Resources
Our resources page includes the following sections:
Research examples across our themes:
Pragmatic Research Methods
Digital Health
Public Health Policy
Clinical Intervention and Treatment
Pragmatic Research Methods
Research Examples
Supporting companies to reform nutrition policies and practices (REFORM): A multi-centre cluster randomised controlled trial
- TRANSFORM members: Professor Cliona Ni Mhurchu, Associate Professor Helen Eyles, Dr Yannan Jiang.
- Funded by: Health Research Council of New Zealand
Tū Kaha: He mōhio ki ngā Māori o te kōmaoa waewae (Stand Strong: A study of Māori with venous leg ulcers)
- TRANSFORM members: Professor Andrew Jull, Associate Professor Rosie Dobson
- Funded by: Internal funding (Research Development Account).
Assessing children’s intake of sodium, potassium, and iodine (The SNaK+ study)
- Transform members: Associate Professor Helen Eyles, previous PhD candidate Kava Fuavao
- Funded by: Heart Foundation of New Zealand
A hyper-local approach to addressing low immunisation coverage
- TRANSFORM members: Dr Samantha Marsh
- Funded by: Health Research Council of New Zealand
Nourish your future: food insecurity among university students
- TRANSFORM members: Dr Berit Follong and Professor Cliona Ni Mhurchu
The efficacy of cool roofs to improve health and environmental outcomes: an RCT in Niue, Burkina Faso, India, and Mexico.
- TRANSFORM members: Professor Chris Bullen, Dr Noah Bunkley.
- Funded by: Wellcome Trust UK
Publication Examples:
Young L, Kidd B, Shen S, Jiang Y, Eyles H, Marshall J, Schultz S, Chan S, Sacks G, Ni Mhurchu C. Trends in the healthiness and nutrient composition of packaged products sold by major food and beverage companies in New Zealand 2015 to 2019. BMC Medicine 2024; 22(1): 372
Digital Health
Research examples:
OL@-OR@
- TRANSFORM members: Cliona NiMhurchu, Helen Eyles, Robyn Whittaker, Rosie Dobson
- Funded by: Healthier Lives National Science Challenge
SMS4BG: Self-management support for people with diabetes
- TRANSFORM members: Robyn Whittaker, Rosie Dobson, Ralph Maddison
- Funded by: HRC and MoH and NZSSD
mPR: Adaptive mhealth pulmonary rehabilitation
- TRANSFORM members: Robyn Whittaker, Rosie Dobson, Gayl Humphrey
- Funded by: MedTech CoRE
TXT2STOP UK
- TRANSFORM members: Robyn Whittaker
- Funded by: Medical Research Council UK and Cancer Research UK
Digital-enabled solutions to support healthcare delivery: Transforming outcomes for heart failure in Australia (SMART; Self-Management And Remote Technologies)
- TRANSFORM members: Professor Ralph Maddison.
- Funded by: Australian National Health and Medical Research Council (Ideas Grant) and the Medical Research Future Fund.
Publication Examples:
Whittaker R, Dobson R, Jin CK, Jayathissa P, Hiini K, Kawamura K, Ross K, Muir P, AI Governance Group. The introduction of AI Governance in Health Services: Example from Aotearoa New Zealand. Npj Digital Medicine 2023; 6(1):164
Dobson, R. Whittaker, R. Wihongi, H. Andrew, P. Armstrong, D. Bartholomew, K. Sporle, A. Wells, S. Patient perspectives on the use of health information. New Zealand Medical Journal (2021): 134 (1547).
McCool J, Dobson R, Whittaker R, Paton C. Mobile Health (mHealth) in Low- and Middle- Income Countries. Annual Reviews of Public Health 2022; 43: 525-39
Dobson R, Whittaker R, Jiang Y, McNamara C, Shepherd M, Maddison R, Cutfield R, Khanolkar M, Murphy R. Long‐term follow‐up of a randomized controlled trial of a text‐message diabetes self‐management support programme, SMS4BG. Diabetic Medicine. 2019 Nov 13. DOI: 10.1111/dme.14182
Whittaker R, McRobbie H, Bullen C, Rodgers A, Gu Y, Dobson R. Mobile phone text messaging and app‐based interventions for smoking cessation. Cochrane Database of Systematic Reviews : (10).
