The strongest drivers of lower rates of timely first-year immunisations and lower general practitioner (GP) satisfaction among Māori compared with NZ Europeans are household composition and household income, according to a Growing Up in New Zealand birth cohort study. The study included 6822 mothers of children born between 2009 and 2010, and used decomposition analysis to assess the drivers behind ethnic differences in uptake of child healthcare services. Despite high intentions to immunise, Māori had lower timeliness of first-year vaccines than NZ Europeans in multivariate models, and were less likely to be satisfied with their GP at 2 years. Addressing healthcare disparities will require interventions specifically tailored to Māori, the study authors concluded, as well as addressing underlying social determinants and structural racism
