This annual report - Taranaki District Health Board

Stream Indicator New Zealand Distribution and Trends Midland DHBs Distribution and TrendsSubstanceUseSocioeconomicallySensitive HospitalAdmissions andMortalityAlcohol-RelatedHospitalAdmissionsHospitalAdmissions andMortality with aSocial GradientDuring 2000–2011, alcohol-related hospital admissionsin young people were relatively static. While on average1,150 admissions occurred per year, it is likely that thisreflects a significant undercount due to the limitations ofthe NMDS in identifying alcohol-related admissions.During 2007–2011, alcohol was listed as a contributorycause in a large number of hospital admissions.However only 8.8% had acute intoxication or the toxiceffects of alcohol listed as the primary diagnosis. In36.5% an injury was the primary diagnosis, while 32.2%were due to mental health conditions and 11.8% due topoisoning by other drugs or substances.Admissions were significantly higher for males and Māori> Pacific or European/Other young people.Health Outcomes as DeterminantsDuring 2007–2011, gastroenteritis, bronchiolitis, andasthma were the leading causes of hospitalisations formedical conditions with a social gradient, while falls,followed by inanimate mechanical forces were theleading causes of injury admissions.During 2005–2009, SUDI made the largest contribution tomortality with a social gradient. Vehicle occupant injurieswere the most frequent cause of injury-related deaths,while bacterial/non-viral pneumonia was the leadingcause of mortality from medical conditions.Medical admissions with a social gradient increasedduring the early 2000s, reached peak in 2002 and thendeclined, with an upswing again being evident during2007–2009. In contrast, injury admissions with a socialgradient declined during 2000–2011.During 2000–2011, hospitalisations for medicalconditions with a social gradient were consistently higherfor Pacific > Māori > European/Other children, whileinjury admissions were higher for Pacific and Māori >European/Other children.In the Midland Region during 2007–2011, alcohol-relatedhospital admissions in young people were significantly higherthan the New Zealand rate in all DHBs except the WaikatoDHB, where rates were similar to the New Zealand rate.While the average number of alcohol-related admissions peryear varied from 32.0 in Tairawhiti to 107.6 in the Waikato, inreality it is likely that the number was much higher due to thelimitations of the National Minimum Dataset in identifyingalcohol-related admissions in this age group.In all of the DHBs in the Midland Region during 2007–2011,asthma, bronchiolitis, gastroenteritis and acute upperrespiratory tract infections were in the top four reasons forhospitalisations for medical conditions with a social gradient,while falls, followed by inanimate mechanical forces, were themost frequent reasons for injury admissions with a socialgradient in all DHBs.During 2000–2011, while trends varied by DHB, admissionsfor medical conditions were higher than the New Zealand ratein the Bay of Plenty, Lakes DHB and Tairawhiti and generallylower than the New Zealand rate in the Waikato and Taranaki.Admissions for injuries exhibited a general downward trend inall Midland DHBs, with rates in the Bay of Plenty andTairawhiti being higher the New Zealand rate and rates in theWaikato and Taranaki (from 2006) being generally lower.In the Waikato, admissions for medical conditions were higherfor Pacific and Māori children than for European/Otherchildren, while in the Bay of Plenty, Lakes DHB, Tairawhiti andTaranaki, admissions were higher for Māori than forEuropean/Other children. Admissions for injuries weregenerally higher for Māori than for European children in theBay of Plenty and Lakes DHB, although in the Waikato,Tairawhiti and Taranaki ethnic differences were lessconsistent.Introduction and Overview - 38