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The impact of socio-contextual, physical and lifestyle variables on measures of physical and psychological wellbeing among Māori and non-Māori: the New Zealand Health, Work and Retirement Study

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  07 February 2011

PATRICK L. DULIN ,
CHRISTINE STEPHENS ,
FIONA ALPASS ,
ROBERT D. HILL  and
BRENDAN STEVENSON
PATRICK L. DULIN*
Affiliation:
Department of Psychology, University of Alaska, Anchorage, USA.
CHRISTINE STEPHENS
Affiliation:
School of Psychology, Massey University, Palmerston North, New Zealand.
FIONA ALPASS
Affiliation:
School of Psychology, Massey University, Palmerston North, New Zealand.
ROBERT D. HILL
Affiliation:
Department of Educational Psychology, University of Utah, Salt Lake City, USA.
BRENDAN STEVENSON
Affiliation:
Research Centre for Māori Health and Development, Massey University, Palmerston North, New Zealand.
*
Address for correspondence: Patrick L. Dulin, Department of Psychology, University of Alaska, 3211 Providence Drive, Anchorage, AK 99508, USA. E-mail: afpld@uaa.alaska.edu
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Abstract

This article provides an overview of the New Zealand Health, Work and Retirement Study (HWR), the focus of which is on determinants of cultural-contextual factors on physical and mental health among 6,662 New Zealand citizens, a nationally representative sample of adults between 55 and 70 years of age. The HWR was initiated in 2006 with two-year re-assessment intervals. The health and wellbeing of older Māori was a study priority as previous research has shown large health disparities between Māori and non-Māori in New Zealand. Persons of Māori origin were over-sampled to ensure adequate information for subsequent analyses. First-wave results indicated that socioeconomic status, social support and retirement status were associated with optimal ageing among older adults in New Zealand. Māori scored lower on markers of physical and mental health, which was partially explained by restrictive factors including reduced economic living standards and a propensity towards less physical activity. After controlling for multiple socio-contextual and biological variables, ethnicity continued to predict health, suggesting that there are other markers of health and wellbeing in ageing among Māori. Structural variables which restrict access to health care and predispose Māori to engage in maladaptive lifestyle behaviours combined with the distal effects of colonisation may contribute to the health disparities found between Māori and the majority population in New Zealand.

Keywords

longitudinalageingMāorihealthculture
Type
Articles
Information
Ageing & Society , Volume 31 , Issue 8 , November 2011 , pp. 1406 - 1424
Copyright
Copyright © Cambridge University Press 2011

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