Indices and perception of crowding in pacific households domicile within Auckland, New Zealand: findings from the Pacific Islands Families Study

Aims: Pacific peoples (mostly of Samoan, Tongan, Niuean, or Cook Islands origin) have a higher proportion of reported household crowding than any other ethnic group in New Zealand. However, there are multiple ways crowding can be measured. This paper reports the prevalence and concordance of Pacific peoples' own perception of household crowding together with three commonly employed indices, the American Crowding Index (ACI), Canadian National Occupancy Standard (CNOS), and Equivalised Crowding Index (ECI). Methods: A cohort of Pacific infants born during 2000 in Auckland was followed. Maternal home interviews were conducted at 6-weeks, 12-months, and 24-months postpartum. Household membership information was obtained from the 12-month interviews. Agreement was assessed using the κ statistic. Results: In total, 1224 mothers completed the 12-month interview. Overall, 30% of mothers perceived crowding to be an issue for their households. Crowding was indicated by ACI for 37%, by CNOS for 32%, and by ECI for 59% of households. Agreement between measures ranged from poor (κ=0.36) to moderate (κ=0.61). In regression analyses, self-reported perception of crowding had better validity than ACI, CNOS, or ECI indices. Conclusion: Estimated household crowding prevalence depends on the index used. Self-reported perception of crowding appears the best measure and ECI the worst. Regardless of the index used, crowding remains an important problem for Pacific people despite recent initiatives within New Zealand