For the first time ever snapshots of Māori health in the Bay of Plenty District Health Board region have been released in te reo Māori.

The Ministry of Health commissioned 2015 Māori Health Profiles focus on the health status of Māori across New Zealand's 20 DHB regions and reveal where there are inequalities compared to non-Māori.

For the first time ever the 2015 Māori Health Profiles, which focuses on the health status of Māori across New Zealand's 20 district health board regions, have been published in te reo Māori. File Photo.

The reports were researched and compiled by University of Otago's Te Rōpū Rangahau Hauora a Eru Pōmare, and translated into te reo by Māori Television director Piripi Walker.

Lead researcher Bridget Robson explains the profiles are a useful base for identifying key issues and planning actions to improve Māori health.

She says it's important this information is provided in te reo.

'The people and communities most affected have the statistics in their own language. We hope they will assist reo speakers to engage with Māori health data and advocate for the issues affecting their communities.

'They provide information in te reo for Māori in communities, in services providing health care, and on boards making decisions about health spending.”

To read the full Bay of Plenty District Health Board Māori Health Profile 2015 in both English and te reo Māori visit: www.otago.ac.nz/MHP2015

BAY OF PLENTY DISTRICT HEALTH BOARD MĀORI HEALTH PROFILE 2015 SNAPSHOT:

The profile includes indicators of whānau wellbeing, housing and income, health service use and health status. Some of the information pertaining to the Bay covered in the profile includes:

Population

In 2013, 53,700 Māori lived in the BOPDHB region, accounting for 25 per cent of the district's total population.

Around half were under 25 years of age, but the number of Māori aged 65 years and over will increase by nearly 40 per cent between 2013 and 2020.

Work

In 2013, 14 per cent of Māori adults aged 15 years and over were unemployed, over twice the non-Māori rate (6 per cent).

Most Māori adults (89 per cent) do voluntary work, and Māori were also more likely than non-Māori to look after someone who was disabled or ill, within or outside of the home.

Income and standard of living

In 2013, 42 per cent of children and 37 per cent of adults in households with one or more Māori resident were in households with low equivalised household incomes (under $15,172), compared to 17 per cent of children and 19 per cent of adults in other households.

Ten percent of Bay Plenty Māori adults reported putting up with feeling the cold a lot to keep costs down during the previous 12 months, 9 per cent had gone without fresh fruit and vegetables, and 13 per cent had postponed or put off visits to the doctor.

Housing

In 2013, 47 per cent of Māori children were living in rented accommodation, twice the proportion of children in other households (24 per cent).

Bay residents living in Māori households were 3.5 times as likely as others – 21 per cent compared to 6 per cent – to be living in crowded homes (i.e. requiring at least one additional bedroom).

Area deprivation

Using the NZDep2013 index of small area deprivation, 50 per cent of Bay Māori lived in the two most deprived decile areas compared to 17 per cent of non-Māori. Conversely, only 4 per cent of Māori lived in the two least deprived decile areas while the proportion of non-Māori was 15 per cent.

Hospitalisations

The all-cause rate of hospital admissions was 17 per cent higher for Māori than for non-Māori during 2011–2013.

Close to 3400 Māori hospital admissions per year were potentially avoidable, with the rate 40 per cent higher than for non-Māori. The ASH rate was 62 per cent higher for Māori, with just over 2000 admissions per year.

Mortality

Life expectancy at birth for Bay Māori during 2012–2014 was 76.7 years for Māori females (7.8 years lower than for non-Māori) and 72.3 years for Māori males (8.4 years lower than for non-Māori).

The all-cause mortality rate for Bay of Plenty Māori was 2.3 times the non-Māori rate in 2008–2012.

Leading causes of death for Māori females were ischaemic heart disease (IHD), lung cancer, COPD, stroke, and diabetes. Leading causes of death for Māori males were IHD, accidents, lung cancer, diabetes, and suicide.

Potentially avoidable mortality and mortality amenable to health care were both 2.8 times as high for Māori as for non-Māori in Bay of Plenty during 2007–2011.

Injuries

The rate of hospitalisation due to injury was 24 per cent higher for Māori than for non-Māori.

The most common causes of injury resulting in hospitalisations among Māori were falls, complications of medical and surgical care, exposure to mechanical forces, transport accidents, and assault.

Compared to non-Māori, rates of hospital admission for injury caused by assault were 4.2 times as high as for Māori females, and 2.6 times as high as for Māori males. Admission rates were higher for males than for females.

Injury mortality was twice as high for Māori as for non-Māori in Bay of Plenty, and higher for males than for females.

To read the full Bay of Plenty District Health Board Māori Health Profile 2015 in both English and te reo Māori visit: www.otago.ac.nz/MHP2015