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Objective: Transport impacts teenagers by affecting their autonomy and independent access to activities. This manuscript reports descriptive findings of transport behaviours among teenagers in Southland, New Zealand, and discusses the implications of these for public health and policy., Methods: An online survey was implemented to investigate transport among respondents aged 16 years and older from twelve secondary schools. Two methods of survey distribution were used (in-class and at home). Descriptive results were analysed using Stata., Results: Response rate was 71.5% (n=775). The most common forms of transport were as a passenger in a car and walking. Two-thirds of participants had some form of driving licence. Half the sample expressed frustration at being unable to access activities. Significant gender differences existed regarding transport and types of activities accessed. Licence status was associated with physical activity, screen time and transport frustration., Conclusions: The transport decisions made by teenagers, in aggregate, have implications for policy and infrastructure, and findings provide a foundation for discussions around potential changes to driver education programming, the school uniform policy in New Zealand and further research. Implications for public health: Inquiring about everyday transport habits, outside of the trip to school, and activities accessed provided data about an under-researched group, supporting the ecological approach to transport in the context of public health., (© 2018 The Authors.)

Objective: This study examines the extent to which young people are acting as 'agents of change' in discouraging smoking among their peers., Methods: This study used data from a survey of 2,919 New Zealand secondary school students who participated in the 2014 national Youth In-depth Survey. Relevant questions were used to assess the extent to which students engaged in behaviours to discourage or promote smoking among their peers., Results: About half of all students reported some form of behaviour discouraging others from smoking, while only one in ten reported encouraging smoking. Discouragement was associated with non-smoking or lower levels of smoking, having more friends who smoked, and exposure to more health promotion messages about not smoking. Māori and Pacific young people also reported more discouraging behaviours., Conclusions: The results highlight the positive impact that young people can have on discouraging smoking among their peers. Implications for public health: The findings of this study point to encouraging and training young people as 'agents of change' to spread the smokefree message., (© 2017 The Authors.)

Objectives: To examine changes in the frequency and contexts of tobacco imagery on New Zealand television since 2004., Methods: A content analysis of 73 hours of prime time evening television in 2014, including programs, advertisements and trailers, was coded for tobacco imagery. Imagery was defined as being either neutral/pro-tobacco or anti-tobacco., Results: Of the 93 programs coded, 29% had at least one scene with tobacco imagery. Of the 71 scenes with tobacco imagery, 59 were judged as showing neutral/pro-tobacco imagery, while 12 showed anti-tobacco imagery. No significant change in the number of programs containing tobacco imagery, or the type of imagery, was found since 2004, but there were fewer scenes that contained imagery., Conclusions: There has been little change in the amount of tobacco imagery over the past decade. Given the potential for tobacco imagery to promote smoking among young people while reinforcing the habit among those who are trying to quit, action needs to be taken., Implications: More could be done to counterbalance pro-tobacco imagery by promoting the Quitline and anti-tobacco media campaigns, and encouraging producers of local TV programs to consider the depiction of tobacco imagery in a way that reflects declining tobacco use., (© 2016 Public Health Association of Australia.)

Background: In contrast to the sale of alcohol and other psychoactive substances, the retail availability of tobacco in New Zealand (NZ) is relatively unregulated. Tobacco is almost universally available, and the absence of a licensing scheme for tobacco retailers makes enforcement of retail-level legislation challenging. As a key stakeholder group, the views of tobacco retailers are likely to influence the tobacco retail policies that gain political support. We explored NZ tobacco retailers' views towards mandatory licensing of tobacco retailers, and how they perceived policies that would reduce tobacco availability., Methods: We conducted face-to-face interviews with tobacco retail store owners and managers throughout NZ (n=21). A semi-structured interview guide was used, and interviews explored participants' views of existing tobacco retail policies, the NZ government's goal of becoming a smokefree country by 2025, possible future policies, such as licensing of tobacco retailers, and perceptions of selling tobacco. Qualitative content analysis was conducted using the interview transcripts as the data source., Results: The tobacco retailers interviewed expressed varying views on how tobacco sales should be regulated. Around half of the study participants were positive or indifferent about mandatory retailer licensing, and several believed licensing would not have a large impact on them. The idea of restricting the sale of tobacco within 500m of a school was generally well received by participants, and had more support than policies that would prohibit certain outlet types from selling tobacco., Conclusion: In contrast to claims made by industry-related organisations, a proposed licensing policy is unlikely to be met with blanket opposition from tobacco retailers. Advocacy efforts may garner more support for tobacco retail policies if the purpose of policies was framed in terms of protecting young people from smoking., (Copyright © 2015 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.)

