 | The 131st Annual Meeting (November 15-19, 2003) of APHA |
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| The 131st Annual Meeting (November 15-19, 2003) of APHA |
Jason Bond, PhD, Cheryl J. Cherpitel, DrPH, and Yu Ye, MA. Alcohol Research Group, 2000 Hearst Avenue, Berkeley, CA 94709, 510-642-7965, jbond@arg.org
While ER studies have documented a strong association of alcohol and injury, less is known about the level of risk at which various quantities of alcohol or particular patterns of drinking place the individual for injury. Comparative risk function analyses are carried out for six countries (U.S., Canada, Mexico, Argentina, Spain, Italy) from the ERCAAP data, in relation to the mean number of drinks consumed and the number of days in which five or more drinks were consumed at one time (5+ days) during the last year. All countries showed similar increases in injury risk to a mean volume of one drink per day, with a leveling off of risk at higher mean daily volumes. Risk of injury increased to 12 or more 5+ days for the U.S., Canada and Mexico, but leveled off after only three 5+ days for Argentina, Spain and Italy. Similar risk curves were found for both males and females, although females were at lower risk of injury in all countries except in Spain and Italy. Risk function curves were flatter (lower proportional risk at higher levels of consumption) for those countries with the least detrimental drinking patterns. These data suggest that risk of injury increases proportionally with increased alcohol consumption, but a threshold effect is achieved at relatively low levels of mean daily consumption and higher consumption times, and risk may be culturally specific, dependent, in part, on the manner in which alcohol is used in the culture.
Learning Objectives:
Keywords: Alcohol Use, Emergency Department/Room
Presenting author's disclosure statement:
I do not have any significant financial interest/arrangement or affiliation with any organization/institution whose products or services are being discussed in this session.