Alcohol consumption and injury in the general population: from a national sample

The association of alcohol consumption with injuries is well documented in the literature. The majority of data for non-fatal injuries has come from emergency room (ER) studies, however, and little is known of how representative ER samples are of injuries in the general population or of the actual risk at which drinking places the individual for accidental injury. Data were collected (1990) from a national probability household sample (N = 2058; weighted N = 1150) on: the respondent's most recent injury; whether treatment was obtained for that injury, and where; drinking prior to injury; quantity and frequency (Q-F) of usual drinking; frequency of drunkenness; experiences associated with alcohol dependence; and social consequences related to drinking--all during the last year. Injury for the last year was categorized as follows: without injury, untreated injury, injury treated in the ER, other treated injury. Males treated in the ER were significantly more likely to be heavy drinkers and were more likely to report alcohol dependence experiences and social consequences related to drinking than those without injuries, while females treated in the ER were more likely to report social consequences related to drinking compared to those without injuries. Age (OR = 0.87) and Q-F (OR = 1.31) were found to be predictive of reporting an injury during the last year. Among injured none of these variables were predictive of reporting treatment.(ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 250 WORDS)