Healthier Lives

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Healthier Lives – He Oranga Hauora
Established2015
TypeResearch programme
Location
  • New Zealand
Director
Jim Mann
Budget
$31.26 m NZD
FundingMBIE
Websitehealthierlives.co.nz

Healthier Lives – He Oranga Hauora is one of New Zealand's eleven collaborative research programmes known as National Science Challenges. Running from 2015 to 2024, the focus of Healthier Lives National Science Challenge research is cancer, cardiovascular disease, obesity, and diabetes in the New Zealand population, encompassing prevention, treatment, and reducing health inequity, and including precision medicine techniques, and culturally-centred health programmes for Māori and Pasifika.

Establishment and governance

Walking onto Ōtākou marae at the launch of Healthier Lives on 4 December 2015, Steven Joyce on the far left

The New Zealand Government agreed in August 2012 to fund

Ōtākou Marae on Otago Peninsula on 4 December 2015.[3] HLNSC was to be hosted by the University of Otago, with other research partners around New Zealand including AgResearch, Auckland University of Technology, ESR, the Malaghan Institute of Medical Research, Massey University, the University of Auckland, the University of Canterbury, the University of Waikato and Victoria University of Wellington.[4]

A 4-member Kāhui Māori was established in 2016, and on 19 October this group proposed a co-governance arrangement with the Governance Group, to be trialled for a year; HLNSC became the first National Science Challenge to adopt co-governance. A review in May 2018 endorsed co-governance arrangement and in February 2019 it was formalised in the Collaboration Agreement with other institutions. A single 8-member entity, the Governance Group and Kāhui Māori, was established. In 2020 at the end of the first 5-year funding period Jennifer McMahon stepped down, and Sir Jerry Mateparae was appointed Chair.[5]

Research

The focus of Heathier Lives is four chronic, non-communicable diseases: cancer, cardiovascular disease, obesity, and diabetes, which together account for one third of total death and disability in New Zealand.[6] At the time of establishment, the goal of Healthier Lives was to reduce the overall burden of these diseases on New Zealand's health system by 25% by the year 2025.[3] At the halfway point HLNSC underwent a public consultation process and a research review by six international scientists to develop its 2019–2014 research strategy.[7] This strategy addressed three areas: precision medicine for cancer and cardiovascular disease; culturally-centred health programmes for Māori and Pasifika; and healthy food and physical activity environments. Big or linked data was a focus of research.[6] At the end of the review, MBIE commented that HLNSC had "developed exemplary methods of community engagement, and has co-created 40% of its research with stakeholders, which means implementation of research is more likely."[8]

Precision medicine

A study led by Rod Jackson created new and more accurate equations for predicting the risk of cardiovascular disease. The clinical study of 400,000 New Zealanders aged 30–74 revealed differences in risk from socioeconomic factors and ethnicity: Māori, Pacific, and Indian patients had a 13–48% greater risk of cardiovascular disease than Pākehā, but Chinese and other Asian New Zealanders had a 25–33% lower risk.[9][10] The research replaced risk prediction equations developed from a much earlier US study of just 5,000 people which significantly overestimated risk for the healthy majority, while underestimating risk factors in others, potentially leading to under-treatment of vulnerable, high-risk groups.[10] The Ministry of Health adopted the new equations into its 2018 guidelines[11] and issued a new data standard,[12] which was incorporated into MedTech, the medical records system widely used by New Zealand GPs.

Tanis Godwin, Parry Guilford, and Donghui Zou in Guilford's lab

Healthier Lives has also supported the development of precision medicine techniques, using tumour-derived DNA circulating in the blood (

neuroendocrine cancers to detect early relapse and allow timely treatment.[13][14]

Culturally-centred Māori and Pasifika health programmes

Research led by Nina Scott, John Oetzel, and Bridgette Masters-Awatere in partnership with Māori health providers Te Kōhao Health and Poutiri Charitable Trust developed a set of guidelines for health interventions with Māori communities—the He Pikinga Waiora Implementation Framework, based on building relationships and co-designing the way health interventions are carried out.[15] The Framework was used to co-design two health programmes, one targeting Māori men at risk of diabetes, cardiovascular disease and obesity,[16] and the other, Kimi Ora, a diabetes intervention.[17]

