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Introduction: Alcohol abstinence remains common among adults globally, although low and middle‐income countries are experiencing declines in abstention. The effect of alcohol policies on lifetime abstinence is poorly understood. The International Alcohol Control (IAC) policy index was developed to benchmark and monitor the uptake of effective alcohol policies and has shown strong associations with alcohol per capita consumption and drinking patterns. Uniquely, the index incorporates both policy 'stringency' and 'impact', reflecting policy implementation and enforcement, across effective policies. Here we assessed the association of the IAC policy index with lifetime abstinence in a diverse sample of jurisdictions. Methods: We conducted a cross‐sectional analysis of the relationship between the IAC policy index score, and its components, and lifetime abstinence among adults (15+ years) in 13 high and middle‐income jurisdictions. We examined the correlations for each component of the index and stringency and impact separately. Results: Overall, the total IAC policy index scores were positively correlated with lifetime abstinence (r = 0.76), as were both the stringency (r = 0.62) and impact (r = 0.82) scores. Marketing restrictions showed higher correlations with lifetime abstinence than other policy domains (r = 0.80), including restrictions on physical availability, pricing policies and drink‐driving prevention. Discussion and Conclusion: Our findings suggest that restricting alcohol marketing could be an important policy for the protection of alcohol abstention. The IAC policy index may be a useful tool to benchmark the performance of alcohol policy in supporting alcohol abstention in high and middle‐income countries. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: The study aim was to determine the association between children's objectively assessed moderate-to-vigorous physical activity (MVPA) and active trips (AT) and independently mobile trips (IM) during out-of-school hours. Methods: Children aged 9 to 13 years (n = 254) were recruited from 9 schools in Auckland, New Zealand between 2011 and 2012. Children completed travel diaries and wore accelerometers for 7 days. Parents provided demographic information. Geographic information systems-derived distance to school was calculated. Accelerometer data were extracted for out of school hours only. Percentage of time spent in MVPA (%MVPA), AT, and IM were calculated. Generalized estimating equations were used to determine the relationship between daily %MVPA and AT and between daily %MVPA and IM, accounting for age, sex, ethnicity, distance to school, day of the week, and numeric day of data collection. Results: A significant positive relationship was observed between %MVPA and both AT and IM. For every unit increase in the daily percentage of trips made that were AT or IM, we found an average increase of 1.28% (95% Cl 0.87%. 1.70%) and 1.15% (95% Cl 0.71%, 1.59%) time in MVPA. respectively. Conclusion: Children's AT and IM are associated with increased MVPA during out-of-school hours. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Introduction: This paper aimed to assess purchasing and drinking behaviour during the first COVID‐19 pandemic restrictions in New Zealand. Method: A convenience sample was collected via Facebook from 2173 New Zealanders 18+ years during pandemic restrictions April/May 2020. Measures included: the quantity typically consumed during a drinking occasion and heavier drinking (6+ drinks on a typical occasion) in the past week; place of purchase including online alcohol delivery. Descriptive statistics were generated, logistic and linear regression models predicted heavier drinking and typical occasion quantity, respectively. Weighting was not applied. Results: During pandemic restrictions, around 75% of respondents purchased from supermarkets, 40% used online alcohol delivery services (18% for the first time during COVID‐19). Purchasing online alcohol delivery during pandemic restrictions was associated with heavier drinking (75% higher odds) in the past week, while purchasing from supermarkets was not. About 58% of online purchasers under 25 reported no age checks. Sixteen percent of those purchasing online repeat ordered online to keep drinking after running out. Of respondents who had tried to buy alcohol and food online, 56% reported that alcohol was easier to get delivered than fresh food. Advertising for online alcohol delivery was seen by around 75% of the sample. Half of the sample reported drinking more alcohol during the restrictions. Discussion and Conclusions: Online alcohol delivery during the COVID‐19 pandemic restrictions was associated with heavier drinking in the past week. The rapid expansion of online alcohol delivery coupled with a lack of regulatory control requires public health policy attention. