An HRC-funded Emerging Researcher grant led by Dr Niamh Donnellan has resulted in the development of a new Healthy Environments Index for child health. The index, tested with health data from children in Taranaki, showed initial evidence for higher HEIC scores (indicating health-promoting environments) tending to be clustered within the cities and towns, while rural areas had low HEIC scores. Higher Index food environments were associated with increased water intake and decreased sweet drink intake at 24-months. This is an important first step in developing environmental indices that are fit-for-population, focusing on environmental features of importance for children’s wellbeing. The article is freely available here: https://doi.org/10.1186/s12942-025-00409-7
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