From pubs to scrubs: alcohol misuse and health care use.
OBJECTIVE
To analyze the relationships between alcohol misuse and two types of acute health care use-hospital admissions and emergency room (ER) episodes.


METHODS
The first (2001/2002) and second (2004/2005) waves of the National Epidemiological Survey of Alcohol and Related Conditions (NESARC).


METHODS
Longitudinal study using a group of adults (18-60 years in Wave 1, N=23,079). Gender-stratified regression analysis adjusted for a range of covariates associated with health care use. First-difference methods corrected for potential omitted variable bias.


METHODS
The target population of the NESARC was the civilian noninstitutionalized population aged 18 and older residing in the United States and the District of Columbia. The survey response rate was 81 percent in Wave 1 (N=43,093) and 65 percent in Wave 2 (N=34,653).


RESULTS
Frequent drinking to intoxication was positively associated with hospital admissions for both men and women and increased the likelihood of using ER services for women. Alcohol dependence and/or abuse was related to higher use of ER services for both genders and increased hospitalizations for men.


CONCLUSIONS
These findings provide updated and nationally representative estimates of the relationships between alcohol misuse and health care use, and they underscore the potential implications of alcohol misuse on health care expenditures.
Balsa
Ana I
AI
Department of Sociology, Sociology Research Center, University of Miami, Coral Gables, FL, USA.
French
Michael T
MT
Maclean
Johanna Catherine
JC
Norton
Edward C
EC
D000293:Adolescent; D000328:Adult; D000435:Alcoholic Intoxication / Q000150:complications*; D000437:Alcoholism / Q000150:complications*; D003430:Cross-Sectional Studies; D005260:Female; D015438:Health Behavior; D006296:Health Services / Q000706:statistics & numerical data*; D006302:Health Services Research; D006801:Humans; D008137:Longitudinal Studies; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D010343:Patient Admission / Q000706:statistics & numerical data; D012111:Residence Characteristics; D012959:Socioeconomic Factors; D014481:United States; D055815:Young Adult