About Counties Manukau District Health Board

2.1  Mortality

Relative poverty, and hence income, is the single biggest determinants of health.  Throughout the 1980s and 1990s incomes inequalities in New Zealand have increased, leading to greater health inequalities.  While the inequalities are no longer increasing a significant gap remains in income distribution.

Shown here is the distribution of personal income for those aged 15+ in CMDHB (Table 1.9, Figure 1.4)
The areas with the lowest incomes were Otara and Mangere, while the areas with the highest incomes were Botany/Clevedon and Howick/Pakuranga.

The single largest preventable cause of death is ischaemic heart disease (IHD, and the largest preventable factor in IHD is tobacco smoking – see next section.

2.2  Health behaviours

This section covers the information that is available at a small area level on population health behaviours that protect or add to risks to health.

2.2.1  Smoking

Tobacco remains the most important preventable cause of premature mortality and sickness throughout New Zealand.  It is also a major contributor to health inequalities with the very high rates of smoking in Maori communities.  There have been impressive falls in tobacco use in the past, but the rate of fall has declined.  Increased efforts are required to reduce smoking rates and smoking-related illness.

Questions on smoking were asked in the 1996 and 2006 Censuses.  Within CMDHB the number of people using tobacco regularly has declined slightly since 1996 from 23% of the adult population to 20%. Because of the overall population growth this still means an overall increase of 7,000 smokers over this 10 year period.  The localities with the highest rates were Papakura, Otara, and Manurewa where around a quarter of adults smoke.  The Papakura and Manurewa figures are based particularly on a high Maori population in those areas.  Looking at absolute numbers the localities with the highest number of smokers are Manurewa and Mangere. 

Table 1.28  CMDHB residents smoking tobacco regularly, 1996 and 2006 by area

2.2.2  Active commuting

Using active methods of getting to the workplace can be a very useful addition to a person’s physical activity requirements.  Also the higher the proportion of people using motorised transport the higher the air pollution and the higher the risk of injury. 

Within CMDHB the number of people using trains, busses, walking or cycling has been declining since 1996.  Only 8% of commuter journeys were made by these means in 2006, down from 11% in 1996.  The localities with the highest rates were Franklin and Papakura, based particularly on a relatively large usage of trains.  With the continued revamp of the rail services it is to be hope that this decline can be reversed. 

Table 1.29  CMDHB commuters using public transport, cycling or walking, 1996 to 2006 by area