Productivity outcomes of individuals with spinal cord injury

Study Design: Cross-sectional study by mail survey of participation in productive activities of individuals who sustained a spinal cord injury (SCI) in Quebec from 1970 to 1993. Objectives: To determine the level of productivity outcomes of a representative sample and to determine the relationship between the productivity outcomes and some personal and environmental variables. Settings: Quebec, Canada. Methods: Four hundred and eighteen subjects (mean of age = 42.1 +/- 11.8) were included in this study. Overall productivity was assessed by the participation into five categories of activities (gainful employment, studies, homemaking and family activities, community organizations and leisure activities). Results: Depending on the severity of injury, 30% to 51% of the variance in productivity outcomes can be explained by a set of ten variables: education. ability to drive a car vehicle, other transportation indices, age related variables and type of locomotion. A discriminant analysis was undertaken to classify the subjects into three levels of productivity (low, moderate and high). The percentage of subjects correctly classified was moderate (54% to 71%) to high (72% to 81%) depending on the productivity levels. Conclusion: The results confirm the significant contribution of education and transportation to explain the productivity outcomes. Sponsorship: This project was funded by the 'Societe d'Assurance Automobile du Quebec', the 'Commission de la Sante et de la Securite du Travail' and the 'Fondation Andre Senecal'.