Last weekends’ Press has a large feature article, “The Health Gap”, which addreses the topic of Maori health statistics. The article outlines numerous instances in which Maori health outcomes are significantly worse than those for European New Zealanders.
However, nowhere in the several thousand-word article is the word genetics mentioned. For example, it is stated that “half of all Maori are smokers compared with one in five non-Maori”, yet no reference is made to recent studies that suggest Maori may have a genetic predisposition to smoking.
High Maori smoking statistics are put down to the “stresses” of poverty and “lifestyle choices”.
In the case of smoking, there is a good argument that central government should be doing more to help Maori overcome smoking addictions. Smokers pay heavy compensatory taxes to the rest of society and low income Maori would be better off medically and financially if they weren’t spending so much on cigarettes.
The author also states that Maori children are twice as likely to be obese as Caucasian children. There is a lot of evidence that people of Polynesian origin tend to have heavier builds and slower metabolisms, which strongly predisposes them to obesity. A predisposition to obesity also means that Maori are more prone to obesity related illnesses like diabetes and heart attacks -so why isn’t this mentioned in the article?
It is also pointed out that Maori have higher rates of certain types of cancer, such as gall bladder cancer.
The problem with glossing over genetic factors in health statistics is that it tends to increase political divisions without improving health outcomes. From a right-liberal perspective it appears that Maori are choosing to be overweight, smokers who have a blasé attitude to cancer. Conversely, from a left-liberal perspective Maori appear to be victims of a prejudiced health system.
The media message seems to be that Maori health problems are mainly due to bad lifestyle choices and that in any case Maori are unlikely to receive optimum care because the medical system is riddled with institutional racism.
Consequently, it is hardly surprising that many Maori have a chip on their shoulder about visiting a doctor – nobody likes to receive a morale sermon from somebody they don’t think is competent or doesn’t care about their patients.
Certainly educational/intelligence levels also play a part in health care. People who are more persistent, more compliant and more knowledgeable are likely to get better value from public health systems.
Given that there are relatively few Maori doctors and that Maori have less confidence in western science than Caucasians and Asians, Maori people are less likely to receive optimum care in some situations.
However, if both doctors and patients are made aware of genetic differences in medicine, then doctors will be able to provide more focused care and patients from minority backgrounds will have a better idea about their specific health needs.
Posted by mikecourtman 