Evidence-based Health Objectives for the New Zealand Health Strategy

Evidence-based Health Objectives for the New Zealand Health Strategy
Occasional Bulletin no. 2
Date of publication: March 2001

The New Zealand Health Strategy aims to provide an overarching framework for the health sector in New Zealand and provides the context within which the newly established District Health Boards will operate.

The Strategy identifies a set of health goals for the nation. For each goal, the Strategy defines a number of specific health objectives, which contribute to the achievement of a goal. A sector reference group and an expert advisory group assisted the Ministry of Health in choosing these goals and objectives.

From the variety of objectives identified, 13 were selected as priority issues for the health sector to address in the short to medium term. Selection was based in part on three epidemiological criteria:

the size of the burden of premature death and disability attributable to the cause of interest.
the modifiability of the burden through health sectoral interventions.
the distribution of the burden (reflecting considerations of equity).

The final list of priorities also inevitably reflects non-epidemiological criteria.

This report describes how the epidemiological criteria were applied to data extracted from the New Zealand Burden of Disease Study carried out by the Ministry of Health and Health Funding Authority in 1999. As well as providing an example of the application of burden of disease analysis to policy, the report also provides insight into the development of the health goals framework – which makes up an important part of the New Zealand Health Strategy. As such it should be of wide interest to workers throughout the health and social policy sectors.

Comments on this report should be sent to:

Public Health Directorate
Ministry of Health
PO Box 5013
Wellington

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