Indicator Framework

During the mid-2000's, it became apparent that New Zealand required a formal monitoring framework, which not only considered the breadth of issues those in the health sector felt were important to child and youth health, but also the chains of casuality which linked them to the underlying socioeconomic and cultural determinants of health. The Paediatric Society of New Zealand thus approached the Ministry of Health, and in 2006 the New Zealand Child and Youth Health Indicator Project was funded. This project resulted in two reports, which have since become the basis for the Service's monitoring of child and youth health.

1. Monitoring the Health of New Zealand Children and Young People: Literature Review and Framework Development
   This report reviews New Zealand's previous approaches to monitoring child and youth health. It highlights the clear need for a more coordinated approach in this area, as well as for a comprehensive framework which assists those working in the health sector to consider all of the issues which n eed to be taken into account, when planning services and strategies to improve the health of children and young people. The report also provides a detailed description of the methodology used to develop the New Zealand Child and Youth Indicator Framework, upon which the Handbook (below) is based.
   
   
2. Monitoring the Health of New Zealand Children and Young People: Indicator Handbook
   This report provides an overview of the monitoring framework developed as a result of the Indicator Project and considers how it might be used to achieve health gains for children and young people. It also serves as a catalogue for the indicators contained within the Child and Youth Indicator Framework. For each indicator a formal definition is provided, along with information on the quality of the relevant data source(s), and the implications this may have for the indicator's interpretation. The public health relevance of each indicator is also discussed, before an analysis of its distribution by age, ethnicity, and NZ Deprivation Index decile is provided. Thus in addition to serving as a technical manual, the Handbook also provides a comprehensive overview of the health of children and young people in New Zealand.

Monitoring the Health of New Zealand Children and Young People