The Asian population in New Zealand faces several public health challenges and issues. The TANI (The Asian Network Incorporated) was formed to address these issues and empower Asian communities. TANI works to connect diverse Asian groups, increase health awareness, facilitate research, and advocate for Asian health needs. While making progress, TANI continues working to overcome barriers like language issues and lack of funding to further support the growing Asian population in New Zealand.
1. Public health issues of Asian New Zealanders –
Challenges and triumphs
Ch ll dti h
NZ Diversity Forum 2010
y
2. Definition of “Asian” in NZ
The term ‘Asian’
encompasses
p
people from a
vast area- Japan
in the east to
Afghanistan in the
west and of the
354,549 Asians in NZ,
248,364 were
born in Asia.
3. Who is Asian in New Zealand?
0% 2%
1%0%0%
0%
1%1% 1%
1%
1%
2%
2%
2%
2%
2%
3%
39%
5%
9%
27%
Chinese nfd Indian nfd Korean Filipino Japanese
Sri Lankan nfd Cambodian Thai Fijian Indian
j Taiwanese
Vietnamese Malay Indonesian Afghani Asian nfd
Pakistani Eurasian Bangladeshi Malaysian Chinese Laotian
Other Asian
4. Asian population
p p
Asians now 9.2% of the population
(2006) 354,549
354 549 people
l
16 9.2% f
9 2% of NZ
population
(Statistics of New
14 Zealand, 2006)
12
10
8
Asian NZ population size
6
4
2
0
1991 2001 2006 2020
5. Demographics continued
Demographics-continued
2006 Census:
Auckland 98,391 Chinese,
74,442 Indians,
region
g 21,351 Korean,
9,819 Filipino,
9 819 Fili i
5,289 Japanese
and 5,049 Sri Lankans
Wellington 14,895 Chinese,
11,073 Indians,
region 2,367 Filipino
Canterbury 13,410 Chinese,
4,746 Koreans,
region 3,429 Indians,
1,287Filipino
Waikato Region 7,122 Chinese,
5,637 Indians,
1,383 Koreans.
6. Health status of Asians living
outside Asia
Overseas studies [ in UK] have shown
deteriorating health amongst Asians over a
period of time
Generally Asians, who are largely
immigrants, come to NZ healthy because of
immigration medical screening-but
because of various reasons [ genetic,
b f i ti
lifestyle..] over a period of time develop
diseases
7. Asian health issues - sources
Asian Health in
Aotearoa in 2006
2006-
2007
Trends since 2002-2003 – July
2010
Asian Health Chart
Book- 2006
8. Asian health issues
Sociodemography
Lifestyle issues
Chronic diseases
Health service utilisation (access
to health services)
9. Sociodemography
Asian people, along with Māori and
Pacific, were distributed more towards the
younger age-groups than Europeans
50% of adults aged 15-34 years
compared with 29% of the Pakeha
The time lived in New Zealand increased
in all three Asian ethnic groups
10. Sociodemography contd..
The Asian community is highly educated,
e s a co u ty s g y
with all three Asian ethnicities being more
likely to have a University bachelor or
post-graduate degree (with 35% of adults in 2006-
07 having a university degree, compared to only 18% of
Europeans)
