November 24, 2016
Maori tobacco control advocates enlist academic muscle
Maori public health advocacy group Hapai Te Hauora is teaming up with two University of Otago tobacco control research groups to push towards a smokefree Aoteearoa by 2025.
Chief executive Lance Norman says Maori still disproportionately experience harm from tobacco use and its downstream effects on whanau, hapu and iwi.
ASPIRE2025 brings together Otago University and outside researchers in areas such as public health, medicine, marketing, science and Maori and Pacific research.
BODE3 is the Burden of Disease Epidemiology, Equity and Cost-Effectiveness Programme, which uses data and modelling techniques to estimate health and wider societal gains, costs, cost-effectiveness and equity impacts of health sector interventions.
Mr Norman says the groups will help Hapai to build Maori health worker and research worker capacity and design culturally appropriate interventions which are by Maori for Maori.
ASPIRE2025 co-director Professor Richard Edwards, who heads the Wellington-based department of public health, says reducing Maori smoking is essential to achieving the Smokefree 2025 goal.
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