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C J Cherpitel

Publications and source records attributed to C J Cherpitel.

67 records · Page 4Linked to original sources

Drinking patterns and problems: a comparison of ER patients in an HMO and in the general population.

The purpose of this study was to compare drinking patterns and alcohol-related problems and associations of these variables with casualties in an emergency room (ER) population and in the general population from which these patients come. A probability sample of patients seen in all three health maintenance organization (HMO) hospital ERs in one U.S. county (N = 986) and a household probability sample of those living in the same county who reported belonging to the HMO (N = 735) were interviewed. The ER sample was more likely to report consequences related to drinking, less likely to report feeling they should cut down on their drinking, and more likely to report greater use of the ER than the general population sample. Similar associations were found between injured and noninjured in the two samples. These data lend support for the generalizability of findings of associations of alcohol and casualties obtained from ER studies to the larger general population.

Adolescent↗

Validity of self-reported alcohol consumption in the emergency room: data from the United States, Mexico and Spain.

The validity of self-reported alcohol consumption within 6 hours prior to injury based on breath-analyzer readings obtained at the time of emergency room (ER) admission is compared among probability samples of ER patients in Contra Costa County, California (n = 450), Mexico City (n = 500) and Barcelona, Spain (n = 864). The same questionnaire, study design and methods were used in all three countries to maintain comparability for comparative analyses. The analysis was restricted to those breath analyzed within 6 hours of injury occurrence who reported no drinking following the event. Validity of self-reports was high in all three samples. The proportion of those reporting not drinking prior to injury who had positive breath-analyzer readings was .5% in the U.S., 1.5% in Spain and 3.3% in Mexico. Validity of self-reports was not associated with cause of injury in the United States. In Mexico those injured in motor vehicle accidents or by violence were most likely to deny drinking, while in Spain those injured in violent situations were most likely to report not drinking. Validity of self-reports in these studies is much higher than that found in other U.S. studies, but this may be partly due to the fact that self-reports were obtained after the patient had been breath analyzed.

Adolescent↗

Acculturation, alcohol consumption, and casualties among United States Hispanics in the emergency room.

The association of alcohol consumption and casualties was analyzed among Hispanic emergency room patients to determine whether level of acculturation and accompanying changes in drinking patterns influence risk of alcohol-related injuries. A sample of patients admitted to a county hospital emergency room during a 1-year period was breathalyzed and interviewed (N = 1,102). Of these, 112 identified themselves as Hispanic. Hispanic males were more likely than non-Hispanics to have positive breathalyzer readings, to report drinking prior to the event, and to attribute a causal association of drinking with the event. These findings were most pronounced among those in the moderate and high acculturation groups.

Acculturation↗

Drinking patterns and problems: a comparison of emergency room populations in the United States and Spain.

The association of alcohol consumption and casualties is compared in probability samples of two culturally diverse emergency room populations: Barcelona, Spain (N = 2972) and Contra Costa County, California (N = 3609). Similar methods and data collection instruments were used to breathalyze and interview patients regarding self-reported alcohol consumption 6 h prior to the injury, usual drinking patterns and alcohol-related problems. Breathalyzer reading was positively associated with injury in both Contra Costa and Barcelona, but at the legal level only in Barcelona. Self-reported alcohol intake within 6 h prior to the event was positively associated with injury only among females in Contra Costa. Frequent light drinking was associated with injuries in Barcelona while heavier drinking was associated with injuries in Contra Costa. Little association was found between social consequences of drinking and injuries in either sample, however, the Contra Costa sample reported significantly higher rates of these problems than Barcelona, among moderate and high quantity drinkers. Although few differences were found between the two samples, findings suggest that usual drinking patterns within a culture may influence the association of alcohol and casualties, and future studies should explore these differences by type and cause of injury.

Adolescent↗

Drinking patterns and problems among primary care patients: a comparison with the general population.

While problem drinking is believed to be over-represented in primary care practice, additional research in this area is needed. A probability sample of 394 patients attending all county-operated primary care clinics in Contra Costa County, California, were breathalyzed and interviewed regarding drinking patterns and alcohol problems. These data are compared with those obtained from a representative general population sample of over 3000 respondents living in the same county. While the clinic population reported higher rates of abstinence compared with the general population (38 versus 17%), among drinkers the clinic sample reported higher rates of heavy drinking. In the clinic sample 14% reported a physical health problem related to drinking and 22% reported three or more symptoms of alcohol dependence during the last year, compared with 3 and 10%, respectively, in the general population. The clinic sample was demographically different from those in the general population which could account, in part, for differences in heavy drinking and alcohol-related problems between the two populations. The prevalence of heavy and problem drinking in this primary care practice suggests the potential of primary care settings for early identification and treatment of alcohol-misusing patients.

Adult↗

Alcohol consumption and casualties: a comparison of emergency room populations in the United States and Mexico.

This study compares alcohol consumption and casualties in probability samples of emergency room populations in the U.S. and Mexico: four hospitals representative of a Bay Area California county (N = 3,609) and eight hospitals representative of Mexico City (N = 2,507). Both studies used similar methods and data collection instruments. Patients were breath analyzed and interviewed regarding self-reported alcohol consumption 6 hours prior to the injury or illness event, usual drinking patterns and alcohol-related problems. Similar associations of alcohol consumption and casualties were found between the two populations with positive admission breath-analyzer readings and moderate consumption being positively associated with injuries. Both samples reported higher rates of heavy drinking, drunkenness and alcohol-related problems than that found in general surveys of their respective populations. Differences found between the two samples were largely due to varying drinking patterns in the two cultures and to differing uses of the emergency room for treatment.

Adolescent↗

Prediction of alcohol-related casualties: a comparison of two emergency room populations.

