Māori have a much higher incidence of community-acquired pneumonia and pneumococcal pneumonia than non-Māori: findings from two New Zealand hospitals.
To determine the incidence rates of community-acquired pneumonia and pneumococcal pneumonia requiring hospitalisation among Maori and non-Maori, an observational study was conducted in Christchurch and Hamilton. Self-reported data were collected using an interviewer-administered questionnaire. Routine clinical, radiological, and microbiological techniques were used apart from the BinaxNow pneumococcal antigen test for diagnosis of this infection. Census data was used to determine the denominator for statistical analyses. The pneumonia rate overall was 3.03 times higher among Maori than non-Maori (p<0.001). Differences were significant for each 10-year age group from age 45-74 years (p<0.05). The rate of pneumococcal pneumonia was 3.23 fold higher for Maori than non-Maori (p<0.001), but it did not reach statistical significance in the age-related comparisons. These ethnic disparities are of major concern, and policy planners should consider further interventions to improve the efficacy of current anti-smoking campaigns and to undertake studies of conjugate pneumococcal vaccines for Maori.
Chambers
Stephen
S
Department of Pathology, Christchurch School of Medicine and Health Sciences, Christchurch, New Zealand. Steve.Chambers@cdhb.govt.nz
Laing
Richard
R
Murdoch
David
D
Frampton
Christopher
C
Jennings
Lance
L
Karalus
Noel
N
Mills
Graham
G
Town
Ian
I
D000293:Adolescent; D000328:Adult; D017677:Age Distribution; D000368:Aged; D000369:Aged, 80 and over; D017714:Community-Acquired Infections / Q000208:ethnology / Q000517:prevention & control; D005260:Female; D005500:Follow-Up Studies; D006801:Humans; D015994:Incidence; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D009520:New Zealand / Q000453:epidemiology; D022242:Pneumococcal Vaccines / Q000627:therapeutic use; D011014:Pneumonia / Q000208:ethnology* / Q000517:prevention & control; D011018:Pneumonia, Pneumococcal / Q000208:ethnology / Q000517:prevention & control; D044469:Racial Groups / Q000706:statistics & numerical data; D012720:Severity of Illness Index; D017678:Sex Distribution; D014611:Vaccination / Q000706:statistics & numerical data
D022242:Pneumococcal Vaccines