Background: Chronic diseases such as type 2 diabetes, obesity, gout and cardiovascular disease have higher prevalence among Pacific Islanders than any other ethnicity in New Zealand. Increasing evidence has shown a link between increased fructose consumption and these diseases. However measuring dietary sugar intakes in these populations is difficult.

Background: Primary care practice nurses are frequently required to provide dietary advice to patients at risk of heart disease. However, they are usually not trained in nutrition and have limited time available to provide dietary counselling. The purpose of this project was to develop a brief heart healthy eating assessment tool and counselling guide to...

The present study aimed to develop, pretest and conduct a preliminary investigation into the validity and test-retest reliability of a 33-item, open-ended, self-administered, semi-quantitative food frequency questionnaire (FFQ) designed to measure usual sugars intakes over the previous month in Pukapuka Pacific Islanders living in South Auckland, New Zealand.

Background: The National Heart Foundation of New Zealand perceived a need to support non-nutritionally trained primary care practitioners providing nutrition counselling to patients with or at risk of cardiovascular disease. A brief dietary assessment tool was commissioned. Objective: This study aimed to determine how a brief dietary assessment tool should be designed for use by...

Background: Life expectancy is improving and birth rates slowing, causing an increase in the population over 65 years of age. As a result of different lifetime exposures to risk factors causing disease manifestations, and medication use, this age group is a very heterozygous age group. Adequate nutrition is essential for good health at all ages...