Citation

Shook J, Hiestand BC. J. Am. Coll. Health 2011; 59(5): 388-392.

Affiliation

Department of Emergency Medicine, The Ohio State University, Columbus, Ohio, USA.

Copyright

(Copyright © 2011, Informa - Taylor and Francis Group)

DOI

10.1080/07448481.2010.511364

PMID

21500057

Abstract

OBJECTIVE: In 2003, after several post-college American football game riots, multiple strategies including strict enforcement of open container laws were instituted by the authors' city and university. The authors compared alcohol-related visits to the on-campus emergency department (ED) associated with home football games in 2002 and 2006, hypothesizing that alcohol-related visits should decline. PARTICIPANTS: ED patients during home game weekends.

METHODS: Retrospective cohort study comparing the 2002 and 2006 home games-similar seasons wherein the team went undefeated. Logistic regression assessed the impact of environmental and patient characteristics on the likelihood of an ED visit being alcohol related.

RESULTS: In total 2,220 visits in 2002 and 2,146 visits in 2006 were reviewed. Alcohol-related visits increased from 2002 (7.9%) to 2006 (9.5%, p =.06). Despite community interventions, the odds of an ED visit being alcohol related increased (odds ratio [OR] 1.3, 95% confidence interval [CI₉₅] 1.06-1.64).

CONCLUSIONS: Community measures did not reduce alcohol-related visits to the ED.

Language: en