Prevalence and predictors of disability for Māori 24 months after injury.

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.