Attribution of injury to alcohol involvement in young adults seriously injured in alcohol-related motor vehicle crashes.
BACKGROUND
Approximately 40% of all traffic fatalities are associated with the use of alcohol. Hospitalization for serious injury after a motor vehicle crash related to use of alcohol may be an opportunity to change drinking behaviors in non-alcohol-dependent drinkers, thereby reducing the risk for future disability and death.


OBJECTIVE
To determine the degree to which non-alcohol-dependent adults aged 18 to 45 years with alcohol-related vehicular trauma attributed their injury to use of alcohol.


METHODS
During hospitalization, 132 subjects involved in alcohol-related motor vehicle crashes were interviewed. The interviews included the question, "To what extent do you believe your alcohol consumption was responsible for this injury?" Responses were measured on a 7-point scale ranging from 1 (not at all) to 7 (totally).


RESULTS
In response to the question about attribution of injury to alcohol, 37.8% of subjects responded "not at all," 24.3 responded "somewhat," and 37.9% responded "mostly" or "totally." Spearman rank correlation between attribution of injury to alcohol involvement and blood alcohol content at admission was r = 0.440 (P < .001).


CONCLUSIONS
More than 60% of patients injured in alcohol-related motor vehicle crashes attributed their injury partly or totally to use of alcohol. When alcohol-free, hospitalized patients with higher blood levels of alcohol on admission were more likely than those with lower levels to attribute their injury to alcohol. Hospitalization for a motor vehicle crash related to use of alcohol provides an opportunity for interventions to decrease drinking.
Sommers
M S
MS
College of Nursing, University of Cincinnati, Ohio, USA.
Dyehouse
J M
JM
Howe
S R
SR
Lemmink
J
J
Davis
K
K
McCarthy
M
M
Russell
A C
AC
D000063:Accidents, Traffic / Q000517:prevention & control*; D000328:Adult; D000435:Alcoholic Intoxication / Q000150:complications / Q000517:prevention & control* / Q000523:psychology; D000431:Ethanol / Q000097:blood; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D012647:Self-Assessment; D014947:Wounds and Injuries / Q000209:etiology / Q000517:prevention & control* / Q000523:psychology
D000431:Ethanol