Māori children living in deprived neighbourhoods or outside of major urban areas are less likely to receive attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) medication compared with non-Māori children, according to a recent population-level study. The study identified 414,171 children from the Integrated Data Infrastructure who underwent their B4 School Check between 2011 and 2018. A total of 2.8% of Māori children and 1.6% of non-Māori children were screened as showing ADHD concerns. Of those with concerns, ADHD medication was dispensed to 10.8% of Māori children compared with 14.9% of non-Māori children, however an ethnicity difference was only significant for those living in the most deprived quintile and outside of major urban areas. Further research is needed to understand the specific barriers for Māori accessing ADHD medication in these areas, the study authors concluded.
