Cure Kids’ third State of Child Health Report spotlights urgent health priorities
Cure Kids media release: 16th May 2023
Cure Kids’ "State of Child Health in Aotearoa New Zealand" report reveals the inequitable and worsening burden of diseases, including respiratory conditions, and rheumatic fever and heart disease for our tamariki. And, for the first time, the report makes the case for prioritising mental health concerns because of their growing impact on our tamariki and rangatahi.
The report is the result of extensive research and collaboration with the Paediatric Society of New Zealand, the Royal Australasian College of Physicians, and the New Zealand Child and Youth Epidemiology Service.
Cure Kids is Aotearoa New Zealand’s largest funder of child health research outside of the government, and their report highlights key priorities for urgent action to improve the health and wellbeing of our tamariki.
Cure Kids CEO Frances Soutter says the report identifies a number of concerning trends in child health.
“New Zealand continues to face significant challenges in the area of child health, with many children suffering from preventable illnesses and health conditions. Not only have rates of hospital admissions remained unacceptably high over two decades, but the burden of disease is inequitable,” she says.
The report analyses the most up-to-date national data, from 2000 to the end of 2021, which show the growing inequity in child health in New Zealand - with Māori children, Pasifika children, and children living in areas with greatest socioeconomic deprivation are disproportionately affected.
“These health issues cause crises for children and their whānau, requiring visits to hospital, time away from school and significant disruption to families. In the long term, this burden of disease causes chronic conditions which persist into adulthood, with significant social and economic impacts for Aotearoa New Zealand,” says Frances.
Read the Cure Kids report "State of Child Health in Aotearoa New Zealand 2022".