Cars are like plastic bags. They’re not bad in themselves, it is just that we use them too often and too much. The crazy thing is that plenty of car trips in urban areas are short. (1) Short enough to walk or cycle. Sometimes we...
The Ministry of Health has launched a new tool on its website which enables people to calculate their Body Mass Index (BMI) and quickly find out whether they’re in a healthy weight range. BMI is a simple, widely used screening tool to assess a person's...
What we do at ANA matters to the nutrition and physical activity sector. In our 2018 annual survey we asked a number of questions related to our services including the ANA eUpdates, website and regional forums. This year we added one new question: ‘What would it...
What works to promote walking at the population level? A systematic review by authors Charlie Foster, Paul Kelly, Hamish Reid, Nia Roberts, Elaine Murtagh, David K. Humphreys, Jenna Panter and Karen Milton. Alison Pask reviewed this paper published in a special series of the British Journal...
Why is child obesity a problem? Taranaki is the most affected region in Aotearoa/New Zealand in terms of childhood obesity prevalence, with over 4,500 children affected. Given 99,000 children are affected with obesity, evidence-based strategies for intervention in this population group are desperately needed. Whānau Pakari...
Folate is an essential natural B vitamin found in green leafy vegetables, citrus fruits, wholemeal bread, liver, and legumes. Folic acid is the synthetic form which is taken as a supplement usually in the form of a pill. Many countries, including the New Zealand Ministry of...
