Maori Health Web Page
Printed 11/25/2009 07:06:48 AM  Back   Print   

Health status indicators > Infant health

Table 30: Infant health indicators

Indicator
Māori
non-Māori
Males
Females
Total
Males
Females
Total
Low birthweight, 2000-02, age-specific rate per 1000 live births 1,2 *
56.6
(53.5-59.9)
62.7
(59.3-66.2)
59.5
(57.2-61.9)
57.6
(55.7-59.5)
66.5
(64.4-68.6)
61.9
(60.6-63.4)
Infant mortality rate, 2000-02, age-specific rate per 1000 live births 1,3 *
10.8
(9.5-12.3)
9.4
(8.1-10.8)
10.1
(9.2-11.2)
5.3
(4.7-5.9)
4.2
(3.7-4.8)
4.8
(4.4-5.2)
Sudden infant death syndrome (SIDS) mortality, 2000-02, rate per 1000 1,4 *
2.6
(2.0-3.3)
1.8
(1.3-2.4)
2.2
(1.8-2.6)
0.6
(0.4-0.8)
0.3
(0.4-0.8)
0.4
(0.3-0.6)
Breastfeeding (exclusive and full) at 3 months, 2003/04 percent 5,6,7 **
-
-
46
-
-
59
Breastfeeding (exclusive and full) at 6 months, 2003/04, percent 5,6,7 **
-
-
17
-
-
27
Notes:
1 Ever-Māori ethnic group - see Methods and Data Sources section for further information.
2Low birthweight is defined as less than 2500 grams.
3 'Infant mortality' includes early neonatal deaths, late neonatal deaths, and post-neonatal deaths.
4 Data from recent years shows that the reduction in SIDS deaths is greater than the reduction in total post-neonatal deaths. Analysis of causes of post-neonatal deaths suggests that the possibility of diagnostic transfer from SIDS to 'accidental mechanical suffocation in bed or cradle' cannot be discounted as a factor' (Ministry of Health 2000: 1415)
5 Prioritised Māori ethnic group - see Methods and Data Sources section for further information.
6 Plunket data years presented are July 2003 - June 2004. Gender breakdown and confidence intervals unavailable. Relies on the proportion of Māori babies born in 2004 relative to the total number of babies to calculate non-Māori (0.28)
7 Exclusive breastfeeding means the infant has only had breast milk from the breast or expressed breast milk and prescribed medicines given from birth. Full breastfeeding means the infant has taken breast milk only, and no other liquids or solids, except for a minimal amount of water or prescribed medicines in the past 48 hours.
Sources:
* New Zealand Health Information Services
** Royal New Zealand Plunket Society

The prevalences of low birthweight were similar for Māori and non-Māori (RR 1.0, CI 0.9–1.0). The Māori infant mortality rate was one-and-a-half times that of non-Māori (RR 1.7, CI 1.5–1.9).

The sudden infant death syndrome (SIDS) mortality rate was five times higher among Māori infants than among non-Māori infants (RR 5.1, CI 3.7–7.2). This disparity was greatest for female infants, where the SIDS mortality rate was six-and-a-half times higher in Māori than in non-Māori (RR 6.5, CI 3.7–11.6).

Breastfeeding at three or six months of age was lower in Māori than in non-Māori babies.