Ngā Pānui | News & Updates
iNZight Analytics develops new methods for examining health and social outcomes for Pacific populations in New Zealand
A recent issue of the New Zealand Medical Journal features new work by iNZight Analytics that creates new research methods to enable the examination of health and social outcomes for specific Pacific populations.
Health and social outcomes for Pacific populations are routinely reported on all Pacific people as a single group, which masks the differences between Pacific ethnic groups and does not produce information applicable to specific communities. This issue is important enough to have been the subject of the Ministry of Pacific Peoples first Long Term Insights Briefing in 2023, called "Improving Pacific data equity: Opportunities to enhance the future of Pacific wellbeing".
This work by Nicole Satherley and Andrew Sporle provides solutions to the issues raised by MPP, developing new methods for the use of linked health and administrative data to create robust information for specific Pacific populations. The article, "Capturing diversity in cancer incidence and outcomes among the New Zealand Pacific population using linked administrative data," uses the example of stomach cancer to demonstrate the diversity of cancer incidence and outcomes for specific Pacific populations in New Zealand.
This is the latest publication in iNZight Analytics' cancer research and research methods portfolios, which aim to improve methods for research and routine monitoring of health outcomes in New Zealand.
New research on multiple sclerosis in NZ - a recent NZ Medical Journal article co-authored by iNZight's Andrew Sporle
A recent issue of the New Zealand Medal Journal features new work from iNZight Analytics' disability and research methods portfolios.
The article, Identifying multiple sclerosis in linked administrative health data in Aotearoa New Zealand, outlines new ways to use existing data resources to examine health service use and health outcomes for individuals with chronic disease, using multiple sclerosis (MS) as an example.
The impacts of chronic health conditions, such as MS, are often under-estimated due the complexities of using routine health data and the lack of specific focused research. Led by Dr Natalia Boven from CoMPASS Research Group with co-authors including iNZight's Andrew Sporle, this project has created permanent improvements to methods for analysing outcomes and service use for those with chronic conditions like MS.
Andrew's Expert Witness Comments in the Waitangi Tribunal Report on the COVID-19 response
Andrew appeared as an expert witness at the Waitangi Tribunal enquiry into the government's COVID-19 response, and his comments featured multiple times in the final report.
Covid-19 modellers uncertain when to expect move to stage 2 of Omicron outbreak strategy
In January, Andrew was interviewed by Nathan Morton at stuff.co.nz on COVID-19 case numbers and testing:
When we will reach 1000 cases, according to modeller Andrew Sporle at iNZight Analytics, is too early to tell.
Sporle believes the back-to-back long weekends will create a lag in testing, which means a likely delay in finding out just how many actually have the Omicron variant.
“It gets a little tricky as we need to reach 1000 cases, not number of infections, and for cases you need a test. For some people, they're lucky to have mild symptoms and aren’t sick enough to think “Oh, I’ll go get a test now,”.
'We outperformed the model' - Why the Covid-19 predictions for Māori haven't come to pass
In January, Andrew was interviewed by Stuff's Maxine Jacobs on the limitations of COVID-19 modelling and the progression of the pandemic for Māori:
He has predicted the worst, hoped for the best, and was pleasantly surprised at how Aotearoa has flattened both curves of the Alpha and Delta variants.
“We have outperformed the model.”
