Regional variations in asthma hospitalisations among Maori and non-Maori

To examine regional patterns of asthma hospitalisations in Maori and non-Maori.

We studied asthma hospitalisations in Maori and non-Maori during 1994-2000. Hospitalisation rates for Maori and non-Maori were calculated for ages 5-34 years in each of the 74 territorial authorities (TAs), of which 15 are urban and 59 predominantly rural. The data were also analysed separately for Maori and non-Maori in the age groups 0-4, 5-14, 15-34 and 35-74 years.

For Maori, the highest hospitalisation rates were in Tauranga, Invercargill, Wanganui, South Wairarapa and Gisborne; the lowest rates were in Rodney, Tasman, Franklin, Waitaki and North Shore City. The rate of asthma hospitalisation was higher in Maori than non-Maori in each age-group: 0-4 years relative risk (RR) = 1.43; 5-14 years RR = 1.08; 15-34 years RR = 1.31; 35-74 years RR = 2.97. The differences were higher in rural areas (RR 1.65, 1.17, 1.34 and 3.13 respectively) than in urban areas (RR 1.25, 1.00, 1.22, 2.79 respectively).

These analyses confirm previous evidence that asthma hospitalisation rates are higher in Maori than in non-Maori, despite the fact that asthma prevalence is similar in Maori and non-Maori children. They also indicate that this excess of hospitalisations is higher in rural than in urban areas, although the difference is not large.