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Purpose: To compare a consumer-directed personal assistance services (PAS) programme with an agency-directed PAS programme., Method: A convenience sample was used for this cross-sectional study with one data collection point. Outcomes were compared for consumer-directed and agency-directed PAS. Hierarchical regressions were also used to determine the predictors of outcomes across PAS programmes. In-home interviews were conducted by a trained data collector from April 2000 to December 2001., Results: Participants in the consumer-directed programme reported more choices over PAS and satisfaction with PAS. Self-reported outcomes were primarily predicted by the following variables: service arrangement, type of provider, importance of directing PAS, health status, number of personal assistants used in past 12 months, sufficient PAS hours received, and social support., Conclusions: Consumer-directed PAS enhances outcomes for many persons with disabilities. Self-reported outcomes are affected by many factors that could be addressed in PAS programme development.

The purpose of this study was to investigate the usefulness of the state traffic violations database as an outcome measure for the Young Traffic Offenders Programme, a 1-day educational injury prevention programme for young people with speeding offences. The database provided a fine-grained, cumulative record of each driver's traffic offences and sanctions applied. A comparison of 92 programme participants and 87 non-treated individuals showed no significant between-group difference in rate of convictions after the target programme date, but each group declined significantly in rate of convictions over time. Younger males and individuals with a higher number of convictions initially were more likely to have higher conviction rates after the target date. These findings underscore the need to improve prevention programmes and highlight the potential usefulness of existing public datasets for outcome evaluation.