Are there differences within pre-school aged Pacific peoples’ hospital presentations with preventable conditions?

Abstract

Aim. To describe the top five causes of preventable health conditions among Pacific children (Cook Island, Fijian, Niuean, Samoan, Tongan, Tokelauan) aged 0-4 years living in New Zealand (NZ), and to make comparisons of these rates with NZ’s population who were of neither Maori nor Pacific ethnicity (NMNP).  

Method. This study is a retrospective analysis of preschool Ambulatory Sensitive Hospitalisations (ASH) by ethnicity. The data, from 2010 to 2014, was extracted from The National Minimum Dataset.

Results. The top five preventable health conditions among Pacific under 5’s were asthma and wheeze, gastroenteritis, dental, skin infections and pneumonia. Rates for all Pacific children with any of the ASH conditions were four to five times higher among Pacific, than among NMNP, from 2000 to 2014. Pacific children were also significantly more likely to present with bronchiectasis and rheumatic fever or rheumatic heart disease (RR 25.7 and 26.4 respectively).

Conclusion. Pacific children aged 0-4 years are more likely to be exposed to health conditions that are considered preventable . The most common preventable health conditions experienced by Pacific children were asthma and wheeze, gastroenteritis, dental, skin infections and pneumonia. These findings highlight the importance of investing in effective prevention strategies to further investigate and address the underlying causes of these conditions.