OL@-OR@, a mobile-phone (app and website) delivering lifestyle support programme for Māori and Pasifika, was co-designed and evaluated in a partnership between a team of university researchers led by Clíona Ní Mhurchú, Lisa Te Morenga, and Rivdan Firestone, and community providers Toi Tangata, The Fono, and SWPICS.[18][19]

A network of primary health providers and researchers, the Healthier Lives Implementation Network, was set up to translate research into practice and better meet the health needs of Māori and Pacific communities.[20]

Healthy foods and physical activity

Research by Andrew Reynolds and colleagues established the evidence for the health benefits of increasing dietary fibre and replacing refined grains with whole grains.[21] Their work also supported the importance of replacing trans fats and saturated fats with polyunsaturated fats, plant monounsaturated fats, and slowly-digested carbohydrates in one's diet to reduce the risk of coronary heart diease.[22] These findings contributed to updated European guidelines for dietary management of diabetes, including the possibility of reversing type 2 diabetes through weight loss,[23] and World Health Organization guidelines on dietary carbohydrate and fat.

Research led by Cristina Cleghorn found that a New Zealand version of a sustainable healthy diet (based on the EAT-Lancet Commission planetary health diet),[24] when modelled, is no more expensive than current diets, halves associated greenhouse gas emissions, and provides large health gains, cost savings and reductions in ethnic health inequities.[25] Collaborative research with the Our Land and Water National Science Challenge modelled the changes in New Zealand land use that would produce food for this optimised healthy diet, and found that it would be possible to feed all New Zealanders while both reducing greenhouse gas emissions and freshwater contamination and minimising the financial impact on families and farmers.[26] Related research led by Andrew Reynolds modelled five scenarios for replacing red meat in the New Zealand diet and found significant benefits associated with all of them.[27]

Big and linked data

Several studies led by

Te Reo Māori reduced the risk of progression),[31] and a third estimated the prevalence of cancer in New Zealand.[32]

Key outcomes

Presentation of The Economic and Social Cost of Type 2 Diabetes report to the New Zealand Parliament in 2021

The Focus on Fibre and Food Monitoring symposium co-hosted in Dunedin by Healthier Lives in February 2019 presented the latest research on the role of dietary fibre in preventing and treating non-communicable diseases; it also identified the need for a national nutrition survey to inform New Zealand health research and policy.[33] In October 2021, the Ministry of Health commissioned a team at the National Institute for Health Innovation, led by Healthier Lives deputy director Clíona Ní Mhurchú, to develop the methods and tools for the next survey.

A 2021 report, The Economic and Social Cost of Type 2 Diabetes, commissioned by Healthier Lives amongst others, estimated that the number of New Zealanders with type 2 diabetes would increase by 70–90% by 2040, and examined the projected economic and social costs.[34][35] Healthier Lives called on the Government to develop a national strategy for tackling type 2 diabetes.[36][37] In 2023, Te Whatu Ora and Te Aka Whai Ora established a working group, co-chaired by Healthier Lives director Jim Mann, to develop a National Diabetes Action Plan.

A 2022 report, Pathways between research, policy and practice, highlighted the frustration of health researchers with the slow uptake of research evidence to improve the health of New Zealanders. The report, which arose from a public webinar held on 17 November 2021, suggested ways of strengthening the pathway between research and its application.[38]

Publications

  • Healthier Lives – He Oranga Hauora. (June 2019). Heathier Lives National Science Challenge Research Strategy 2019–2024. Dunedin: Department of Medicine, University of Otago.
  • Leakey, C.J., Curtin, J., and Greaves, L.M. (24 March 2022). Healthier Lives National Science Challenge: Policy Inventory. Auckland: Public Policy Institute, University of Auckland.
    doi:10.17608/k6.auckland.19372769
    . A list of the 15 New Zealand Government policies relevant to the Healthier Lives research programme.
  • Mann, J., Cockram, J., Glen, J., and Stayner, C. (November 2022). Pathways between research policy and practice for equitable evidence-informed health and wellbeing in Aotearoa’s new health system. Healthier Lives–He Oranga Hauora National Science Challenge.
    ISBN 978-0-473-64187-0
    .

