AUCKLAND: Researchers at the University of Waikato in a recent press release have said that improving Maori health could be reliant on a stronger sense of cultural identity. Statistics show Maori are more affected by heart diseases, respiratory diseases and cancer than any other group. Maori are also at higher risk from blood-born viruses (BBVs) and sexually transmitted infections (STIs). By going back to basic such as service delivery and cultural identity, researchers from the Te Kotahi Research Institute at the University of Waikato are in an effort to change the disproportionate statistics. The Mauri Tu, Mauri Ora project is part of an international collaborative health study of Indigenous peoples in New Zealand, Canada and Australia, funded over five years by the Health Research Council. Project researcher, Mera Penehira says improvements can be made at a policy level, service provider level and community level. “We discovered a mismatch between policy and service provision,” she said. “Service providers are sometimes not adequately resourced, or they are ill-informed about policy, or they don't get the monitoring required to ensure they actually implement culturally appropriate services.” Amid the inadequate services, sense of identity was also an important factor, researchers revealed. “People who make up the statistics tell us there's a link between positive cultural identity and well-being,” said Penehira. “It's not just a health issue, they're saying being Maori is a key factor in providing protection against HIV, STIs and blood-borne viruses.” This holistic view of Maori health and wellbeing also helps encourage discussion of risk factors in sexual and reproductive health. “A critical part of change is to remove the silencing around this topic,” said Penehira. “If we can get people talking about what is at the core of good sexual and reproductive health, things like, whakapapa (genealogy), tamariki (children) and oranga (relationships, health and wellbeing), then we can better protect ourselves against risk.” In early 2012 the final Mauri Tu, Mauri Ora report will be available from the Health Research Council. BM
