Office encounters in general practice in the Hamilton health district. IV: Ethnic group patterns among females, 15-64.

Available epidemiological evidence suggests that differences in health status between Maori and nonMaori are more marked for women than they are for men. The paper assesses the extent to which this is reflected in the usage of general practitioner services. Data from a survey of office encounters in general practice in the Hamilton health district reveal higher levels of usage among Maori women, particularly for high risk conditions and for illnesses of greater severity. The Maori:nonMaori contact ratio of 1.3 contrasted with a relative risk of mortality of 2.4. This Maori excess in usage came less close to approximating the putative distribution of medical need than the corresponding ethnic group comparison among men. Controlling for social class greatly reduced the gap between apparent need and medical contact, suggesting that socioeconomic factors may be important in influencing ethnic group differences in the use of general practitioner services.