@article{ref1,
title="Prevalence of injuries associated with the "russ" celebration in Norway",
journal="Tidsskrift for den Norske Laegeforening",
year="2015",
author="Austdal, Linn Engeset and Strand, Maren Cecilie and Vindenes, Vigdis and Bogstrand, Stig Tore",
volume="135",
number="7",
pages="648-652",
abstract="BACKGROUND Every year the Norwegian Institute of Public Health receives a number of enquiries from the media regarding the extent to which alcohol intake by upper secondary school leavers celebrating in their final spring term (the traditional Norwegian &quot;russ&quot; celebration) is a cause of injuries, and whether there are more injuries during this period. The purpose of this study is to investigate the prevalence of injuries in the &quot;russ&quot; celebration period.MATERIAL AND METHOD Data from the Norwegian patient register (NPR) were used to investigate the prevalence of injuries in 16-, 19- and 21-year-olds from 2007 to 2011. The 19-year-olds represent those who celebrate &quot;russ&quot;. Injuries recorded using ICD-10 codes were examined. The month of May and the period 20 April to 20 May were compared to the other months of the year.<br><br>RESULTS The 19-year-olds have significantly more injuries during the &quot;russ&quot; period compared to the 16- and 21-year-olds. In the &quot;russ&quot; period, the 19-year-olds accounted for 41.4 % of the injuries, the 16-year-olds for 27.7 % and the 21-year-olds for 30.9 %. The 19-year-olds have more injuries in May compared to other months. There is a particular increase in the prevalence of head injuries.<br><br>CONCLUSION An increase was observed in the number of injuries among 19-year-olds associated with the period of the &quot;russ&quot; celebration compared to the rest of the year. There are no data available which describe the causes of the injuries. There is a need for better recording of the use of alcohol or intoxicants as a possible cause. Injuries treated by the specialist health services are probably of a more serious nature, and the study may indicate an increase in serious injuries among 19-year-olds during the &quot;russ&quot; celebration.<p /> <p>Language: no</p>",
language="no",
issn="0029-2001",
doi="10.4045/tidsskr.14.0238",
url="http://dx.doi.org/10.4045/tidsskr.14.0238"
}