September 18, 2013
Tane targeted for heart checks
A Maori primary health organisation is reporting success in getting Maori men to take care of their hearts through a combination of innovative communications, strong Maori male role models, and face-to-face engagement.
Maori men have heart disease at rates two to three times higher than other men of the same age.
Harley Matthews from Te Awakairangi PHO told the Public Health Association’s annual conference in New Plymouth that as a result Maori men’s life expectancy is around ten years shorter than other groups of men.
He says Maori men are not in the habit of going to their doctor regularly, so they often present when health issues are quite well advanced.
Barriers include putting the health needs of their children over their own health, low income and also a belief they need to harden up when they face life’s challenges.
Mr Mathews says Te Awakairangi, One Heart Many Lives and iwi organisation Taranaki Whanui use annual Maori festivals to approach Maori men and talk to them about cardio-vascular disease.
At last year’s Te Ra o te Raukura festival, 43 of the 141 Maori men who agreed to Cardio Vascular Assessments were found to have a high risk of having a cardiac incident in the near future.
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