Life expectancy in 2005: Contribution to life expectancy gaps of major disease areas in CMDHB

Life expectancy at birth for Maaori living in Counties Manukau has consistently been around ten years less than that for non-Maaori, non-Pacific peoples.  For Pacific peoples this life expectancy gap has been around five-to-eight years.  This report describes an analysis that examined the main causes of death that contributed to disparities in life expectancy at birth between Maaori and Pacific peoples living in Counties Manukau in 2005 and those of non-Maaori, non-Pacific ethnicities.  The contribution of each of the main causes is quantified.  Smoking is identified as an important driver of inequity in life expectancy and the contribution of smoking to life expectancy gaps is examined in detail.