Publications

The Health Promotion Agency undertakes the Sun Exposure Survey every three years. The purpose of this ongoing research is to collect consistent information on attitudes and behaviours towards sun exposure, to facilitate comparison with historical survey data, and to inform future decision making in the sun safety and skin cancer prevention sector.

The Health and Lifestyles Survey (HLS) is a biennial monitor of the health behaviour and attitudes of New Zealand adults aged 15 years and over, and parents and caregivers of 5 to 16-year-olds, first carried out in 2008. The HLS is managed by HPA and collects information relating to HPA’s programme areas of alcohol, tobacco control, sun safety, problem gambling and nutrition.

This research was undertaken as part of the national monitoring of sun exposure and related knowledge, attitudes, and behaviours. In addition to monitoring, this project helps to inform the activities of the skin cancer prevention sector, which includes HPA's sun safety programme. The Sun Exposure Survey is an ongoing, triennial survey that has been conducted since 1994. Data collection waves prior to 2013 also involved the Cancer Society of New Zealand and the University of Otago.

A key source of New Zealand data on youth smoking is the Health Promotion Agency’s Youth Insights Survey. The Youth Insights Survey monitors Year 10 students’ behaviours, attitudes and knowledge on a range of tobacco-related topics, including about their opinions on the taxation of tobacco.

In March 2011, the New Zealand Government committed to a goal of New Zealand becoming ‘smokefree’ by the year 2025, where less than 5% of the population smokes. The Health Promotion Agency’s Youth Insights Survey monitors Year 10 students’ behaviours, attitudes and knowledge on a range of tobacco-related topics, including the Smokefree 2025 goal.