Living and dying with cardiovascular disease for Māori

February 9 2019

Māori: living and dying with cardiovascular disease in Aotearoa New Zealand
Current Opinion in Supportive and Palliative Care 13(1):1

In the week of Waitangi Day, it’s important to recognise the ongoing effects of colonisation on the inequitable health outcomes experienced by Māori. These are visible in many different aspects of palliative and end of life care and addressing inequity for Māori remains a central concern for Te Ārai in all our work.

A very significant health issue for Māori we were asked to explore in a recent critical review is Cardiovascular Disease (CVD). CVD is the leading case of death and disability for Māori, who are twice as likely to experience CVD when compared with non-Māori. Māori are also younger on average at diagnosis and more likely to be hospitalised as a result of CVD. In addition, our review confirmed significant gaps in current support for Māori with CVD at end of life, with many barriers existing to whānau realising the end of life experience they want. We are hoping the current political climate in Aotearoa provides opportunities to address these inequities.

If the abstract piques your interest you can access the full text on ResearchGate.