New PhD project on cardiovascular healthcare equity in Te Tai Tokerau

We are excited to welcome Taria Tane into the Manawataki Fatu Fatu programme as a PhD researcher! Her project title is, “Understanding the barriers, facilitators, and motivators to accessing cardiovascular healthcare for Māori and Pacific peoples living in Te Tai Tokerau Northland.”

Taria has recently completed a Post Graduate Diploma in Arts (Psychology) with the University of Auckland. She has worked as a Health and Research Project Consultant based in Te Tai Tokerau. Her research area of interest is understanding barriers, facilitators and motivators to accessing cardiovascular healthcare for whānau Māori living in rural Aotearoa New Zealand.

Taria’s thesis abstract:

Māori and Pacific people in Aotearoa are disproportionately represented in cardiovascular disease (CVD) prevalence, morbidity and mortality rates, and are less likely to receive proven treatments. These inequities can be exacerbated for rural whānau and those living with a disability. This thesis will utilise a mixed methods approach to better understand the experiences of CVD and its management in Māori and Pacific people living in Te Tai Tokerau Northland. Firstly, semi-structured qualitative interviews will be conducted with Māori and Pacific whānau with lived experience of receiving a cardiovascular risk assessment (CVRA) or experiencing Acute Coronary Syndrome (ACS) or Heart Failure (HF) in Te Tai Tokerau. This will be followed by key informant interviews with CVD health service providers based in Te Tai Tokerau. Findings from these interviews will be analysed alongside a literature review of CVD health needs in Aotearoa and a stocktake of CVD services in Northland DHB. The outcomes of the research will include a roadmap of current whānau journey from service entry to exit and “future state” aspirations analysis, which focuses on practical solutions to improve access to quality CVD treatment in the future. It is anticipated that the findings from this research will provide equity-based solutions to inform service delivery, policy, and funding decision-making in Te Tai Tokerau Northland.