A population-level observational study has revealed that rural Māori have higher rates of all-cause and amenable mortality than urban Māori. The study used deidentified, routinely collected mortality and census data. For all five levels of the Geographic Classification of Health, Māori had higher all-cause mortality (standardised incidence rate ratio [SIRR] 1.87 urban; 1.95 rural) and amenable mortality (SIRR 2.45 urban; 2.34 rural) than non-Māori. For rural Māori vs urban Māori, SIRR was 1.07 for all-cause mortality and 1.13 for amenable mortality. All-cause and amenable mortality rates increased for both Māori and non-Māori as rurality increased. The authors suggested that there are additional challenges for Māori associated with living rurally.
