Abstract
Objective: The purpose of this study was to estimate the incidence rate of nonfatal injuries and to examine the relationship between problem drinking and nonfatal injuries in adults. Methods: A representative nationwide sample was taken from the 5th Korean National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey; 15,046 adults were used for our analyses. The data consisted of self-reported answers to questions about injuries, drinking patterns, health behaviors, physical disabilities, and psychosocial characteristics. The incidence rate of nonfatal injuries was estimated by asking, "Have you ever experienced any injuries or poisoning serious enough to see a doctor in the past year?" The level of problem drinking was evaluated by AUDIT. The odds ratios of nonfatal injuries given levels of problem drinking and related factors were examined by multivariate logistic regression. Results: The incidence rate of nonfatal injuries was 7.2%. High rates were found in males, those who were single, recipients of medical aid, smokers, and exercisers with low muscle flexibility. The odds ratios of nonfatal injuries were 1.4 (95% CI: 1.01-1.91) for alcohol abusers and 1.6 (95% CI: 1.15-2.14) for alcohol-dependent individuals compared to social drinkers, after controlling for sociodemographic factors, health-related behaviors, physical disabilities, and psychosocial characteristics. Conclusion: The higher the level of problem drinking, the more nonfatal injuries occur. The results of this study imply that prevention and reduction of the burden of injury could be accomplished by devising policies to reduce alcohol-related problems.
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