142nd APHA Annual Meeting and Exposition

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308424
A cross sectional study of alcohol consumption and non-fatal injuries in the emergency departments in Mainland China: Data from the WHO/NIAAA collaborative study on alcohol and injury

142nd APHA Annual Meeting and Exposition (November 15 - November 19, 2014): http://www.apha.org/events-and-meetings/annual
Tuesday, November 18, 2014 : 4:30 PM - 4:50 PM

Sharon Smith, PhD , Laboratory of Epidemiology and Biometry, Division of Intramural Clinical and Biological Research, National Institute on Alcohol Abuse and Alcoholism, National Institutes of Health, Bethesda, MD
Chuanjun Zhuo , psychiatry, Tianjin Anning Hospital, Tianjin, China
The association of alcohol consumption and nonfatal injuries has been documented extensively. With a rapidly expanding economy in China, the prevalence of alcohol consumption has been increasing steadily, but the link between alcohol consumption and nonfatal injury in China remains unclear.

Analyzing data collected from 2540 participants in five emergency departments (EDs) in China, we found that the prevalence of alcohol related-injury (ARI) for the total sample was 16.5 %. Significant  regional differences in prevalence was found: Beijing (14.8%), Zhejiang (6.2%), Hunan (20.6%), Sichuan (19.8%). Among patients with ARI, 26.6% were classified as moderately to severely  intoxicated, and 37.4% of these sustained alcohol-caused intentional injuries (ACII). This rate was substantially higher among  younger patients (age ≤32 years). 35.5% of ED patients attributed the injury to their own drinking. Further logistic regression analysis revealed that alcohol intoxication (OR:3.526) was independently associated with ARII.

Our findings indicated that the problem associated alcohol-related injuries is an important public health concern in China. The challenges facing the Chinese legislative officials and public health professionals include devising and implementing strategies and public health campaigns to address the rising rates of alcohol use disorders and related disabilities including alcohol-related injuries.

Learning Areas:

Epidemiology

Learning Objectives:
Describe the evidence and insights into exploring the roles of age, regions, education level, and other factors in injury occurrence.

Keyword(s): Alcohol Use, Public Hospitals

Presenting author's disclosure statement:

Qualified on the content I am responsible for because: I have published extensively on the epidemiology of alcohol use disorders, alcohol and injury, drug use disorders and psychiatric disorders. My interests have included comorbidity, stigma and minority health/health disparities.
Any relevant financial relationships? No

I agree to comply with the American Public Health Association Conflict of Interest and Commercial Support Guidelines, and to disclose to the participants any off-label or experimental uses of a commercial product or service discussed in my presentation.