References

  1. ^ "Criteria for Proposals for National Science Challenges funding - 2014-go548". New Zealand Gazette. 31 January 2014. Retrieved 11 July 2023.
  2. ^ Elder, Vaughan (24 November 2015). "Further boost for Otago health sciences". Otago Daily Times Online News. Retrieved 11 July 2023.
  3. ^ a b Elder, Vaughan (5 December 2015). "Magnitude of health challenge highlighted". Otago Daily Times Online News. Retrieved 11 July 2023.
  4. ^ New Zealand Government (4 December 2015). "Healthier Lives Challenge tackles major diseases". Scoop News. Retrieved 11 July 2023.
  5. ^ "Sir Jerry Mateparae to lead the Healthier Lives Governance Group and Kāhui Māori". Healthier Lives. 2 June 2020. Retrieved 6 August 2023.
  6. ^ a b Heathier Lives National Science Challenge Research Strategy 2019–2024. Dunedin: Department of Medicine, University of Otago. June 2019.
  7. ^ "An international lens on Healthier Lives science". Healthier Lives. 22 March 2018. Retrieved 6 August 2023.
  8. ^ MBIE (2018). National Science Challenges: Science Board decisions on second period funding (PDF). Wellington: Ministry of Business, Innovation, and Employment. p. 6.
  9. S2CID 26072938
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  10. ^ a b Dreaver, Charlie (5 May 2018). "Māori, Pasifika and South Asians at greater risk of cardiovascular disease - study". RNZ. Retrieved 17 July 2023.
  11. ISBN 978-1-98-853933-1
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  12. ISBN 978-1-98-856877-5
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  13. PMID 32955091
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  14. PMID 37099071
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  15. PMID 28870225
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  16. PMID 32571330
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  17. ^ "He Pikinga Waiora Kimi Ora lifestyle programme: case study of a successful community-based Indigenous diabetes intervention". journal.nzma.org.nz. Retrieved 30 October 2023.
  18. ISSN 1177-1801
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  19. PMID 30388262
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  20. PMID 36419125
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  21. S2CID 58632705
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  22. ISBN 978-92-4-006166-8
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  23. PMID 37069434
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  24. ^ "The EAT-Lancet Commission on Food, Planet, Health - EAT Knowledge". EAT. Retrieved 26 September 2023.
  25. ISSN 2071-1050
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  26. S2CID 253866618
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  27. PMID 36567793
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  28. ^ "Big data for big problems". University of Otago Research Highlights. 31 January 2018. Retrieved 17 July 2023.
  29. PMID 29851609
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  30. ^ "Earthquakes literally broke hearts in New Zealand". Reuters. 26 September 2017. Retrieved 17 July 2023.
  31. S2CID 58624799
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  32. PMID 32379739
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  33. ^ Bezzant, Niki (24 February 2019). "Comment: Time for a check-up on Kiwis' latest eating habits". NZ Herald. Retrieved 6 August 2023.
  34. ^ Murphy, Sally (16 March 2021). "Numbers with type 2 diabetes could almost double in two decades - report". RNZ. Retrieved 1 August 2023.
  35. ^ "Parliamentary launch: The Economic and Social Cost of Type 2 Diabetes - Healthier Lives". Healthier Lives–He Oranga Hauora. 15 March 2021. Retrieved 1 August 2023.
  36. ^ Pasifika Medical Association Group (17 March 2021). "COVID-19 urgency needed to address an "avalanche of diabetes" amongst the Pacific community". New Zealand Doctor. Retrieved 1 August 2023.
  37. ^ Witton, Bridie (15 March 2021). "Type 2 diabetes to become epidemic that will 'bankrupt' health system — expert". Stuff. Retrieved 1 August 2023.
  38. ^ Mann, Jim (15 March 2023). "NZ's evidence-based response to COVID has saved lives – we could do better when it comes to other major diseases". The Conversation. Retrieved 1 August 2023.

External links

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