Quantifying the prevalence of activity limitation for Māori in Aotearoa New Zealand using the Washington Group Short Set on Functioning: A national survey.

BACKGROUND

Māori, the Indigenous people of Aotearoa/New Zealand, experience higher rates of activity limitation compared to the general population, and are therefore at greater risk of disability, yet disaggregated data within this population remain limited.

OBJECTIVE

The primary aim was to quantify the prevalence and types of activity limitation among Māori adults using the Washington Group Short Set (WG-SS) of Questions on Functioning, with a secondary objective to examine demographic variations in reported limitations.

METHODS

This cross-sectional study analysed data from a nationally representative survey of 7230 Māori adults. Participants self-reported activity limitations across six functional domains (vision, hearing, mobility, cognition, self-care, and communication) using the WG-SS. Weighted analyses were performed to estimate prevalence and demographic variations, with results presented for both "At least a lot of difficulty", "Some difficulty" and "Any difficulty" categories.

RESULTS

In total, 15.1 % reported "At least a lot of difficulty" and 70.2 % reported "Any difficulty". Almost 50 % of participants experienced multiple limitations. Cognitive difficulties were most prevalent, affecting 47.6 % of participants, with 8 % reporting severe difficulty. No significant differences in prevalence were observed between males and females, age, nor urbanicity.

CONCLUSION

A substantial burden of activity limitation, particularly cognitive, were found amongst Māori. The WG-SS, while effective for quantifying activity limitation, does not fully capture socio-cultural dimensions or broader participation barriers critical to understanding the experience of disability for Māori. Culturally responsive disability frameworks are urgently required to inform policies and practices which recognize the unique needs and address the existing inequities of Māori.