Science / Health

Our Changing World - Closing the heart health inequity gap

15:35 pm on 11 May 2022

Cardiovascular diseases – disorders of the heart and blood vessels – are the leading cause of death globally. In Aotearoa, alongside cancer and respiratory diseases, they are one of the leading causes.  

Heart health Photo: 123RF

Listen

Follow Our Changing World on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, Stitcher, iHeartRADIO, Google Podcasts, RadioPublic or wherever you listen to your podcasts.

Cardiovascular diseases are also responsible for a large portion of the difference in life expectancy between Māori and non-Māori and Pacific and non-Pacific people.

Life expectancy is a term used for the average period that a person might expect to live. In Aotearoa there is a difference in life expectancy of about seven years between Māori and non-Māori, and about five years between Pacific and non-Pacific.

A Centre of Research Excellence (CoRE) is aiming to address these, and other, heart health inequities. Pūthai Manawa / Healthy Hearts for Aotearoa is one of ten CoREs, whose funding began in July 2021, and will run until December 2028.

Pūtahi Manawa have set ambitious goals – the Centre aims to address heart health research and health-care gaps that affect Māori, Pacific peoples, women, and rural communities. To do this, it will need to be ‘business not as usual’ says co-director Dr. Anna Rolleston.