Many New Zealand children, particularly Māori children and those living in areas of high deprivation, are not receiving adequate primary care for asthma, according to a large analysis of asthma hospital admissions and asthma prescriptions. The analysis included 39,731 hospitalisations with asthma as a discharge diagnosis and 5,512,856 prescriptions for asthma medication in children ≤14 years old. There was a 45% reduction in the number of asthma hospitalisations and an 18% reduction in prescriptions attributable to asthma between 2010 and 2019. Both Māori and non-Māori children showed reductions. However, hospitalisations for asthma occurred twice as frequently in Māori children compared with non-Māori children (7.2 per 1000 vs 3.5 per 1000, p<0.001), and asthma readmission within 90 days of the first admission was also more common (18% vs 14% in non-Māori children, p<0.001). Children from families living in the highest deprivation areas had asthma admission rates that were, on average, 2.8 times higher than children living in the least deprived areas. The combined cost of asthma hospitalisations and prescriptions was estimated at NZD 165 million, including 103 million for hospital admissions and 62 million for prescriptions.
