Alcohol-related injury in the ER: a cross national meta-analysis from the ERCAAP

CHERPITEL, BOND, YE, BORGES, MACDONALD, STOCKWELL, GIESBRECHT Y CREMONTE.

Fort Lauderdales, EE.UU

Congreso; Anual Meeting of the Research Society on Alcoholism; 2003

Research society on Alcoholism

Objective: To examine the impact of usual drinking patterns and related problems on the acute use or alcohol in injury. Methods: The impact of quantity and frequency of drinking, alcohol problems and dependence symptoms on admission to the emergency room (ER) for an alcohol-related injury (based, separately, on a positive BAC and self-reported drinking within six hours prior to injury) compared to a non-alcohol related injury was examined using meta-analysis, across 15 ER studies covering seven countries. Results: Pooled effect size for consuming 5 or more drinks on an occasion at least monthly was significant but not homogeneous, with odds ratios of 4.16 for BAC and 3.92 for self-report.  Frequency of drinking among non-heavy drinkers was found to have the largest effect size (5.93 for BAC and 4.93 for self-report), while heavy drinking, controlling for frequency, was also significant (odds ratios of 2.08 for BAC and 1.86 for self-report), but effect size was homogeneous only for self-report.  Effect sizes for consequences of drinking and dependence symptoms were also significant and homogeneous, with odds ratios of 4.29 and 3.55, respectively, for BAC and 3.84 and 3.94, respectively, for self-report.  In meta-regression analysis, among contextual variables, the level to which alcohol use is stigmatized in the culture was most consistently predictive of heavy drinking effect size on an alcohol-related injury, with larger effect sizes found in those studies reporting a lower level of stigmatization.  Conclusions: While quantity and frequency of drinking were both found to be highly predictive of an alcohol-related injury, socio-cultural variables may affect observed associations of heavy drinking with an alcohol-related injury.