Purpose: To examine the association between paid part-time employment among schoolchildren, and adult substance use, psychological well-being, and academic achievement., Methods: Longitudinal data from the Dunedin Multidisciplinary Health and Development Study were used to evaluate the association between employment at each of 11, 13, and 15 years and adult smoking, regular alcohol binge drinking, regular cannabis use, sense of coherence, social participation, positive coping style, prosociality, no formal qualifications, and university degree. Associations were initially assessed using unadjusted regression analyses and then adjusted for the potential childhood confounders intelligence quotient, reading development, Student's Perception of Ability Scale, socioeconomic disadvantage, family climate, harsh parent-child interaction, parental opinion of their child's attitude to school, and child's personal attitude to school., Results: Employment at 11 years of age was associated with a lower odds of adult smoking; the odds of subsequent regular alcohol binge drinking were greater for those who were employed at age 13; and higher adult rates of social participation and prosociality were identified for adolescents who were employed at 15 years of age. When the potential confounders were controlled, employment at age 13 was predictive of both adult smoking and regular binge drinking, and working at 15 years of age was protective against regular cannabis use and associated with greater social participation., Conclusions: There is no consistent evidence that exposing schoolchildren to part-time employment compromised subsequent health, well-being, and education in a developed country., (Copyright © 2014 Society for Adolescent Health and Medicine. Published by Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.)

Objective: The New Zealand (NZ) government has proposed that the country be 'Smokefree' by 2025. This paper examines how NZ newspapers have portrayed tobacco control initiatives to achieve this goal., Method: We examined tobacco-related articles from NZ newspapers published between 1 November 2011 and 31 October 2012, using a coding frame to capture smoking themes, portrayal of actions and degree of support expressed for various pro- and anti- tobacco control objectives., Results: A total of 537 separate articles were obtained from national and regional newspapers. Six themes appeared in more than 5% of the total articles: Smokefree 2025; smokefree areas; pricing; tobacco industry; plain packaging; and cessation. Overall, articles on tobacco smoking were three times more likely to emphasise actions consonant with tobacco control objectives rather than against them, and to report them with a positive rather than negative tone., Conclusions: NZ tobacco control advocates can take heart from the nature and extent of coverage of tobacco control initiatives. Opportunities for further media advocacy are discussed., (© 2014 The Authors. ANZJPH © 2014 Public Health Association of Australia.)

Objectives: This study sought to examine young New Zealand smokers' access to social supplies of cigarettes., Methods: A qualitative investigation using 10 focus groups with 66 current young smokers, aged between 15 and 17 years, was conducted throughout New Zealand, between October and December 2011. Transcripts from the focus groups were analysed using NVivo to code the data, from which common themes and critical issues were identified., Results: Family was one of the main sources of tobacco for the young smokers in this study and parents were the leading source, often purchasing tobacco for their children to smoke. Sharing tobacco within groups of friends was also very common. Additional methods were used when young smokers were desperate, including stealing, 'butt scabbing' and asking strangers., Conclusions: Both family and social networks continue to support smoking and supply tobacco to young people. While these networks operate, young people will continue to smoke, despite increased regulations on commercial sales to minors., Implications: Restrictions on commercial sales of tobacco to minors are increasing; however, many young people use multiple sources of tobacco, including social sources. It is likely that young people will increasingly use these social sources in the future. Interventions other than purchase restrictions are important for reducing minors' access to tobacco., (© 2013 The Authors. ANZJPH © 2013 Public Health Association of Australia.)

Objective: To examine trends in young New Zealanders' access to cigarettes from 2002 to 2008., Methods: Self-reports of young smokers' commercial sources of cigarettes, requests for proof of age and being refused a sale, and the amount spent on cigarettes, were analysed from the 2002 and 2004 Youth Lifestyles Surveys and 2006 and 2008 Year 10 In-depth Surveys of 14 to 15 year olds in New Zealand (NZ)., Results: Most young smokers obtain cigarettes through non-commercial sources; however, one-third bought their cigarettes from shops in 2008, with no evidence of a change in proportions purchasing from major retail outlets since 2000. Few young smokers were asked to show proof of age when purchasing cigarettes, with no evidence over time of more young smokers being asked for proof of age, but reports of being refused the sale of cigarettes decreased from 2000. Participants reporting being asked for proof of age had nearly six times the odds of being refused sale. The amount spent on cigarettes did not change over the study period., Conclusion: Many young smokers continue to purchase cigarettes from commercial outlets, with no evidence of change in purchasing from major outlets such as dairies, service stations, supermarkets or liquor stores since 2000. The fact that few young smokers reported being asked to show proof of age suggests the need for stronger measures to ensure that retailers comply with New Zealand legislation regarding under-age sales of tobacco., Implications: With an infringement notice scheme being implemented and tobacco price rises, there may be an increase in accessing cigarettes through social sources. It remains important to monitor commercial tobacco sales to young people to determine the efficacy of policy change., (© 2012 The Authors. ANZJPH © 2012 Public Health Association of Australia.)

