Focus on nutrition and equitable healthcare needed for Asian people in Aotearoa

Embargoed until: Publicly released: 2024-08-23 00:01

New Zealand

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An editorial on Asian health in Aotearoa highlights weight and nutrition related illnesses, mental health issues for children and older adults, and culturally safe healthcare as target areas. The authors, writing in the NZ Medical Journal, note increasing trends in fast food and fizzy drink consumption, decreasing fruit and vegetable consumption and physical exercise, and the rates of dental problems, obesity, and diabetes among Asians in NZ. They discuss mental health trends of increasing depression among Asian school students and loneliness affecting older adults, and barriers to accessing health services like racism, accessibility, and affordability. They say there need to be co-designed, culturally appropriate interventions and services to target these health issues, and that systemic change is needed to address racism and discrimination barriers to accessing healthcare.

Media release

From: Pasifika Medical Association Group

The health status of Asians in Aotearoa New Zealand has not changed much since 2003, especially among South Asians who continue to have poorer nutritional behaviours. Consequently, a high proportion of South Asians are overweight or obese, and are three times more likely to be on treatment for diabetes in comparison to New Zealand Europeans. Poor nutritional behaviours, such as meeting the guidelines for fruit and vegetable consumption and frequency of fast-food consumption, have worsened among all Asian groups. Additionally, heightened racism and stigmatisation faced by Asian communities worsen health issues and decrease engagement with healthcare services, particularly mental health, making it vital to action equity-based non-discriminatory healthcare delivery in partnerships with allied non-governmental organisations.

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Research Pasifika Medical Association Group, Web page URL will go live when the embargo lifts

Journal/
conference: New Zealand Medical Journal

Organisation/s: University of Otago, AUT University

Funder: N/A

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