A cross-national comparison of alcohol-related injury risk in Canadian & American college students

Introduction. Binge drinking (also known as heavy episodic alcohol abuse) is a serious public health concern and an especially pervasive problem on college campuses. Approximately half of all college students binge drink and as a result, are more susceptible to alcohol-related injuries. Most research on campus binge drinking has been conducted in the United States; however, these issues have recently begun to be addressed more systematically in Canada. Cross-national work has shown there are important cultural differences in the prevalence and context of binge drinking. The goal of the present study was to compare alcohol-related injury risk in Canadian and American undergraduates.

Material and Methods. A non-random sample of 479 Canadian and 511 American undergraduates were surveyed. Participants were 19 years old on average, and completed questions pertaining to alcohol consumption and alcohol-related problems, including injury.

Results. While age and binge drinking predicted injury for both American and Canadian students, gender was significant for American students only. American males reported binge drinking significantly more often than any other group--particularly those who were minors. Students who reported frequent alcohol use in the past month were three times more likely to report an injury; the most common injury was self-harm.

Discussion and Conclusions. Patterns of alcohol-related injury risk were significantly different across gender and culture. American males were at greatest risk for alcohol-related injury and should be targeted for gender specific prevention efforts. Influences of cultural differences in legal drinking age were discussed.