A “complete refresh” is needed to address the high number of Māori and Pacific infants dying from sudden unexplained death in infancy (SUDI), according to a new series of reports.
The Ministry of Health released three reports on Tuesday on the findings and recommendations of an analysis of 64 infant deaths between July 2019 and June 2020 that are likely SUDI cases.
SUDI is when a baby dies in a way that is unexpected and initially unexplained, and is the leading cause of preventable death in New Zealand infants.
The report found Māori made up 65.6% of SUDIs and 20.3% were Pacific peoples. Māori pēpi are 8.5 times more likely to die of SUDI than non-Māori and non- Pacific infants.
A total of 70% of SUDI mothers smoked, and 68% of SUDI infants had been placed in an unprotected or potentially dangerous place to sleep.
Financial insecurity and poor housing were significant factors present in many of the whānau/families, and most parents reported “extreme maternal tiredness”.
The reports recommend a “complete refresh” of the National SUDI Prevention Programme (NSPP) that embeds Te Tiriti o Waitangi, and kaupapa Māori- and Pacific-based principles in design.
It must "bring together national governance and local level delivery of the programme services into a single framework and integrate the programme into grassroot communities".
It also calls for a national campaign on SUDI prevention, with messaging that resonates with Māori and Pacific whānau/families in particular.
Chief clinical adviser of child and youth health Dr Tim Jellyman said the ministry welcomed the findings and recommendations for changes to improve the National SUDI Prevention Programme.
"Ultimately we all want to work together to see a significant decline in the number of babies dying from SUDI,” he said.
"The number of babies and infants in New Zealand who die from SUDI each year is not declining, and social inequities mean that the rate of SUDI is higher for babies who are Māori, or who live in areas of high deprivation,” Jellyman said.
"Interim Health New Zealand and the interim Māori Health Authority are working together closely on the early years programme, which will include integrating SUDI prevention into programmes that support whanau/families, particularly their safety in the early years."
Hāpai Te Hauora (Māori Public Health) chief executive Selah Hart (Ngāti Kuia, Ngāi Tahu, Rangitane o Wairau, Ngāti Kahungunu ki Wairarapa) said the report’s findings were not surprising.
"We know that Māori whānau are still more likely to experience SUDI within their infants and there still isn’t enough being done to right that wrong at the moment.”
Hart said poverty was a "huge factor” contributing to higher rates for Māori.
"It really is heartbreaking when we know that these deaths are absolutely preventable, but they're still occurring at a significantly higher rate for Māori then non-Māori."
Hart said the system wasn’t working in the way it was intended to, and welcomed the recommendations in the report.
"I absolutely think that there is a place for reformatting and refitting a system that still isn't meeting the needs of those most in need.
"What the data shows us and tells us is that with all of the millions of dollars that are poured into this space, it's still not reaching those communities that are suffering the most incidents of SUDI."
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Stuff: Sudden unexplained deaths in Māori infants 8.3 times higher, report finds