Whittaker R, Merry S, Dorey E, Maddison R. A development and evaluation process for mHealth interventions: examples from New Zealand. Journal of Health Communication 2012: 17; sup1 11–21. ISSN: 1081-0730 print/1087-0415 online DOI: 10.1080/10810730.2011.649103
Bramley D, Riddell T, Whittaker R, Corbett T, Lin R, Wills M, Jones M, Rodgers A. Smoking cessation using mobile phone text messaging is as effective in Maori as non-Maori. New Zealand Medical Journal 2005;118; 1216.
Humphrey G., Chu J., …. Newcombe D, Rodda S….Bullen C. (2022). Adapting an evidence-based e-learning CBT program for people experiencing gambling harms into a mobile app – Manaaki. JMIR From Research 6 (3); e32940.
Humphrey, G., Chu, J.; Dowling, N., Rodda, S., Merkouris, S., Parag, V., Newcombe, D., Ho, E., Nosa, V., Ruwhui-Collins. R., Whittaker R., Bullen, C. Manaaki (2020). A cognitive behavioral therapy mobile health app to support people experiencing gambling problems: a randomized control trial protocol. BMC Public Health, 20 (191).
Public Health Policy
Research examples:
Monitoring the illicit trade in tobacco and illicit sales practices in vaping product retail sector and developing national vaping cessation guidance.
- TRANSFORM members: Professor Chris Bullen, Dr Pyi Pyi Phyo, Dr Julia Fu, Dr Abeeha Sayed.
- Funded by: New Zealand Ministry of Health
Measuring the impact of voluntary Health Star Rating (HSR) nutrition labels on New Zealand population diets and health
- TRANSFORM members: Professor Cliona Ni Mhurchu
- Funded by: Health Research Council of New Zealand
Evaluating the implementation and impact of the National Healthy Food and Drink Policy (the HYPE study)
- TRANSFORM members: Professor Cliona Ni Mhurchu, Dr Yannan Jiang, Dr Magda Rosin.
- Funded by: Healthier Lives National Science Challenge.
Assessing the presence of trans-fat in the NZ food supply
- TRANSFORM members: Associate Professor Kathryn Bradbury
- Funded by: Ministry for Primary Industries
Recent trends in the major underlying dietary determinants of heart disease in the New Zealand population.
- TRANSFORM members: Associate Professor Kathryn Bradbury and Professor Cliona Ni Mhurchu
- Funded by: Heart Foundation of New Zealand
Patient perspectives on the secondary use of their personal health information
- TRANSFORM members: Associate Professor Rosie Dobson and Professor Robyn Whittaker
- Funded by: Health Research Council of New Zealand and Precision Driven Health
The need for fetal alcohol spectrum disorder (FASD) intervention: Prevalence and Knowledge in Youth Justice
- TRANSFORM members: Dr Joanna Ting Wai Chu, Professor Chris Bullen
- Funded by: Health Research Council of New Zealand
Publication examples:
Chu JTW, Dymus-Kurei J, McCormack JC, McLachlan AD, Marsh S, Wilson H, Newcombe D. (2023). Identifying strategic research priorities of stakeholders for fetal alcohol spectrum disorder in Aotearoa. Journal of the Royal Society of New Zealand, 1–16.
Bablani L, Ni Mhurchu C, Neal B, Skeels CL, Staub KE, Blakely T. The impact of voluntary front-of-pack nutrition labelling on packaged food reformulation: A difference-in-differences analysis of the Australasian Health Star Rating scheme. PLOS Medicine 2020; 17(11): e1003427 https://doi.org/10.1371/journal.pmed.1003427
Cleghorn CL, Blakely T, Bablani L, Ni Mhurchu C. Estimated health impacts of reformulation resulting from Health Star Rating nutrition labelling in Aotearoa New Zealand. Journal of the Royal Society of New Zealand 2025; 1–17. https://doi.org/10.1080/03036758.2025.2455499.
Bablani L, Ni Mhurchu C, Neal B, Skeels CL, Staub KE, Blakely T. Effect of voluntary Health Star Rating labels on healthier food purchasing in New Zealand: Longitudinal evidence using representative household purchase data. BMJ Nutrition, Prevention & Health 2022;0 :e000459. 17 Aug 2022
Lindson N, Butler AR, McRobbie H, Bullen C, Hajek P, Begh R, Theodoulou A, Notley C, Rigotti NA, Turner T, Livingstone-Banks J, Morris T, Hartmann-Boyce J. Electronic cigarettes for smoking cessation. Cochrane Database Syst Rev. 2024 Jan 8;1(1):CD010216. doi: 10.1002/14651858.CD010216.pub8.
