Children and young people living in the most deprived areas of New Zealand are three times more likely to die in childhood or adolescence than those living in the least deprived areas, a report by the Child and Youth Mortality Review Committee (CYMRC) has found.
The report covers the period from 2012 to 2016 with the CYMRC hoping to use the data to prevent the deaths of children and young Kiwis in the future.
"Our reports consistently show that children from families and whānau living in the most deprived households are more likely to die than children living in the least deprived households.
"This is true for all types of child death and also for many specific causes of death, such as whooping cough, injuries and sudden unexpected death in infancy," CYMRC Chair Dr Felicity Dumble says.
She believes that access to care for those in poverty is one of the key reasons for the report's findings.
"Children living in poverty may not be able to access health services in the same way as others, getting to the doctor and picking up or taking medicines can be harder.
"Their homes may be damp and cold, food may not be plentiful, mum and dad may work one or two jobs and are unable to take them to the doctor.
"They may live in a crowded home where infection is spread easily or resources are stretched," Dr Dumble explains.
She also says the number of suicides among young people is a great concern.
"Between 2002 and 2016 there were 1758 deaths due to suicide which makes it the leading cause of death in adolescents.
"The report also identified that the number of suicide deaths in children is much higher in Māori: over one-half of deaths due to suicide in children aged 10-14 years were Māori."
The CYMRC is hoping to use their findings to find ways to prevent more children dying from the causes outlined above.
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The Lowdown: A website to help young New Zealanders recognise and understand depression or anxiety. www.thelowdown.co.nz or free text 5626
SPARX.org.nz – Online e-therapy tool provided by the University of Auckland that helps young people learn skills to deal with feeling down, depressed or stressed
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