Logistic regression was used to compare the predictive value of alcohol consumption variables on casualty occurrence in probability samples of two diverse emergency room (ER) populations who were breathalyzed and interviewed at the time of ER admission: San Francisco General Hospital (N = 1459) and four hospitals representative of a nearby California county (N = 1756). Previous analyses suggested differences in the association of alcohol consumption and injury in these two samples. Age, breathalyzer reading and feeling drunk at the time of the event were consistent predictors of injury status in both samples while breathalyzer reading, quantity and frequency of usual drinking and place of injury occurrence (workplace vs. home) were consistent predictors of alcohol-related injuries (self-reported drinking 6 h prior to event).

Adolescent↗

Breath analysis and self-reports as measures of alcohol-related emergency room admissions.

This study reports breath-analyzer readings and self-reports as measures of alcohol-related admission to the emergency room of San Francisco General Hospital. A 20% probability sample of patients admitted during a 60-day period was breath analyzed and interviewed. Interviews and breath samples were obtained on 75% of the sample of 2,516 patients. Twice the proportion of injury patients compared to noninjury patients had positive admission breath samples and reported drinking prior to the event. Alcohol involvement reached 41% for self-reports among injured men and over half of both men and women injured in fights or assaults reported drinking prior to the event. Self-reported alcohol use was found to be a valid measure of alcohol consumption when compared to breath-analyzer readings for the same individuals. Emergency room patients may be more likely than others to provide accurate reports of alcohol consumption if they feel that disclosure of amount and timing of drinking prior to an injury or illness could be important in their care. The data suggest that self-reports when used in conjunction with a quantifiable estimate of blood alcohol may be an appropriate method of ascertaining alcohol's involvement in emergency room cases.

Adult↗

Prediction of alcohol-related casualties among emergency room admissions.

Logistic regression models are used to determine the predictive value on injury status of drinking-in-the-event variables, quantity and frequency of alcohol consumption, alcohol-related problems, and demographic characteristics among 1,896 emergency room patients interviewed and breathalyzed at San Francisco General Hospital. Being young, White compared to Black, a positive admission breathalyzer reading, drinking prior to the event, and binge drinking were predictive of admission to the emergency room for an injury compared to a non-injury problem. A positive breathalyzer reading, more frequent usual drinking, blackouts, and a previous accident while drinking were predictive of drinking prior to the presenting injury event.

Abbreviated Injury Scale↗

Drinking patterns and problems associated with injury status in emergency room admissions.

A study of emergency room admissions at San Francisco General Hospital was undertaken to analyze the association of drinking patterns and problems with injury status. A 20% probability sample of patients admitted to the emergency room around-the-clock over a 60-day period was interviewed. Interviews were completed on 75% of those sampled (N = 1896). Of these, 29% (N = 555) were admitted to the emergency room for injuries, with drinkers more likely than abstainers to be admitted for injuries. Differences were found in the quantity and frequency of usual drinking and frequency of drunkenness for type and cause of injury and for prior alcohol-related accidents. Little differences was found between the injured and noninjured on social consequences of drinking or experiences associated with alcohol dependence and loss of control over drinking. Both injured and noninjured in this population reported much higher rates of frequent heavy drinking and alcohol-related problems than that found in the general population which may have masked additional associations of drinking patterns and problems with injury status.

Adult↗

Emergency room and primary care services utilization and associated alcohol and drug use in the United States general population.

Heavy and problem drinking have been found to be over-represented in some studies of clinical populations, but little is known of the association of alcohol and drug use with health services utilization in the general population. General population data are reported on the association of alcohol, drug use, and demographic characteristics with use of the Emergency Room (ER) or other primary care services during the preceding year. Data analysed are from the 1995 National Alcohol Survey of respondents living in households in the 48 contiguous states. Logistic regression was used to analyse the association of substance-use variables with ER and primary care services use by gender within three ethnic groups: white (n = 1636), black (n = 1582) and Hispanic (n = 1585). Variables found to be associated with ER use were not associated with primary care services use and vice versa. Drinking and drug-use characteristics appeared to be more associated with ER use than with primary care use, and varied across ethnic and gender subgroups. The data suggest an association between treatment for alcohol or drug problems and services use, particularly among blacks and Hispanics. The data support findings from clinical studies that over-representation of substance-use problems in some clinical settings may be due to the socio-demographic characteristics of those using the facility under study, and suggest that ER and other primary care service settings may be useful for identifying those with alcohol and drug-regulated problems among specific gender/ethnic groups.

Adult↗

Alcohol, tobacco, and drug use and the onset of type 2 diabetes among inner-city minority patients.

BACKGROUND: We examined the prevalence of alcohol, tobacco, and drug use and their relation to the age of onset of type 2 diabetes among inner-city minority diabetic patients who sought routine care at medical clinics in south central Los Angeles. METHODS: A cross-sectional study design was used to sample 392 diabetic patients. Consecutive patients from seven different primary care clinics were interviewed to determine their alcohol, tobacco, and drug use histories and the age of onset of diabetes. RESULTS: The study sample was 61% Hispanic and 64% female and had a mean age of 53 years. Seventy-one diabetic patients (18%) reported that they recently consumed alcohol. Sixty-nine patients (17%) reported smoking within 30 days of their interview. Thirty-eight diabetic patients reported a history of regular illicit drug use. Multiple regression analysis showed that diabetic patients who used alcohol, illicit drugs, or combined substances (alcohol and illicit drugs), but not tobacco alone, reported an earlier onset of type 2 diabetes. CONCLUSIONS: This hypothesis-generating study suggests that alcohol and illicit drugs, when used alone or in combination, might be associated with an earlier onset of type 2 diabetes. Additional research, however, is required to evaluate further these preliminary findings.

Adolescent↗