Asian people, along with Polynesian, were
distributed more towards low household
income categories than European
11. Lifestyle
Chinese and Other Asian children,
along with Mā i and P ifi l
l ith Māori d Pacific, less lik l
likely
to have been breast-fed than European
and South Asian children
Among all Asians, lower
Asians
proportions of people
eating the recommended
daily number of serves of
fruit and vegetables
12. Lifestyle contd...
Physical activity - Asian people, along
ys ca act ty s a peop e, a o g
with Pacific, were less likely to be
physically active than European and Māori
This trend has not changed since 2002-
2003
13. Lifestyle contd...
Tobacco - There was no
change in the frequency of
g q y
tobacco smoking by Asian
men or women between
the two surveys
Alcohol - The frequency of
alcohol consumption
increased in Chinese and
Other Asians between the
two surveys, but remained
unchanged in South
Asians
14. Lifestyle contd...
Ga b g
Gambling - Asian people were less likely
s a peop e e e ess e y
to gamble than other New Zealanders
The proportion of Asian people who
gamble remained unchanged between the
two surveys
Lotto was the most common type of
gambling by Asian people
15. Lifestyle contd...
Acculturation - A longer period of
ccu tu at o o ge pe od o
residence in New Zealand by Asian people
was associated with increased likelihood
of being an alcohol drinker and of being
overweight and obese
16. Chronic diseases
Adults: Ca d o ascu a disease and
du ts Cardiovascular d sease a d
diabetes - South Asian, Pacific and Māori
people had increased prevalences of being
on treatment for hypertension compared
to European
South Asian people had double the risk of
being on t
b i treatment for high cholesterol
t t f hi h h l t l
than European
17. Chronic diseases contd...
The prevalence of being on treatment for
e p e a e ce o be g o t eat e t o
diabetes was increased four-fold in South
Asian and Pacific, and two-fold in Other
Asian and Māori, compared with European
The prevalence of obesity has significantly
increased among Asian adults in New
Zealand from 2002-03 to 2006-07
Z l df 2002 03 t 2006 07
18. Health service utilisation
Asian adults and children were generally less
likely to have seen in the last 12 months a range
of health professionals including medical
professionals,
specialists, pharmacists, and social workers, than
Europeans
Chinese people were more likely to have seen an
acupuncturist or Chinese medical practitioner in
the last 12 months
Asian adults were more likely to see their GP for
short-term illnesses and less likely for mental or
emotional health reasons or contraceptive
reasons,
advice, than Europeans
19. Health service utilisation contd...
Overall parents and care-givers of Asian children
were less likely to have used telephone helplines
in the last 12 months than European
South Asian children, Chinese children and overall
Asian adults were less likely to have used a public
hospital in the last 12 months compared to
European
Similar for oral health
21. Asian health issues from Asian
Health Chartbook
H lth Ch tb k 2006
LBW: Indian newborns are at significantly
higer risk of low birth weight than the
g
general population
p p
Asthma: Indian boys are 1.5 times more
likely to be hospitalised for Asthma than the
whole population
Cancer: St
C Stomach cancer rates are hi h
h t higher
for Chinese females and other Asian males
than the rest of the population
22. Asian health issues [cont..]?
CVD: Indian males and females have significantly
higher cardiovascular disease hospitalisation and
mortality rates than the total population
IHD: Ischaemic heart disease hospitalisation is
significantly higher for Indians than the total
population
Duration of Residence: There is a dose-response
relationship between duration of residence in New
Zealand and cardiovascular disease mortality for
the Asian ethnicity groups.
23. Asian health issues [cont ]?
[cont..]?
ACCESS RATES:
