Rasanathan Kumanan, Ameratunga Shanthi, Tse Samson
Section of International Health, School of Population Health, University of Auckland, Auckland.
N Z Med J. 2006 Oct 27;119(1244):U2277.
The recent increase in the population classed as 'Asian' in New Zealand (now 9.5%) has seen the establishment of an 'Asian health' platform with activities by academic institutions, service providers, and community organisations. However, Asian health remains outside the frames of reference for most health professionals. Three recent reports provide the first large-scale systematic data about the health of Asian peoples in New Zealand. These reports identify the problem of 'averaging' if the whole Asian category is used. Key health concerns include access to health services; cardiovascular disease, and diabetes for Indian peoples; levels of physical activity; and mental health, particularly in young people. Asian peoples born in New Zealand are less healthy than recent migrants classified as Asian. This 'healthy immigrant effect' abates with length of settlement in New Zealand. Despite these identified issues, there is a policy void for the health of Asian peoples in New Zealand, with no clear mandate to consider or monitor Asian peoples when undertaking research or formulating policy. Explicit engagement, policy, and service development for this significant and diverse part of the population should build on the agenda laid out by the recent advances in knowledge about Asian health in New Zealand.
新西兰被归类为“亚洲人”的人口最近有所增加（目前为9.5%），这促使学术机构、服务提供商和社区组织建立了一个“亚洲健康”平台并开展相关活动。然而，对大多数卫生专业人员来说，亚洲健康问题仍不在他们的参考框架之内。最近的三份报告首次提供了关于新西兰亚洲人群健康状况的大规模系统数据。这些报告指出，如果将整个亚洲类别作为一个整体来考量，会存在“平均化”的问题。主要的健康问题包括获得医疗服务的机会；印度裔人群的心血管疾病和糖尿病；身体活动水平；以及心理健康，尤其是年轻人的心理健康。在新西兰出生的亚洲人不如最近被归类为亚洲人的移民健康。这种“健康移民效应”会随着在新西兰定居时间的延长而减弱。尽管存在这些已确定的问题，但新西兰针对亚洲人群健康方面存在政策空白，在进行研究或制定政策时，没有明确的授权来考虑或监测亚洲人群。对于这一庞大且多样化的人口群体，明确的参与、政策制定和服务发展应基于新西兰近期在亚洲健康知识方面取得的进展所设定的议程。
