New research led by AUT’s NZ Work Research Institute (NZWRI) finds that interactions with family members and health professionals are crucial in determining immunisation uptake, engagement rates and satisfaction levels with New Zealand’s health system.
The report, “Ethnic Differences in the use and experience of child healthcare services in NZ”, is funded by the Ministry of Social Development and the Health Research Council.
The research investigated ethnic differences in the use and experience of child healthcare services in Aotearoa New Zealand and focused on decisions to immunise, seek dental care, and visit the doctor.
Using data from Growing Up in New Zealand, this country’s largest longitudinal study, the report analysed responses from around 6,000 parents at four time points: antenatally; when the children were nine-months; then two-years; and then four-years-old.
The following key findings emerged:
NZWRI Director, Professor Gail Pacheco, says, “When it comes to improving access to child healthcare services, and immunisation uptake in particular, this research highlights the power of personal relationships and institutional interactions with the health system. Furthermore, and perhaps not surprisingly, people who feel they have been discriminated against by a health professional are less likely to engage and, when they do, are more likely to report having a negative experience.”
NZWRI Senior Research Fellows Dr Alexander Plum and Kabir Dasgupta (both pictured) led the empirical analysis in this research, which was carried out in collaboration with the University of Auckland and Oxford University Clinical Research Unit.
Read about the AUT NZ Work Research Institute
Read about Growing Up in New Zealand