New Zealand Reports

The New Zealand Child and Youth Epidemiology Service have provided child and youth health reports to participating District Health Boards (DHBs) on an annual basis since 2005, with reporting being timed to coincide with DHBs' 3-yearly Health Needs Assessments.

Each three year reporting cycle aims to provide a comprehensive overview of child and youth health, using an Indicator Framework developed specifically for this purpose. Within each cycle, issues are covered in the following order:

1. Year 1: The Health Status of Children and Young People
2. Year 2: The Determinants of Child and Youth Health
3. Year 3: Children and Young People with Chronic Conditions and Disability

In 2010, the Ministry of Health, via a contract with the Paediatric Society of New Zealand, provided the funding for a series of New Zealand child and youth health reports, which while utilising the same core template as the DHB reports, provide an overview of child and youth health issues from a national perspective. In order to preserve continuity with the DHB reporting cycle, the first New Zealand report produced in 2010, focused on the health needs of children and young people with chronic conditions and disabilities in New Zealand.

2010 Health of Children and Young People with Chronic Conditions and Disabilities in New Zealand Report

The 2010 Health of Children and Young People with Chronic Conditions and Disabilities in New Zealand Report reviews a range of hospital admission and mortality data, with a view to identifying the number of children and young people with chronic conditions and disabilities accessing health services in New Zealand. Issues reviewed include autism, developmental delays and intellectual disabilities, cerebral palsy, cystic fibrosis, diabetes, epilepsy, and babies with congenital anomalies evident at birth (including cardiovascular anomalies, Down Syndrome and neural tube defects). National survey data on overweight and obesity, and nutrition and physical activity in children is also reviewed.  In addition, two topics were selected jointly by the Ministry of Health and DHBs for more in-depth review during 2010. They were:

1. Disability, Disability Support Services and Transitions to Adult Care
2. Models of Care for Medically Fragile Children