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Reducing the exposure of children and young people to the marketing of unhealthy foods is a core strategy for reducing the high overweight and obesity prevalence in this population. The Advertising Standards Authority (ASA) has recently reviewed its self-regulatory codes and proposed a revised single code on advertising to children. This article evaluates the proposed code against eight criteria for an effective code, which were included in a submission to the ASA review process from over 70 New Zealand health professors. The evaluation found that the proposed code largely represents no change or uncertain change from the existing codes, and cannot be expected to provide substantial protection for children and young people from the marketing of unhealthy foods. Government regulations will be needed to achieve this important outcome.

International audience; BACKGROUND AND METHODS: Phase III of the International Study of Asthma and Allergies in Childhood (ISAAC) was conducted in eight Pacific countries, five of which (Samoa, Fiji, Tokelau, French Polynesia and New Caledonia) collected environmental questionnaire (EQ) data. We report the findings of the EQ analyses below. RESULTS: The major factors associated with current wheeze were regular margarine consumption (prevalence odds ratio [POR] 1.19, 95%CI 1.01-1.40), paracetamol use (POR 1.35, 95%CI 1.11-1.64), electric cooking (POR 1.42, 95%CI 1.11-1.80), regular exercise (POR 1.44, 95%CI 1.18-1.75) and maternal smoking (POR 1.16, 95%CI 1.01-1.33). Protective factors included having older siblings (two or more POR 0.69, 95%CI 0.58-0.82; one POR 0.86, 95%CI 0.71-1.05), and being born in the country of the survey (POR 0.74, 95%CI 0.63-0.87). Risk factors for rhinoconjunctivitis included regular consumption of meat, butter, margarine and nuts, regular exercise, regular television viewing, paracetamol use and passive smoking. Eczema was associated with regular meat, pasta and butter consumption, regular television viewing, paracetamol use and passive smoking. CONCLUSIONS: Regular meat and margarine consumption, paracetamol use, electric cooking and passive smoking are risk factors for symptoms of asthma, rhinoconjunctivitis and eczema in the Pacific. However, most of these associations were weak, and account for only a small proportion of cases.

Asthma is a common chronic respiratory disease, and many epidemiological studies have documented an increasing trend over the past few decades. Comparative studies have shown that asthma is more prevalent in Westernised societies than in rural or developing regions. Environmental factors are likely to be important in explaining such disparities and increasing trends. Although allergen exposure and atopic sensitisation have been thought to be important in the pathogenesis of asthma, recent cross-sectional and longitudinal studies suggest that allergic sensitisation is likely a marker rather than a causative factor for asthma. There is accumulating evidence confirming the role of early exposure to infections in altering the regulation of cytokine production and reduction of subsequent development of atopic disorders. The consistent finding of a lower prevalence of asthma in subjects brought up in a farming environment and the inverse relationship between microbial exposure and asthma symptoms further support the importance of early environmental exposure affecting the risk of subsequent development of asthma. Confirmation of the pathogenetic role of these environmental determinants may allow us to develop primary preventive strategies against the development of asthma and related atopic diseases.

Introduction\ud Māori, Pasifika, and Asian women are less likely to attend cervical screening and Māori and Pasifika women are more likely to be diagnosed with later-stage cervical cancer than other women in Aotearoa New Zealand. This study – with under-screened women taking part in a randomised controlled trial comparing self-testing and standard screening – explored the acceptability of an HPV self-test kit and the preferred method for receiving it. \ud \ud Methods\ud Māori, Pasifika, and Asian women (N=376) completed a cross-sectional postal questionnaire. Twenty-six women who had not accepted the trial invitation were interviewed to understand their reasons for non-participation. \ud \ud Results\ud Most women found the self-test kit easy and convenient to use and reported that they did not find it painful, uncomfortable, or embarrassing. This was reflected in the preference for a self-test over a future smear test on the same grounds. Most women preferred to receive the kit by mail and take the test themselves, rather than having it done by a doctor or nurse. There was a range of preferences relating to how to return the kit. Phone calls with non-responders revealed that, although most had received the test kit, the reasons for not choosing to be involved included not wanting to, being too busy, or forgetting. \ud \ud Conclusion\ud HPV self-testing was acceptable for Māori, Pasifika, and Asian women in Aotearoa New Zealand. HPV self-testing has considerable potential to reduce the inequities in the current screening programme and should be made available with appropriate delivery options as soon as possible.\ud \ud Patient or Public Contribution\ud This study explored the acceptability of HPV self-testing and their preferences for engaging with it among Māori, Pasifika, and Asian women. Thus, women from these underserved communities were the participants and focus of this study.