Objective: To examine whether self-views of New Zealand (NZ) adolescents have become more positive or negative over time., Method: We compared the self-perceptions of 609 adolescents in 1987, with 499 adolescents in 2005 using a 22-item measure of perceived strengths., Results: The mean scores for total strengths fell by 2.4 (0.5sd) from 1987 to 2005. Endorsement of most strengths decreased over time, with especially marked decreases in perceptions of being 'healthy', 'careful', 'good with pets', and 'popular'. There were increases among the girls in perceptions of being 'attractive' and 'confident' while boys showed decreases in these strengths. Boys also showed an especially marked decrease in being 'good at sport'., Conclusions: The findings point to significant changes in self-perceived strengths among NZ adolescents over time. An examination of changes in other critical variables suggests reasons why this may be occurring., (© 2012 The Authors. ANZJPH © 2012 Public Health Association of Australia.)

Objective: The objectives of the study were to analyse nicotine-dependence patterns among secondary school students in New Zealand (NZ), and identify factors associated with levels of nicotine dependence., Method: This study uses data from the 2004 Youth Lifestyle Study, a survey of Year 10 and 12 students from randomly selected schools in NZ. The analysis included 625 current adolescent smokers. Nicotine dependence was measured with the Hooked on Nicotine Checklist (HONC). Potential dependence-associated factors studied include: socio-demographic factors; smoking behaviours; and smoking contexts., Results: A large percentage (87.9%) of the current adolescent smokers reported at least one HONC symptom, with a mean HONC score of 4.9 out of a possible 10. Multivariate analyses identified: school decile; age at which started smoking monthly; lifetime cigarette consumption; and peers smoking as statistically significant predictors of nicotine dependence., Conclusions: Adolescent smokers are very likely to become dependent on nicotine. Students from the highest school decile had markedly lower HONC scores. Earlier onset of monthly smoking, heavier overall consumption and peers smoking were associated with higher HONC scores. These findings provide important insights into factors that may need to be modified to help reduce nicotine dependence among adolescents., (© 2010 The Authors. Journal Compilation © 2010 Public Health Association of Australia.)

We assessed the criterion-related validity of a contemplation ladder used to determine college students' readiness to reduce binge drinking. 1356 students in halls of residence in Dunedin, New Zealand completed a self-report survey including the contemplation ladder, AUDIT questionnaire, and other alcohol-related measures. Two groups of binge drinkers were identified, one reporting bingeing more than twice per week (n=645), and one bingeing 1-2 times per week (n=237). A third group did not report binge drinking (n=474). A higher readiness to change binge drinking was associated with more frequent bingeing, more interpersonal and academic problems with alcohol, less frequent use of cannabis, and living in a hall with a norm of binge drinking. The contemplation ladder for alcohol was sensitive to other alcohol-related behaviours, and may be useful in surveys of drinking where a brief measure of readiness to change is needed., (Copyright (c) 2010 Elsevier Ireland Ltd. All rights reserved.)

This descriptive study examined text and traditional bullying in New Zealand (NZ), and the relationship between text bullying and traditional bullying, and feeling unsafe at school. A self-report online survey assessed the frequency of bullying among 1169 15 year old secondary students, for five categories of bullying: text messages, rumors, exclusion, teasing, and physical bullying. Results show that in the school year assessed 47% reported having been bullied sometimes or often and 37% reported bullying others; 11% reported being text bullied, while 7% reported text bullying others. Students involved in text bullying were significantly more likely to be involved in traditional forms of bullying and were less likely to feel safe at school., (Copyright (c) 2009 The Association for Professionals in Services for Adolescents. Published by Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.)

Objective: To explore aspects of aggression, in particular fighting and weapon carrying, among high school students. This was in response to an earlier survey of Dunedin young people and will assist in the development of a broader quantitative study on aggression among high schools students., Methods: A qualitative investigation using eight focus groups of 41 participants was conducted in Otago, New Zealand, between November 2004 and February 2005. The focus groups were analysed to identify common themes and critical issues., Results: Results suggest there are different levels of fighting, but participants agreed that a fight should be defined as serious as opposed to a play fight. Fights often begin as verbal and escalate to physical. Differences were found in fighting at school and outside of school. Whether an item was considered a weapon or not depended on the intended use of the item. Participants suggested that some items may be reported as weapons, even though they are not being carried for such purposes. If so, the estimates provided in the prior Dunedin survey may be unduly high., Conclusions: Surveys such as the Youth Risk Behaviour Survey provide a snapshot of youth aggression, but may hide significant differences in the nature of the aggression being reported., Implications: Prevention should concentrate on changing the social environment of our schools and communities. Further research should include more in-depth questions on fighting and weapon carrying, both at school and outside of school, to better estimate the prevalence of these behaviours and the context in which they occur.

