THE STUDY OF THE RELATIONSHIP BETWEEN LIFE-STYLE CHARACTERISTIC SELF-REPORTED DRINKING PATTERNS AND TRAUMA

A total of 161 usable interviews were obtained with 297 consecutive admissions to a Level I trauma center for purposes of evaluating patient socioeconomic patterns related to trauma. The median age of the purposeful sample was 31. There were 67.1% males, 29.2% females, and 3.7% unidentified; 43.5% were MVAs, 8.1% motorcycles, 2.5% pedestrians, 10.6% falls, and 3.7% penetrating trauma. Of those patients found ETOH positive, 40.8% admitted to drinking and driving regularly, 12.5% admitted to being previously arrested for DUI, 45% admitted that alcohol caused their current trauma, 28.6% had been previously arrested for traffic violation. Three-fourths did not routinely wear seat belts. The average education level of trauma victims was 12.2 years; 94% are blue collar workers. In summary the average trauma victim was a young adult male who had completed high school, somewhat below average earnings, and had a strong history of regular alcohol use as part of his lifestyle.