in need of an interpreter. This systematic review, published in the Journal of Family Medicine and Primary Care, explores of the consultation time needs of these populations in order to better understand their needs and to reduce equity issues in accessibility to healthcare.


Primary Mental Health (New Zealand)

This study, published in the New Zealand Medical Journal, aimed to estimate rates and factors associated with eating disorder risk in transgender youth, and to explore the association between this risk and unmet need for gender-affirming hormone therapy (GAHT).


Smoking Cessation (New Zealand)

The WHO's Framework Convention on Tobacco Control (FCTC) obligates Parties to reduce tobacco use among Indigenous populations, who suffer disproportionate harm from historical and ongoing colonisation. These obligations must be upheld despite challenges like COVID and the tobacco industry's influence. This review, published in Tobacco Control, updates an earlier analysis of the FCTC reports from Australia, Canada and Aotearoa New Zealand, evaluating their progress in fulfilling obligations to Indigenous peoples between 2018 and 2023.


Key Ministry of Health Publications

These guidelines have been prepared to help District Inspectors in the exercise of their powers, duties, and functions.


This document sets out what conformity assessment bodies (CABs) that audit and certify providers of home and community support services (HCSSs) must do to audit and certify these providers against Ngā paerewa Health and disability services standard NZS 8134:2021 (Ngā Paerewa).


Ministry of Health Consultations & Events

HealthCERT is conducting the second two-yearly review of Ngā Paerewa Health and disability services standard (NZS 8134:2021) Sector Guidance to ensure it remains accurate, relevant, and supportive of sector needs. This review is an important opportunity to strengthen the guidance so it is practical, clear, and meets the needs of the sector. Your feedback will help identify what is working well, what could be improved, and how the guidance can better support your work and align with Ngā Paerewa. Feedback is due by 31st October 2025.


Health Sector Initiative

Atu-Mai’s Upstander violence prevention programme is underway with six new community mobilisers this season. As part of Le Va’s primary prevention efforts, the Atu-Mai team has held important training sessions aimed at knowledge sharing and equipping our Upstanders to recognise harm in communities and look at how we can work collectively to prevent it.


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.


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