Abstract
This study examined the relationship between patron demographics, substance use, and experience of recent alcohol-related accidents and injuries that were not due to interpersonal violence in night-time entertainment districts. Cross-sectional interviews (n = 4016) were conducted around licensed venues in entertainment districts of five Australian cities. Demographic factors associated with non-violent alcohol-related injuries were examined, including gender, age, and occupation. The association between substance use on the night of interview; blood alcohol concentration (BAC), pre-drinking, energy drink consumption, and illicit drug use; and experience of injury was also explored. Thirteen percent of participants reported an alcohol-related injury within the past three months. Respondents aged younger than 25 years were significantly more likely to report an alcohol-related injury. Further, a significant occupation effect was found indicating the rate of alcohol-related injury was lower in managers/professionals compared to non-office workers. The likelihood of prior alcohol-related injury significantly increased with BAC, and self-reported pre-drinking, energy drink, or illicit drug consumption on the night of interview. These findings provide an indication of the demographic and substance use-related associations with alcohol-related injuries and, therefore, potential avenues of population-level policy intervention. Policy responses to alcohol-related harm must also account for an assessment and costing of non-violent injuries.
Highlights
Alcohol-related injuries account for more than one third of the burden of disease associated with alcohol consumption worldwide, with injury causes including violence against self or others, road traffic accidents, burns, poisoning, and falls [1]
Thirteen percent of respondents reported being involved in an alcohol-related injury during the past three months
Consistent with previous research [5,9,31], the current study showed that higher blood alcohol concentration (BAC) on the night of interview was associated with alcohol-related injuries in the past three months
Summary
Alcohol-related injuries account for more than one third of the burden of disease associated with alcohol consumption worldwide, with injury causes including violence against self or others, road traffic accidents, burns, poisoning, and falls [1]. A meta-analysis of 150 studies indicated that a blood alcohol concentration (BAC) of ≥0.10 g/100 mL was related to 31.5% of homicide related deaths, 31.0% of non-traffic unintentional deaths, and 22.7% of suicide cases [2]. Alcohol-related injuries are commonly evidenced by emergency department presentations, with young males typically accounting for the majority of alcohol-related injury emergency department presentations [3,4,5]. Res. Public Health 2017, 14, 75; doi:10.3390/ijerph14010075 www.mdpi.com/journal/ijerph
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