Mammography Screening: Women of all Asian
ethnic groups have lower mammography
screening uptake than New Zealand European
women
Cervical Screening:All of the Asian ethnic groups
have a lower rate of cervical screening than New
g
Zealand European women
24. Other issues
Mental Health issues
Sexual Health issues
Language issues
g g
Family violence
y
Health disparities
28. Formation of TANI?
Outcome of Asian Forum organised by Auckland
City Council in 2000
Formally incorporated in December 2002
TANI’s council included members from a range of
Asian ethnicities:
Mainland Chinese Bangladeshi
Indian Korean
Hongkong Chinese Philpino
Māori/Chinese Sri Lankan
Thai Malaysian
Burmese
29. Vision of TANI
Asian New Zealanders enjoy optimal
quality of life and well being
30. Mission of TANI
TANI’s mission is to develop strong and healthy
Asian communities in Aotearoa New Zealand by:
Networking & Connecting
Advocating for and Promoting the welfare
Ensuring participation in policy making
Liaising with other Organizations
Li i i
Identifying further opportunities of collaboration
Responding to the changing needs
Being a credible national voice
34. Activities of TANI
• Empowering Asian
communities by:
- Working collaboratively with them
- Promoting their respective services
- Exploring & developing networks
- Organising professional
development workshops
- Advocating
- Partnering with
– Several Govt and Non-Govt organisations
– Asian communities
– Educational institutes and research centres
36. Empowering Asian communities
• Invite the community by
Role sharing
• Co-working as a team
• Identify the
issues and needs
37. Some models of working together
“Korean Youth
Seminar”
in association with Korean
Society of Auckland
“Korean Health and
Wellbeing Forum”
A role model of collaboration
with 3 parties :-
Asian community
A i it
NGO
Government agencies
38. Review : Positives and Challenges
Supporting the Asian communities to be
more involved
More confident
fid t of accessing to the
f i
resources
Need to manage the needs
Takes time & Long commitment
Lack of workforce
Funding
various issues for each Asian group
Other issues
41. Activities contd……
• Increasing public health knowledge
and awareness in Asian communities
and among policy planners
– Seminars and Forums (8 Annual
Asian forums, 39 General networks
meetings and several workshops &
collaborative seminars)
– Raising TB awareness project
–S b i i
Submissions
– Public Consultations
42. Activities contd……
• Increasing public health knowledge
and awareness in Asian communities
and among policy planners
– Mt Roskill HEHA project
43. Activities contd……
• Facilitating research
– Asian Public Health Project (2002)
– Asian Health in Aotearoa (2005)
– Asian Health Chart Book (2006)
– Co-hosted two International Asian
Health Conferences (2006 & 2008)
– Supported & participated in PHA
Conferences
– Co-ordinated & participated in focus
groups for families commission, AUT,
UoA
U A
44. What more TANI can do?
Future prospects:
• Enhance networks with Asian
Communities l
C iti locally as well as
ll ll
Nationally
• Work more closely with health
service providers of the regions
where Asian population is growing
faster
•SSupport & empower Asian
t A i
communities of these regions
45. Challenges for TANI
Vast diversity of Asian communities
Low visibility in public health planning
Lack of research and data
Community members “burn-out” (Lack of
burn out
volunteers)
Myth that Asians are ‘healthy and wealthy’
healthy wealthy
Funding support
46. SWOT Analysis with Wellington
Asian communities - 2009
Strengths:
- Motivated
- Family centred
- Interested in taking ownership
- Bring new cultural, economic and technological
cultural
perspectives, skills, innovations and knowledges
- Population growth
-GGreater awareness of the need to address Asian
f h d dd A i
health priorities & concerns
- Maintain connections with their communities
and with the countries of origin
- Building credibility and visibility in the sector
47. SWOT Analysis contd……..
Weaknesses:
- Lang age & technological barriers
Language ba ie s
- Social isolation (for rest of the family
members)
- Cultural resistance
- Gap between inclusive policy and practice
- Un employment and underemployment
- Lack of champions in government sector
- Healthy immigrant effect
- Institutionalised and bureaucratic exclusion
48. SWOT Analysis contd……..
Opportunities:
- Develop and increase Asian workforce
- To have a national pan Asian collaboration
- Partnership with OEA’s initiatives
- To support and fund multilingual DVD for
new mig ants (Cante b
ne migrants (Canterbury) )
- Put forward credible Asian candidates for
local and central govt roles
Threats:
- Escalating health costs eg: oral health
- Change of focus and budget cuts due to
recession
- Post migration stress
49. “Only when all contribute their firewood can they
build up a strong fire”
– we all have a role to play
50. Acknowledgements
A big thanks to all of you
Past & current TANI council
members
Ministry of Health
Auckland District Health Board
(ADHB)
Partner organisations
g
TANI network members