Alcohol and Casualties in the Emergency Room: A Us-Italy Comparison of Weekdays and Weekend Evenings

Abstract

This paper examines similarities and differences in associations of alcohol and casualties with time of arrival in the emergency room (weekdays vs weekend evenings) in probability samples of patients from two cultures where typical patterns of alcohol use vary greatly-Trieste, Italy (N=475) and Contra Costa County, California (USA) (N=l 482). In Contra Costa, but not in Trieste, those sampled on weekend evenings were more likely to have positive breathalyzer readings and to report drinking prior to the event than those sampled on weekdays. Rates for both positive breathalyzer readings and self-reported drinking prior to the event were lower in Contra Costa than in Trieste. These and other findings reported here point to differences in the relationship of alcohol and casualties in a culture where alcohol consumption is a routine part of life's daily activities as compared to the U.S. pattern of drinking primarily during leisure times.

Presented at the Alcohol Epidemiology Symposium, sponsored by the Kettil Bruun Society for Social and Epidemiological Research on Alcohol, Krakow, Poland, June 7-11,1993.

Key Words:

• alcohol
• trauma
• emergency room
• temporal drinking patterns
• U.S.
• Italy