title: Throat swabbing for the primary prevention of rheumatic fever following health information.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  To determine whether health promotion activities in March-August 2009 increased sore throat swabbing rates among Flaxmere (Hawke's Bay, New Zealand) children aged 5-14 years, and in particular among Māori and Pacific children.
  
  
  METHODS
  Monthly totals of Hawke's Bay bacterial throat swabs for the period March-October 2008 and March-October 2009 were obtained. Using Poisson regression, the 2008 and 2009 test rates for Flaxmere children residing in the target area during the intervention were compared with non-Flaxmere children. Flaxmere test rates were determined for Māori or Pacific children and non-Māori non-Pacific children separately.
  
  
  RESULTS
  Flaxmere children had a higher pre-intervention bacterial throat swab rate, compared to non-Flaxmere children (6.0% vs 3.2%; p<0.001). The throat swab rate increased significantly for Flaxmere children during the intervention period, compared to both the previous year (1.6; 1.3-2.0) and compared to the increase observed among non-Flaxmere children (1.4; 1.1-1.8). Subanalysis among Flaxmere children found a significant increase in the throat swab rate of Māori and Pacific children (1.8; 1.4-2.4).
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  A demonstrable increase in throat swabbing rates among high-risk Flaxmere children was observed following a combination of health promotion interventions. The increase in throat swabbing rates observed among Māori and Pacific children suggest that the intervention was effective for children with the highest risk.
authors.affiliation: Hawke's Bay Public Health Unit, Hawke's Bay District Health Board, PO Box 447, Napier, New Zealand.
authors.forename: Janine
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Mardani
authors.forename: Lester
authors.initials: L
authors.lastname: Calder
authors.forename: Julia
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Haydon-Carr
authors.forename: Gordon
authors.initials: G
authors.lastname: Purdie
authors.forename: Nicholas F
authors.initials: NF
authors.lastname: Jones
mesh_terms: D000293:Adolescent; D002648:Child; D002675:Child, Preschool; D005006:Ethnicity / Q000706:statistics & numerical data; D006266:Health Education; D006293:Health Promotion; D006801:Humans; D009520:New Zealand / Q000453:epidemiology; D010612:Pharyngitis / Q000382:microbiology*; D011322:Primary Prevention; D012213:Rheumatic Fever / Q000517:prevention & control*; D013048:Specimen Handling / Q000706:statistics & numerical data*; D013290:Streptococcal Infections / Q000175:diagnosis*