Zhang J, Bradbury KE, Young L, Gontijo de Castro T. Trans-fat labelling and potential presence of industrially produced trans-fat in the New Zealand packaged food supply: 2015-2019 & 2022. Nutr Metab Cardiovasc Dis 2025;35(1):103757. doi: 10.1016/j.numecd.2024.09.027.
Fu J, Syeda A, Bullen C. 2024. Guidance for Health Workers In Aotearoa New Zealand on supporting people to stop vaping and using vaping to stop smoking. Wellington: Health NZ. November 2024
Ni Mhurchu C, Rosin M, Shen S, Kidd B, Umali E, Jiang Y, Gerritsen S, Mackay S, Te Morenga L. Is a Voluntary Healthy Food Policy Effective? Evaluating Effects on Foods and Drinks for Sale in Hospitals and Resulting Policy Changes. Submitted (under second review with BMC Medicine)
Rosin M, Ni Mhurchu C, Umali E, Mackay S. Healthy Kai (Food) Checker web-based tool to support healthy food policy implementation: Development and usability study. JMIR Formative Research 2025;9:e60447
Mackay S, Rosin M, Kidd B, Gerritsen S, Shen S, Jiang Y, Umali E, Te Morenga L, Ni Mhurchu C. Slow and steady – small, but insufficient, changes in food and drink availability four years after implementing a healthy food policy in New Zealand hospitals. BMC Medicine 2024; 22: 437
Rosin M, Ni Mhurchu C, Mackay S. Implementing healthy food policies in health sector settings: New Zealand stakeholder perspectives. BMC Nutrition 2024; 10(1): 119
Gerritsen S, Rosin M, Te Morenga L, Jiang Y, Kidd B, Shen S, Umali E, Mackay S, Ni Mhurchu C. Awareness, support, and opinions of healthy food and drink policies: a survey of staff and visitors in New Zealand healthcare organisations. BMC Public Health 2024; 24(1): 2179
Clinical Intervention and Treatment
Research examples
Effectiveness of a preschool asthma education programme: a community-based cluster randomised trial.
- TRANSFORM members: Professor Natalie Walker, Professor Chris Bullen
- Funded by: Pharmac
The effectiveness, safety and acceptability of combining cytisine with nicotine e-cigarettes, compared to cytisine or e-cigarettes alone, on six-month smoking abstinence
- TRANSORM members: Professor Natalie Walker, Professor Chris Bullen
- Funded by: Health Research Council of New Zealand
Randomised controlled factorial trial of exercise and hypochlorous acid for treating venous leg ulcers (Factorial4VLU).
- TRANSFORM members: Professor Andrew Jull, Professor Chris Bullen, Varsha Parag
- Funded by: Health Research Council of New Zealand
Publication examples
Walker N, Calder A, Barnes J, Laking G, Parag V, Bullen C. Effectiveness of nicotine salt vapes, cytisine, and a combination of these products, for smoking cessation in New Zealand: protocol for a three-arm, pragmatic, community-based randomised controlled trial. BMC Public Health; 2023; 23, 1760.
Walker N, Von Blaramberg T, Mackay J, McNaughton W, Strickland J, Van Mil J, Moorcroft, J, Funnell, C, Smith L, Bettle E, Power K, Parore M, Parag V, Bullen C, Metcalfe S. Effectiveness of a preschool asthma education programme: a community-based cluster randomised trial. New Zealand Medical Journal 2022; 135(1554).80-92.
Hartmann-Boyce J, Butler AR, Theodoulou A…Bullen C et al. (2023). Biomarkers of potential harm in people switching from smoking tobacco to exclusive e-cigarette use, dual use or abstinence: secondary analysis of Cochrane systematic review of trials of e-cigarettes for smoking cessation. Mar 2023. Addiction (Abingdon, England)118(3):539-545. https://doi.org/10.1111/add.16063
Ma Z, Bullen C, Chu JTW…et al. (2023) Towards the objective speech assessment of smoking status based on voice features: A review of the literature. Journal of Voice, 37(2):300 .e11-300.e20 10.1016/J.JVOICE.2020.12.014