Alcohol, Injury, and Risk-Taking Behavior: Data from a National Sample

The association of alcohol consumption and injury is well documented in the literature. It has also been suggested that alcohol consumption is associated with risk-taking behaviors. No studies have reported the association of alcohol consumption and risk-taking behaviors with injury across all injury types, however. Data were collected (1990) from a national probability household sample ( n = 2058; weighted n = 1150) on: injuries that required treatment during the last year; quantity and frequency (Q-F) of drinking; and behaviors associated with risk perception, risk-taking/impulsivity, and sensation seeking. The injured (12% of the sample) were more likely to be male, younger, and to report moderate and heavy drinking and more frequent drunkenness compared with those with no injuries. They were also less likely to score high on risk perception and more likely to score high on risk-taking/impulsivity and sensation seeking than those with no injuries. However, using logistic regression analysis to predict a treated injury during the last year, only the interaction term of gender by Q-F was significant, with Q-F a significant predictor of injury among males but not among females.