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Ethnic Birth Patterns and Fetal Outcome in Auckland and New Zealand in the 1970's and Their Medico‐ social Implications: Part I Birth Patterns, Fetal Infant Outcome
Author(s) -
Hutchison C .P. T.
Publication year - 1984
Publication title -
asia‐oceania journal of obstetrics and gynaecology
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 0.597
H-Index - 50
eISSN - 1447-0756
pISSN - 0389-2328
DOI - 10.1111/j.1447-0756.1984.tb00028.x
Subject(s) - pacific islanders , disadvantaged , demography , population , infant mortality , disadvantage , birth rate , ethnic group , geography , sociology , political science , fertility , law
1973, 1976, 1977 and 1978 are the only years that national data is available that measure fetal outcome and birth statistics for Maoris, Pacific Islanders, and others. Pacific Islanders have the highest stillbirth rate but overall the lowest infant mortality. Maoris have the highest infant mortality and the highest proportion of lower birth weight infants. In 1976, Maoris formed 8.6% of the New Zealand population but produced 12% of the births. Pacific Islanders formed 2% of the population and produced 5.7% of the births. European birth rates averaged 16.3/1000, Maori birth rates averaged 24.7/1000, while the Pacific Islanders rate was 57.1/1000. Auckland now contains the largest Polynesian population in the world. It appears that Maori and possibly Pacific Islanders are disadvantaged in terms of employment, education, income, health and legal offending. It is postulated that ‘cycles of disadvantage’ could be broken by preventive education and health incentives from an early age.