%0 Journal Article
%T Alcohol and risk of admission to hospital for unintentional cutting or piercing injuries at home: a population-based case-crossover study
%A Simon Thornley
%A Bridget Kool
%A Elizabeth Robinson
%A Roger Marshall
%A Gordon S Smith
%A Shanthi Ameratunga
%J BMC Public Health
%D 2011
%I BioMed Central
%R 10.1186/1471-2458-11-852
%X A population-based case-crossover study was conducted. We identified all people aged 20 to 64 years, resident in one of three regions of the country (Greater Auckland, Waikato and Otago), who were admitted to public hospital within 48 h of an unintentional non-occupational cutting or piercing injury sustained at home (theirs or another's) from August 2008 to December 2009. The main exposure of interest was use of alcohol in the 6-hour period before the injury occurred and the corresponding time intervals 24 h before, and 1 week before, the injury. Other information was collected on known and potential confounders. Information was obtained during face-to-face interviews with cases, and through review of their medical charts.Of the 356 participants, 71% were male, and a third sustained injuries from contact with glass. After adjustment for other paired exposures, the odds ratio for injury after consuming 1 to 3 standard drinks of alcohol during the 6-hour period before the injury (compared to the day before), compared to none, was 1.77 (95% confidence interval 0.84 to 3.74), and for four or more drinks was 8.68 (95% confidence interval 3.11 to 24.3). Smokers had higher alcohol-related risks than non-smokers.Alcohol consumption increases the odds of unintentional cutting or piercing injury occurring at home and this risk increases with higher levels of drinking.Cutting and piercing injuries are among the leading causes of unintentional injury morbidity in developed countries [1,2]. In New Zealand, cutting and piercing are second only to falls as the most frequent cause of unintentional injuries among people aged 20 to 64 years that result in admission to hospital [3]. Almost 30% of cutting and piercing injuries in this age group that result in admission to hospital in New Zealand, occur at home [4]. As many as 20% of young and middle-aged adults admitted to hospital as a result of a cutting or piercing injuries may have consumed alcohol in the 6 h preceding injury [5].
%K Alcohol drinking
%K Cross-over studies
%K Cutting and piercing
%K Wounds and injuries
%U http://www.biomedcentral.com/1471-2458/11/852