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Volume 27, Number 1—January 2021
CME ACTIVITY - Research

Rising Ethnic Inequalities in Acute Rheumatic Fever and Rheumatic Heart Disease, New Zealand, 2000–2018

Julie BennettComments to Author , Jane Zhang, William Leung, Susan Jack, Jane Oliver, Rachel Webb, Nigel Wilson, Dianne Sika-Paotonu, Matire Harwood, and Michael G. Baker
Author affiliations: University of Otago, Wellington (J. Bennett, J. Zhang, W. Leung, D. Sika-Paotonu, M.G. Baker); Southern District Health Board, Dunedin, New Zealand (S. Jack); University of Melbourne, Melbourne, Victoria, Australia (J. Oliver); Murdoch Children’s Research Institute, Melbourne (J. Oliver); Auckland District Health Board, Auckland, New Zealand (R. Webb, N. Wilson); University of Auckland, Auckland (D. Sika-Paotonu, M. Harwood)

Main Article

Table 3

Mortality rates of rheumatic heart disease and adjusted rate ratios for people <70 years of age, according to key sociodemographic characteristics, New Zealand, 2000–2016*

Category No. deaths Crude rate of RHD deaths/100,000 population aRR (95% CI) RR during 2010–2016 vs. 2000–2009 (95% CI)
Age, y†
<40 126 0.31 Referent 0.66 (0.45–0.96)
40–49 163 1.56 7.27 (5.76–9.18) 0.68 (0.49–0.94)
50–59 249 2.80 15.09 (12.17–18.72) 0.53 (0.41–0.70)
60–69
 352
 5.48
 34.15 (27.80–41.95)
 0.56 (0.45–0.69)
Sex‡
M 394 1.21 0.88 (0.75–0.98) 0.56 (0.45–0.69)
F
 496
 1.49
 Referent
 0.61 (0.51–0.73)
Ethnicity§
Māori 467 4.34 12.27 (10.32–14.58) 0.53 (0.44–0.65)
Pacific Islander 190 4.37 11.16 (9.05–13.76) 0.77 (0.57–1.02)
Asian 20 0.29 0.8 7(0.55–1.38) 0.09 (0.02–0.40)
European and other
 213
 0.49
 Referent
 0.63 (0.47–0.84)
Socioeconomic deprivation level¶
1–2 48 0.39 Referent 0.23 (0.11–0.46)
3–4 67 0.55 1.23 (0.85–1.78) 0.51 (0.30–0.84)
5–6 113 0.88 1.72 (1.23–2.42) 1.01 (0.70–1.46)
7–8 188 1.37 2.17 (1.57–2.99) 0.54 (0.40–0.73)
9–10
 474
 3.18
 3.18 (2.34–4.33)
 0.58 (0.48–0.71)
District health board#
Northland 52 2.18 1.13 (0.76–1.69) 0.48 (0.24–0.94)
Counties Manukau, South Auckland 168 2.28 1.65 (1.21–2.24) 0.75 (0.53–1.05)
Tairawhiti, Gisborne 33 4.56 2.22 (1.42–3.48) 0.35 (0.15–0.83)
South Island, 5 DHBs
 81
 0.53
 Referent
 0.50 (0.31–0.82)
Total 890 1.35 0.58 (0.51–0.67)

*An additional 1,545 (63.4% of total) deaths occurred among persons >70 years of age during 2000–2016. aRR, adjusted rate ratio; DHB, district health board; RHD, rheumatic heart disease; RR, rate ratio.
†RR adjusted for sex, ethnicity, and socioeconomic deprivation.
‡RR adjusted for age, ethnicity, and socioeconomic deprivation.
§RR adjusted for age, sex, and socioeconomic deprivation.
¶RR adjusted for age, sex, and ethnicity.
#RR adjusted for age, sex, ethnicity, and socioeconomic deprivation; 3 highest incidence DHBs and the DHB with lowest incidence shown. A full list of DHBs is provided in Appendix Table 1.

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Page created: November 13, 2020
Page updated: December 18, 2020
Page reviewed: December 18, 2020
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