Bramley Dale, Latimer Sandy
Clinical Support Services, Waitemata DHB, Takapuna, Auckland.
N Z Med J. 2007 Oct 26;120(1264):U2779.
To investigate the accuracy of ethnicity data held in Primary Health Organisation (PHO) registers within the Waitemata district of Auckland, New Zealand.
Ethnicity data of school-aged children on the National Immunisation Register (NIR) were compared to ethnicity data for those children on the PHO register. NIR data were collected from parents via a protocol-based informed consent process in the Meningococcal B Immunisation Campaign.
For children classified as Maori on the NIR, 62.9% were recorded as Maori on the PHO register, 23.3% were misclassified as European, and a further 9.6% were misclassified as Unknown. For children classified as Pacific on the NIR, 77.2% were recorded as Pacific on the PHO register, 9.4% were misclassified as European, and 6.2% were misclassified as Unknown. For children classified as Asian on the NIR, 81.4% were recorded as Asian on the PHO register, 9.9% were misclassified as Unknown, and 6.0% misclassified as European. For children classified as European on the NIR, 83.2% were recorded as European on the PHO register and 14.4% were misclassified as Unknown.
This study reveals that ongoing efforts to improve the accuracy of ethnicity data held in PHO registers within the Waitemata district are required. The study reinforces the need for a standardised, systematic and appropriate sector-wide approach to ethnicity data collection.
