Objectives: To understand health disparities in cardiovascular disease (CVD) in the indigenous Māori of New Zealand, diagnosed and undiagnosed CVD risk factors were compared in rural Māori in an area remote from health services with urban Māori and non-Māori in a city well served with health services.
Design: Prospective cohort study.
Setting: Hauora Manawa is a cohort study of diagnosed and previously undiagnosed CVD, diabetes and risk factors, based on random selection from electoral rolls of the rural Wairoa District and Christchurch City, New Zealand.
Objectives: To document levels of cardiovascular disease (CVD), diagnosed and undiagnosed risk factors and clinical management of CVD risk in rural Māori.
Methods: Participants (aged 20-64 years), of Māori descent and self-report, were randomly sampled to be representative of age and gender profiles of the community. Screening clinics included health questionnaires, fasting blood samples, blood pressure and anthropometric measures.
Aust N Z J Psychiatry
February 2008
Objective: To examine characteristics of patients with social phobia (SP) in alcohol and drug treatment settings and to identify features distinguishing this group from patients with and without other psychiatric conditions.
Method: A random sample of 105 patients completing an initial assessment at two outpatient alcohol and drug treatment services were assessed and agreed to a 9 month follow-up interview, completed by n=102 (97%). At baseline the Composite International Diagnostic Interview (CIDI) was administered.
Māori, like Indigenous Australians and other indigenous people world-wide, are simultaneously over-represented among those presenting with addiction-related problems and under-represented within various health professions. Providing the opportunity for individuals and whanau (family/extended family) to work with ethnically matched health workers is likely to increase service accessibility and to improve treatment outcomes. In New Zealand, a number of initiatives have been instigated to increase the capacity of the Māori health work-force and reduce related barriers to treatment.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFAust N Z J Psychiatry
December 2002
Objective: This paper describes qualitative research that was carried out as part of a project aimed at drawing up a series of guidelines for the assessment and management for people with coexisting substance use and mental health disorders, or dual diagnosis.
Method: A core consultation team of 14 experts with experience in the areas of both substance use and mental health in New Zealand was established to advise on the development of eight clinical scenarios. The clinical scenarios were selected to highlight a range of real life issues in the treatment of people with coexisting substance use and mental health disorders and were presented at 12 focus groups around New Zealand.