Effects of the minimum legal drinking age on alcohol-related health service use in hospital settings in Ontario: a regression-discontinuity approach.
Am J Public Health
; 103(12): 2284-91, 2013 Dec.
Article
en En
| MEDLINE
| ID: mdl-24134361
ABSTRACT
OBJECTIVES:
We assessed the impact of the minimum legal drinking age (MLDA) on hospital-based treatment for alcohol-related conditions or events in Ontario, Canada.METHODS:
We conducted regression-discontinuity analyses to examine MLDA effects with respect to diagnosed alcohol-related conditions. Data were derived from administrative records detailing inpatient and emergency department events in Ontario from April 2002 to March 2007.RESULTS:
Relative to youths slightly younger than the MLDA, youths just older than the MLDA exhibited increases in inpatient and emergency department events associated with alcohol-use disorders (10.8%; P = .048), assaults (7.9%; P < .001), and suicides related to alcohol (51.8%; P = .01). Among young men who had recently crossed the MLDA threshold, there was a 2.0% increase (P = .01) in hospitalizations for injuries.CONCLUSIONS:
Young adults gaining legal access to alcohol incur increases in hospital-based care for a range of serious alcohol-related conditions. Our regression-discontinuity approach can be used in future studies to assess the effects of the MLDA across different settings, and our estimates can be used to inform cost-benefit analyses across MLDA scenarios.
Texto completo:
1
Banco de datos:
MEDLINE
Asunto principal:
Consumo de Bebidas Alcohólicas
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Factores de Edad
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Trastornos Inducidos por Alcohol
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Servicio de Urgencia en Hospital
Tipo de estudio:
Diagnostic_studies
/
Prognostic_studies
Límite:
Adolescent
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Adult
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Female
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Humans
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Male
País como asunto:
America do norte
Idioma:
En
Año:
2013
Tipo del documento:
Article