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Prevalence and predictors of disability for Māori 24 months after injury
Emma H Wyeth1, Ari Samaranayaka2, Gabrielle Davie3
1Ngāi Tahu Māori Health Research Unit, Department of Preventive and Social Medicine, Dunedin School of Medicine, University of Otago, New Zealand.
Objective:
To investigate post-injury disability prevalence and identify pre-injury and injury-related predictors 24 months post-injury among Māori Prospective Outcomes of Injury Study participants.
Methods:
Participants were recruited from New Zealand's no-fault injury insurer. Pre-injury and injury-related characteristic information was obtained from participants at three and 24 months post-injury. The World Health Organization Disability Assessment Schedule was used to measure disability. Multivariable models were developed to estimate relative risks of post-injury disability.
Results:
Of 2,856 participants, 566 were Māori. Analyses were restricted to 374 Māori with pre-injury and 24-month post-injury disability data available. Pre-injury, 9% reported disability compared to 19% 24 months post-injury. Strong predictors of increased risk of disability 24 months post-injury were having ≥2 chronic conditions pre-injury and having trouble accessing healthcare services after injury. Hospitalisation for injury and having inadequate pre-injury household income were other predictors.
Conclusions:
Māori experience considerable disability 24 months post-injury. Pre-injury socio-demographic, health and psychosocial, and injury-related characteristics independently predict post-injury disability and provide focus for future research and interventions to improve Māori post-injury outcomes. Implications for public health: Despite having had access to services, injured Māori experienced considerable long-term disability. Pre-injury and injury-related factors predict long-term disability and should be the focus to reduce the post-injury disability burden for Māori.