The Health Status of Children and Young People in the Northern District Health Boards (2015)

Abstract

This report is based on an Indicator Framework1 developed in 2007 in which the indicators for each of the three reports in the series were identified. The indicators in this year’s report were developed from Craig et al’s indicators for the individual and whānau health and wellbeing stream. They are presented in the following sections:

• Issues in infancy • Issues for all ages 0–24 year olds • Conditions of the respiratory system • Common communicable diseases • Unintentional injury • Reproductive health • Mental health

Within each section, where possible, data are broken down by demographic factors such as age, gender, ethnicity, NZ Index of Deprivation decile, and district health board (DHB). When making comparisons between DHBs, readers should be aware that difference in disease rates may be the result of differences in DHB demographic characteristics (such as the age structure, ethnicity, and deprivation level of the population) and not assume that differences in disease rates represent differences in DHBs’ performance.

In addition to providing an overview of a range of important health conditions affecting children and young people, this report also considers two issues as in-depth topics: Young people’s sexual and reproductive health by Dr Judith Adams, and Mental health issues in 15–24 year olds by Dr Michael Butchard.

This report provides an overview of the health status of children and young people in New Zealand, and an entry point to the policy and evidence-based review literature, to assist with addressing child and youth health needs in a systematic and evidence-based manner. It is suggested that the Ministry of Health, DHBs and others working in the health sector use the epidemiological data in this report as a complement to knowledge of existing services and key stakeholders’ views. In addition, they should be mindful of existing Government policy, and that for any approaches developed to be effective, they need to be congruent with the evidence contained in the current literature. If there is no sound evidence base, planners should build an evaluation arm into their programmes to ensure the best use of available resources.