© NZMA. Aim To estimate average infant daily intake of chlorinated persistent organic pollutants (POPs) through the consumption of breast milk in New Zealand. Method Breast milk of 39 first-time mothers aged 20–30 years was collected during 2007–2010 and analysed for persistent organic pollutants including dioxin-like compounds and organochlorine pesticides. The quantity of POPs consumed by infants assuming exclusive breast feeding was estimated by calculating the Estimated Daily Intake (EDI) expressed as amount consumed through breast milk per kilogram of body weight per day. Results Of all POPs quantified, the EDI of DDT (principally in the form of its metabolite p,p’-DDE) was the highest (1.6 μg/kg/day), and above the tolerable daily intake (TDI) of 0.5 μg/kg/day. The mean EDI for dioxin-like compounds (including PCDD/Fs and PCBs) was 19.7 pg TEQ(toxic equivalency)/kg/day, which is among the lowest reported worldwide, yet above the TDI of 1 pg TEQ/kg/day. The EDI of HCH, HCB, dieldrin, heptachlor and mirex were 32.9, 37.9, 39.4, 2.0, and 0.9 ng/kg/day respectively, all of which were below the current TDI. Age of the mother was positively associated with higher EDIs for the infant, particularly for total-TEQ and total-DDT. Conclusion Infant daily intakes of chlorinated POPs through breast milk estimated for New Zealand are low or average by international comparison, and 5 times lower than 25 years ago. Future breast milk monitoring will determine whether this diminishing trend is continuing as well as providing monitoring information on other POPs.

AIM: To assess whether self-sampling for cervical-cancer screening is acceptable to New Zealand women. METHODS: Māori, Pacific and Asian un- or under-screened women aged 30-69 years were asked to: 1) examine three self-sampling devices; 2) complete a questionnaire on demographics and experiences with the devices; and 3) take a self-sample. Samples were tested 'off-label' using the cobas® 4800 human papillomavirus (HPV) test (Roche Diagnostics NZ). RESULTS: Thirty-one Pacific, 12 Māori, nine Asian and four women of other ethnicities participated (mean age, 39.5 years). Before trying any devices, 78% indicated a preference to self-sample, compared to 22% who preferred a physician-collected sample (PCS). After trying a device (HerSwab™, 91%; Delphi Screener™, 14%; cobas Swab, 13%; 12.5% used >1 device), fewer women (66%) preferred to self-sample next time, fewer (16%) preferred a PCS, while 18% expressed no preference. One of 32 samples with valid results (35 were tested) was positive for HPV 'other' oncogenic types. CONCLUSIONS: This was the first New Zealand study to invite women, including Māori women, to take a self-sample for cervical-cancer screening. The pilot study suggests that un- and under-screened women generally find self-sampling acceptable and all sample types are suitable for use with the cobas HPV test.

The classic (gel-clot procedure) Limulus test (CLT) and the quantitative kinetic chromogenic LAL method (KQCL) used for the evaluation of bacterial endotoxin concentration in the indoor air of dwellings were compared. The scientific procedure included analyses of 40 air samples supplemented by the analysis of 20 sample duplicates (selected at random) which were taken during the fall season from 10 flats located in 3 towns of the Upper Silesian region (southern Poland). The particulate aerosol probes were sampled by Harvard impactor and Casella sampler. The same samples were analyzed in the Netherlands using the quantitative kinetic chromogenic LAL method, and in Poland using the classic Limulus test. Comparison of both methods revealed that the quantitative kinetic chromogenic LAL method was more precise, with better reproducibility (the coefficient of variation between analyses of the main probe and its duplicate was over two times smaller in the KQCL method than in the CLT method), fully automated in the phase of analysis and data reading, and faster and more effective than the classic Limulus test. Nevertheless, on the basis of the obtained results, the usefulness of the classic Limulus method for assessment of the degree of pollution of indoor air with bacterial endotoxin seems to be confirmed as in the majority of examined samples (21 out 40) the results obtained by both methods were of the same order of magnitude, and in the remaining 19 samples did exceed one order of magnitude. Thus, the data received by means of the classic Limulus test may be regarded as acceptable.