Wide ranging health research projects funded

Wide ranging health research projects funded by HRC

New health research grants announced by the Health Research Council of NewZealand (HRC) today worth $61.4 million, will address a wide range of health issues in New Zealand.

The HRC is the principal Government agency responsible for funding health research in New Zealand.

Two separate research projects will tackle drinking and smoking in young people.Professor Sally Casswell from Massey University in Auckland will measure theimpacts of alcohol marketing on young New Zealanders. The research will investigate the independent effects of marketing on subsequent alcohol consumption.

A trial using multi-media mobile phones to help young people stop smoking will beled by Dr Robyn Whittaker from the Clinical Trials Research Unit (CTRU) at theUniversity of Auckland. The trial will test the efficacy and benefits of using a novel personalised, video-based stop smoking programme, which will include videos of peers sharing their experiences of quitting and videos on request to combat cravings.

New research into the long-term functional and neuropsychological outcomes after stroke in New Zealand will build on the HRC-funded Auckland Regional Community Stroke (ARCOS) studies. Associate Professor Valery Feigin from the CTRU at the University of Auckland will lead this study.

Biomedical research for cancer therapies will also receive support from the HRC.

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