Aim: To examine the associations between connectedness to family and friends, and school engagement, and selected health compromising and health promoting behaviours in a sample of New Zealand adolescents., Methods: A web-based survey was designed and administered to a random sample of 652 Year 11 students aged 16 years from all Dunedin (NZ) high schools between 30th July and 31st October 2001. Connectedness to family and friends, and school engagement were assessed, together with reports of various health compromising and health promoting behaviours. Logistic regression was used to determine the extent to which these family, friends and school variables were related to health compromising and health promoting behaviours., Results: School engagement was strongly related to both low levels of health compromising and high levels of health promoting behaviours. Connectedness to family was associated primarily with fewer reports of suicidal ideation and increased reports of physical activity. Connectedness to friends was associated in the main with increased reports of health compromising behaviours., Conclusion: This study reinforces the importance of school and family as support networks for young people. School may well play an especially important role in health promotion among young people. The mechanisms by which engagement with school operates need to be explored further.

We describe self-reported sources of income and expenditure, and the association between part-time employment and spending on fast food, alcohol, cigarettes, and gambling for a sample of 3434 New Zealand (NZ) secondary school students (mean age 15.0 years). Disposable income was usually received from parents and guardians, but nearly 40% of students also reported receiving money from part-time employment. The proportion of students employed increased as socioeconomic rating increased, and was associated with increased purchasing of fast food and alcohol, and increased spending on cigarettes and gambling. Spending by youth has obvious public health implications, particularly when it is concentrated on products that have a negative health impact.

We examined social participation in organized clubs and groups from childhood to adolescence in a sample of young people from Dunedin, New Zealand. Groups were broadly categorized as "sports" and "cultural/youth" groups. While the results indicated high levels of participation in childhood with a decline over the ensuing adolescent years, path analyses suggested strong continuities in participation over time. Both family "active-recreational" orientation (ARO) and "intellectual-cultural" orientation (ICO) predicted participation, and mediated the effects of disadvantage on participation. Participation was significantly related to adolescent attachment to parents, friends and school/workplace, as well as self-perceived strengths, after controlling for early family disadvantage and social support, peer attachment and literacy. The effect of participation in adolescence is to widen the "social convoy" to which young people are exposed as well as strengthening relationships within that convoy.

Objective: To examine self-report of carrying weapons and correlates in a sample of New Zealand high school students., Method: A sample of 652 Year 11 students from all Dunedin high schools completed a web-based version of the US Youth Risk Behaviour Survey. This included questions on weapon carrying, fighting, and feeling unsafe at school, as well as measures of family and peer/friend connectedness and perception of school climate., Results: Reports of ever carrying a weapon and carrying one in the last 30 days were relatively common, being 27.5% and 19.3% respectively. Weapon carrying in the last 30 days was strongly associated with being male, fighting in the last year, missing school due to feeling unsafe, and a poorer perception of school climate., Conclusions: Many high school students report weapon carrying, which in turn was associated with other aspects of physical aggression. Further study of the lethality of weapons being carried and the context in which they might be used is clearly warranted.

Objective: To examine reported problems associated with alcohol use in a large sample of New Zealand university students., Method: A random sample (n=1910) of students at the University of Otago Dunedin was invited to complete an Internet-based survey of their patterns of alcohol use and associated behaviours., Results: The survey achieved a response rate of 82% (n=1564). Reports of alcohol-related problems were relatively common and included the physical consequences of bingeing as well as interpersonal, anti-social and academic problems., Conclusions: Problems associated with alcohol consumption are relatively common and represent potential harm to the students' immediate health and academic performance. A study of the effects of alcohol on actual academic performance of students is warranted.

Objective: To examine the prevalence of under-age sales of cigarettes to New Zealand secondary school students in 2000 and to identify correlates of buying cigarettes., Method: A randomly selected sample of 53 secondary schools from five geographic regions took part, and 2,896 Year 10 and Year 12 students completed a self-report questionnaire., Results: Some 30.3% reported smoking during the past 30 days and 61.8% of these students usually obtained cigarettes by purchasing from shops, from other students or from someone else buying them on their behalf. Local corner stores and service stations were the most popular source. Buying cigarettes was associated with more frequent smoking, more money to spend, a higher school decile rating and higher proportion of schoolmates also purchasing., Conclusions: Prohibition of cigarette sales to minors needs much greater attention in NZ than it is receiving at present if smoking among young people is to be reduced.