Acute respiratory infections (ARIs) remain the leading cause of death of young children globally.(1) New Zealand has a larger ARI burden among young children than most developed countries. Within New Zealand, Pacific children experience a larger acute respiratory disease burden than children of any other ethnic group. Within New Zealand, pneumonia accounts for 5% of all deaths among Pacific children aged 1-14 years, double the proportion for the New Zealand total population 1-14 years of age.(2)

This study aims to explore some of the causes of this health inequity by:

1) Describing the burden of acute respiratory infections in the Pasifika cohort of the Growing Up in New Zealand study, and

2) Understanding and identifying factors which affect Pasifika children's access to health care and their predisposition to developing ARIs.

Four groups of children will be identified within the Pasifika cohort:

1. Those with no parental report of lower respiratory infection

2. Those with parental report of lower respiratory infection but no hospital presentation or admission

3. Those with hospital presentation but not admission with lower respiratory infection

4. Those with hospital admission with lower respiratory infection

For these groups their patterns of health care utilisation will be compared according to their receipt of antenatal care, receipt of well childcare, relationship with primary care, use of complimentary care, and their experiences of health care racism.

Findings from this study will inform further studies and/or interventions to improve access to care for this population group that is disproportionately affected by respiratory disease morbidity (and ultimately contribute to reduced ARI morbidity).

References

1. Global Burden of Disease Lower Respiratory Infection Collaborators. Estimates of the global, regional, and national morbidity, mortality, and aetiologies of lower respiratory tract infections in 195 countries: a systematic analysis for the Glo

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