title: Acute alcohol use and the risk of non-fatal injury in sixteen countries.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  To determine the relative risk (RR) of non-fatal injury associated with alcohol consumption in a series of emergency departments (EDs), possible effect modifiers and the impact of contextual variables on differences across sites.
  
  
  METHODS
  The case-crossover method was used to obtain RR estimates of the effect of alcohol on non-fatal injuries. Meta-analysis was used to evaluate the consistency and magnitude of RR across sites, and the extent to which contextual variables explain differences in effect sizes.
  
  
  METHODS
  Probability samples of 11,536 injured patients attending 28 EDs studies in 16 countries (1984-2002). The majority of the sample was male (65%) and > 30 years old (53%).
  
  
  METHODS
  Exposed cases where those that consumed alcohol 6 hours prior to the injury. Usual alcohol consumption served as the control period.
  
  
  RESULTS
  Drinking within 6 hours prior to the injury was reported by 21% of the sample. The estimated (random) pooled relative risk for patients who reported alcohol use within 6 hours prior to injury was 5.69 (95% confidence interval = 4.04-8.00), ranging from 1.05 in Canada to 35.00 in South Africa. Effect size was not homogeneous across studies, as societies with riskier consumption patterns had a higher relative risk for injury. Heavier drinkers also showed lower RR.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Acute alcohol was a risk factor for non-fatal injuries in most sites. Policy measures addressed to the general population are recommended, especially in societies with riskier consumption patterns.
authors.affiliation: National Institute of Psychiatry (Mexico) & Metropolitan Autonomous University, Mexico City, Mexico. guibor@imp.edu.mx
authors.forename: Guilherme
authors.initials: G
authors.lastname: Borges
authors.forename: Cheryl J
authors.initials: CJ
authors.lastname: Cherpitel
authors.forename: Ricardo
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Orozco
authors.forename: Jason
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Bond
authors.forename: Yu
authors.initials: Y
authors.lastname: Ye
authors.forename: Scott
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Macdonald
authors.forename: Norman
authors.initials: N
authors.lastname: Giesbrecht
authors.forename: Tim
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: Stockwell
authors.forename: Mariana
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Cremonte
authors.forename: Jacek
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Moskalewicz
authors.forename: Grazyna
authors.initials: G
authors.lastname: Swiatkiewicz
authors.forename: Vladimir
authors.initials: V
authors.lastname: Poznyak
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D000428:Alcohol Drinking / Q000453:epidemiology*; D000437:Alcoholism / Q000453:epidemiology*; D018592:Cross-Over Studies; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D012307:Risk Factors; D012309:Risk-Taking; D014947:Wounds and Injuries / Q000453:epidemiology*