Health Statistics
The health status of South Cantabrians appears to be similar or slightly better than that of New Zealanders generally. This also applies to Māori in South Canterbury, although their health status remains below that of non-Māori. Summary key findings from SCDHB’s Health Profile are:
- Rates for life expectancy, cancer and heart disease mortality, asthma, hearing failure, and suicide are similar to national averages.
- Overall rates of access to primary health care are similar to national rates.
- Notification rates for enteric disease (food- and water-borne disease) are among the highest in New Zealand.
- Rural health issues include access to health services, enteric disease, drinking water quality and injury (including road trauma).
- Avoidable hospital admissions are lower than the national average, 73 compared to 96 per 10,000 population.
- 5.7% of 65+ year-olds live in residential care compared to 6.2% in the South Island.
- 21% of our population smokes (NZ: Other 21%, Māori 49%, Pacific 35%).
- 18.9% of children live in the lower socio-economic deciles 8-10 (33% nationally).
- Children have poorer oral health than their counterparts in areas with fluoridated water supply. 49% of 5-year-olds are caries-free compared to 61.6% in fluoridated areas.
- 6.5% of 5- to 14-year-olds are obese and another 19.3% are overweight. This compares to 9.8% and 21.13% nationally.
- About 70% of adults are physically active, compared with 68% nationally.
- Teenage birth rates are lower than the NZ average.
Main Causes of Hospitalisation in South Canterbury
Analysis of hospital discharges for South Canterbury DHB residents for the year 2007 shows that the leading causes of hospitalisation were:
- Factors influencing health status and contact with health services (20.7%)This includes chemotherapy treatment for cancers, childbirth related reasons for hospitalisation, rehabilitation, healthy people accompanying sick people in hospital, dialysis and other specific procedures, examinations and investigations.
- Diseases of the circulatory system (8.6%)
- Pregnancy, childbirth and the puerperium (7.8%)
- Diseases of the digestive system (7.7%)
- Neoplasms (7.5%)
- Injury, poisoning and certain other consequences of external causes (7.3%)
- Symptoms, signs and abnormal clinical and laboratory findings, not elsewhere classified (6.3%) This includes chest pain, abdominal pain and “syncope and collapse.”
- Diseases of the genitourinary system (6.1%)
- Diseases of the musculoskeletal system and connective tissue (5.7%)
- Diseases of the respiratory system (5.5%)