Attributable risk of injury associated with alcohol use: cross-national data from the emergency room collaborative alcohol analysis project.

OBJECTIVES

We sought to determine gender- and age-specific attributable risks of all-cause and violence-related injuries associated with alcohol use.

METHODS

We used meta-analytic techniques to estimate attributable risks observed in emergency room studies conducted in 7 countries (n=17708).

RESULTS

In the case of both alcohol consumption before the injury event and individual drinking patterns, pooled attributable risk effect sizes for all-cause injuries were significant but minimal (2% to 6%). Effect sizes for violence-related injuries were 43% for drinking before an injury event and 27% for individual drinking pattern. Risks were greater for men, but no age-specific differences were found.

CONCLUSIONS

This meta-analysis showed that attributable risk of injury is greater for drinking before the injury event than for drinking pattern; in addition, risks were more pronounced for violence-related injuries. Differences in risk were explained by variables related to sociocultural contexts.