Urban-rural differences in the duration of injury-related work disability in six Canadian provinces

Objective: To examine associations between injury-related work disability duration and urban-rural place of residence and whether associations differed across the disability distribution and by industry sector.

Methods: Workers' compensation claims from six Canadian provinces were extracted between 2011 and 2015. Multivariable quantile regression models tested the associations between urban-rural place of residence and disability days paid between the 50th and 95th percentiles of the distribution.

Results: Compared to workers residing in metropolitan areas, those in all other areas experienced more disability days paid. Urban-rural differences increased toward the upper end of disability distribution and were largest in the construction, and transportation and warehousing sectors.

Conclusion: Tailored interventions for workers in rural areas, particularly those in sectors associated with mobile work environments, may be warranted to reduce inequities in injury-related work disability duration by place of residence.