Determinants of ethnic differences in the uptake of child healthcare services in New Zealand: a decomposition analysis

International Journal for Equity in Health

Research

Sonia Lewycka¹  Gail Pacheco²  Alexander Plum²  Kabir Dasgupta²  Mary Hedges²  Terryann Clark³ 

[1] Centre for Tropical Medicine and Global Health, Nuffield Department of Medicine, University of Oxford, Oxford, UK;Oxford University Clinical Research Unit, National Hospital for Tropical Diseases, 78 Giai Phong, Dong Da District, Hanoi, Vietnam;Faculty of Business, Economics and Law, NZ Work Research Institute, Auckland University of Technology, Auckland, New Zealand;School of Nursing, Faculty of Medical and Health Sciences, University of Auckland, Auckland, New Zealand;Mahitahi Hauora Primary Health Entity, Whangārei, New Zealand;

关键词: Ethnic health disparities;    Structural racism;    Primary care;    Healthcare uptake;    Determinants;    Indigenous;    Māori;    Pacific;    Asian;    New Zealand;   

DOI  :  10.1186/s12939-022-01812-3

 received in 2022-03-10, accepted in 2022-12-19,  发布年份 2022

来源: Springer

【 摘 要 】

BackgroundThere are persistent ethnic gaps in uptake of child healthcare services in New Zealand (NZ), despite increasing policy to promote equitable access. We examined ethnic differences in the uptake of immunisation and primary healthcare services at different ages and quantified the contribution of relevant explanatory factors, in order to identify potential points of intervention.MethodsWe used data from the Growing Up in New Zealand birth cohort study, including children born between 2009 and 2010. Econometric approaches were used to explore underlying mechanisms behind ethnic differences in service uptake. Multivariable regression was used to adjust for mother, child, household, socioeconomic, mobility, and social factors. Decomposition analysis was used to assess the proportion of each ethnic gap that could be explained, as well as the main drivers behind the explained component. These analyses were repeated for four data time-points.ResultsSix thousand eight hundred twenty-two mothers were enrolled during the antenatal survey, and children were followed up at 9-months, 2-years and 4-years. In univariable models, there were ethnic gaps in uptake of immunisation and primary care services. After adjusting for covariates in multivariable models, compared to NZ Europeans, Asian and Pacific children had higher timeliness and completeness of immunisation at all time-points, while indigenous Māori had lower timeliness of first-year vaccines despite high intentions to immunise. Asian and Pacific mothers were less likely to have their first-choice lead maternity caregiver (LMC) than NZ Europeans mothers, and Māori and Asian mothers were less likely to be satisfied with their general practitioner (GP) at 2-years. Healthcare utilisation was strongly influenced by socio-economic, mobility and social factors including ethnic discrimination. In decomposition models comparing Māori to NZ Europeans, the strongest drivers for timely first-year immunisations and GP satisfaction (2-years) were household composition and household income. Gaps between Pacific and NZ Europeans in timely first-year immunisations and choice of maternity carer were largely unexplained by factors included in the models.ConclusionsEthnic gaps in uptake of child healthcare services vary by ethnicity, service, and time-point, and are driven by different factors. Addressing healthcare disparities will require interventions tailored to specific ethnic groups, as well as addressing underlying social determinants and structural racism. Gaps that remain unexplained by our models require further investigation.

【 授权许可】

CC BY   
© The Author(s) 2023

【 图 表 】

Fig. 3