After adjustment for confounding, robust and reciprocal associations were found between mental health problems and life satisfaction. Overall, this study showed evidence that life satisfaction influences mental disorder, and that mental disorder influences life satisfaction.

The current closing of the gaps debate focuses on differences in ethnic population averages and largely ignores intra-group differences. This paper argues that reported Maori ethnicity is often multiple rather than singular, evolving rather than primordial, and fluid rather than rigid. Intra-group differences are examined and found to be large. Averages alone are misleading in describing socio-economic outcomes and can give rise to incorrect stereotypes of ethnic groups as successes or failures. This paper raises questions about whether the linkage between ethnicity and outcomes is causal in any simple sense. Various explanations of disparity and the possible policy responses are canvassed. In terms of the gaps policy, the paper draws attention to the disproportionate sub-cultural disadvantage experienced by those who identify only as Maori, who have no educational qualifications, and who live outside the major urban centres.

WHAT'S KNOWN ON THIS SUBJECT: Perinatal complications predict increased risk for morbidity and early mortality. Evidence of perinatal programming of adult mortality raises the question of what mechanisms embed this long-term effect. Telomere length and perceived facial age are 2 indicators of accelerated aging. WHAT THIS STUDY ADDS:Perinatal complications predicted greater signs of accelerated aging "inside," as measured objectively by leukocyte telomere length, an indicator of cellular aging, and "outside," as measured subjectively by perceived age, an indicator of declining integrity of tissues. abstract BACKGROUND: Perinatal complications predict increased risk for morbidity and early mortality. Evidence of perinatal programming of adult mortality raises the question of what mechanisms embed this long-term effect. We tested a hypothesis related to the theory of developmental origins of health and disease: that perinatal complications assessed at birth predict indicators of accelerated aging by midlife.METHODS: Perinatal complications, including both maternal and neonatal complications, were assessed in the Dunedin Multidisciplinary Health and Development Study cohort (N = 1037), a 38-year, prospective longitudinal study of a representative birth cohort. Two aging indicators were assessed at age 38 years, objectively by leukocyte telomere length (TL) and subjectively by perceived facial age. RESULTS:Perinatal complications predicted both leukocyte TL (b = 20.101; 95% confidence interval, 20.169 to 20.033; P = .004) and perceived age (b = 0.097; 95% confidence interval, 0.029 to 0.165; P = .005) by midlife. We repeated analyses with controls for measures of family history and social risk that could predispose to perinatal complications and accelerated aging, and for measures of poor health taken in between birth and the age-38 follow-up. These covariates attenuated, but did not fully explain the associations observed between perinatal complications and aging indicators.CONCLUSIONS: Our findings provide support for early-life developmental programming by linking newborns' perinatal complications to accelerated aging at midlife. We observed indications of accelerated aging "inside," as measured by leukocyte TL, an indicator of cellular aging, and "outside," as measured by perceived age, an indicator of declining tissue integrity. A better understanding of mechanisms underlying perinatal programming of adult aging is needed. Pediatrics 2014;134:e1315-e1323 AUTHORS:

Disparity in labour market outcomes between Maori and non-Maori is examined using Household Labour Force Survey (HLFS) data. The paper explores the nature of the ethnicity question and ethnic classification in the HLFS. It shows that there are substantial differences in labour market outcomes between those Maori who report only Maori ethnicity and those who report Maori and another ethnicity ("mixed" Maori). The paper then considers various methods of measuring disparity and uses these to examine the time series behaviour of disparity between 1985 and 1998. It concludes that disparity between Maori and non-Maori is greater today than in 1985. However, all this deterioration occurred between 1985 and 1992. Since 1992 disparity has been in decline. The bulk of time series variation in disparity between Maori and non-Maori has been driven by changes in outcomes for the sole Maori group. Mixed Maori, about a quarter share of the Maori ethnic group, has outcomes which closely track those of the non-Maori population over time.

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