Pacific peoples three months after injury: a comparison of outcomes between Pacific and non-Pacific participants in a NZ cohort study.

OBJECTIVES: To: describe pre-injury characteristics of Pacific (n=239) and non-Pacific (n=2,611) participants and compare their outcomes three months after injury. METHODS: Participants were New Zealand residents aged 18-64 years referred to the Accident Compensation Corporation's injury entitlement claims register. Univariate and multivariable analyses compared pre-injury and injury-related characteristics of Pacific and non-Pacific people and assessed the unadjusted and adjusted relative risks for selected outcomes. RESULTS: Of the 2,856 participants, 239 identified at least one Pacific ethnicity. Adjusted relative risks (aRR; 95% confidence intervals) for Pacific peoples, with the non-Pacific group as the reference, indicate Pacific peoples were: less likely to have no/lesser problems with disability (aRR=0.82; 0.70,0.95); less likely to have no problems with EQ-5D self-care (aRR=0.88; 0.80,0.98); less likely not to report EQ-5D anxiety/depression (aRR=0.84; 0.76,0.93); and less satisfied with social relationships three months after injury (aRR=0.89; 0.83,0.95). CONCLUSIONS: Evidence does not suggest Pacific peoples' likelihood of paid employment differs from non-Pacific people three months after injury. However, Pacific peoples appear to have an increased likelihood of problems with disability, self-care, anxiety/depression and social relationships. IMPLICATIONS: This study provides information about a range of previously unknown outcomes following injury for Pacific peoples in New Zealand, and suggests areas of possible focus for health and rehabilitation service providers and policy-makers interested in improving outcomes for injured Pacific peoples.