Maori living in rural areas are less likely to take antibiotics than any other ethnic group, despite having a greater need for them, a study has found.
Researchers at Otago University's School of Pharmacy found Maori living in the Te Tairawhiti region on the East Cape were less likely toget a antibiotic prescription and generally received smaller quantities of the medication.
The East Cape Maori population suffers from extremely high rates of rheumatic fever, which starts with a sore throat but can cause permanent heart damage. That damage can be prevented by taking antibiotics.
The researchers, led by Professor Pauline Norris and Simon Horsburgh, analysed data on all the medicines dispensed in the region over a year and matched it with patient age, gender, ethnicity and whether patients lived in a rural area.
Over the year, 51 per cent of the population received a prescription for one or more antibiotic -- 55 per cent of non-Maori and 48 per cent of the Maori population.
Rural Maori in particular received fewer prescriptions, with just 43 per cent of children under six-years-old getting antibiotic treatment.
In urban areas, over 80 per cent of children received prescriptions.
"Lower levels of antibiotic use could be the result of Maori not visiting the doctor as often, being prescribed antibiotics less frequently when they do visit, or not having their prescriptions filled. We are planning further research on this in the future," Dr Horsburgh said.
The findings could also be explained by issues such as poverty, geographical isolation and lack of reliable transport, he said.
Prof Norris said the findings were "very worrying" due to the region's high rates of acute rheumatic fever.
"Antibiotics are very cheap, whereas the long-term costs of rheumatic fever for individuals, whanau and the health system are immense. Proactive steps need to be taken to reduce the impact of this disease in Maori communities," she said.
