Wastewater reveals how much Kiwis drink and smoke

Embargoed until: Publicly released: 2021-03-15 05:00

New Zealand

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Kiwis in the Bay of Plenty and Canterbury are drinking more alcohol and smoking more cigarettes than their Auckland counterparts, new wastewater surveillance data has revealed. Researchers analysed sewage from seven sites across the country over the same week as the 2018 national census to help provide a snapshot of who was in the area at the time. The researchers found people tended to drink more over the weekends, especially those in urban areas, while there was more smoking happening in economically-deprived neighbourhoods. The researchers say the next challenge is to create ways to use this new data to guide future policy making.