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Introduction and Aims: In July 2013, New Zealand passed the Psychoactive Substances Act (PSA), which established a legal regulated market for government-approved products containing new psychoactive substances (NPS). One of the aims of the PSA was to separate the market for approved NPS products from unapproved products and illegal drugs. The aim of this study was to explore perceived health risks and social acceptability of government-approved NPS compared to unapproved NPS and other drugs.Design and Methods: About 834 police arrestees were surveyed about the health risks and social acceptability of regularly using nine drug types, including approved and unapproved synthetic cannabinoids (SC) and 'party pills' (PP) under the interim PSA regime. Statistical analyses included fitted analysis of variance and logistic ordinal regression models.Results: Approved SC were considered riskier to health than (natural) cannabis, alcohol, approved and unapproved PP, tobacco and ecstasy, but safer than unapproved SC and methamphetamine. Younger participants (16-29 years) were more likely than older participants (30+ years) to give approved SC a high health-risk score. Approved SC were considered less socially acceptable than alcohol, tobacco and cannabis, but more socially acceptable than methamphetamine, unapproved SC and unapproved PP. Frequent SC users were more likely to rate the social acceptability of approved legal SC higher than other drug users. Approved PP received more positive health and social acceptability scores than approved SC.Discussion and Conclusions: The PSA was partially successful at separating approved NPS from other drugs. High health-risk and low social acceptability scores for approved SC may reflect the absence of product testing during the interim PSA market. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Encouraging gay, bisexual, and other men who have sex with men (MSM) to use condoms for anal sex has been a cornerstone of HIV prevention initiatives globally for several decades. In New Zealand, Get it On!!, a social marketing program, sought to influence gay and bisexual men to use a condom “every time” for anal sex. To assess the effectiveness of Get it On!, an integrated program evaluation approach including evaluation rubrics was utilized. Self-report data were collected from 960 men using an online survey and a paper-based survey administered at a large, gay community event. The men reported they were exposed to the campaign messages, understood them well, and engaged with the program. Importantly, the men reported Get it On! encouraged them to take action, including being more conscious about using a condom for sex. Get it On! performed well in regard to encouraging a culture accepting of condom use. Significantly, the evaluation found the greater the exposure to Get it On!, the more likely a man was to report using a condom for anal sex. Overall, the campaign is likely contributing to New Zealand’s relatively high rates of condom use and the low incidence of HIV infection among MSM. This strongly suggests the campaign should be continued and enhanced as a key HIV prevention strategy. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Substantial changes to the built environment, urbanisation patterns, and societal norms have contributed to limiting children's opportunities for being independently mobile. Several linear causal pathway models have been developed to understand the influences on children's independent mobility; however feedback loops between and within the various levels of influence cannot be modelled using such an approach. The purpose of this paper is to refine the interrelationships of factors related to children's independent mobility, taking into account earlier models, broader contextual factors, recent children's geographies literature, and feedback loops. Systems model components were informed by attributes known to influence children's independent mobility, related qualitative findings, and the development of a framework that could lend itself to multilevel modelling approaches. This systems model may provide a useful structure for identifying how best to develop and monitor interventions to halt the declining rates of children's independent mobility. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Objectives. We assessed the long-term effect of lowering the minimum purchase age for alcohol from age 20 to age 18 years on alcohol-involved crashes in New Zealand. Methods. We modeled ratios of drivers in alcohol-involved crashes to drivers in non-alcohol-involved crashes by age group in 3 time periods using logistic regression, controlling for gender and adjusting for multiple comparisons. Results. Before the law change, drivers aged 18 to 19 and 20 to 24 years had similar odds of an alcohol-involved crash (P=.1). Directly following the law change, drivers aged 18 to 19 years had a 15% higher odds of being in an alcohol-involved crash than did drivers aged 20 to 24 years (P= .038). In the long term, drivers aged 18 to 19 years had 21% higher odds of an alcohol-involved crash than did the age control group (P<.001). We found no effects for fatal alcohol-involved crashes alone and no trickle-down effects for the youngest group. Conclusions. Lowering the purchase age for alcohol was associated with a longterm impact on alcohol-involved crashes among drivers aged 18 to 19 years. Raising the minimum purchase age for alcohol would be appropriate. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]