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John McAlaney

Publications and source records attributed to John McAlaney.

2 recordsLinked to original sources
PubMed2006

Establishing rates of binge drinking in the UK: anomalies in the data.

AIMS: Several studies funded by the UK government have been influential in understanding rates of 'binge drinking' in the UK. This analysis aims to establish consistency between results and clarify UK rates of binge drinking. METHOD: The relevant sections of these surveys were compared: the Scottish Health Survey (SHS) 1998, the General Household Survey (GHS) 2002, and the Health Survey for England (HSE) 2003. In addition the methodology used by the Health Protection Agency in the Adult Drinking Patterns in Northern Ireland (2003) was compared with the approach used by the SHS, GHS, and HSE. RESULTS: Marked differences were observed between the results of the GHS 2002 and both the SHS 1998 and the HSE 2002 despite each using a similar methodology, with the HSE 2003 reporting a rate of 'binge drinking' in young males of 57%, and the GHS reporting a rate of 35%. This difference may be largely attributed to variations in the criteria in binge drinking in each study. These differences in interpretation do not appear to have been acknowledged. Indeed several key documents on alcohol harm reduction made inaccurate citations of previous surveys. CONCLUSION: The media rhetoric on escalating rates of binge drinking in the UK should be regarded with caution until trends are based on standardized recording and reporting.

Adult↗
PubMedDate not supplied

A specialist adolescent self-harm service.

AIM: To investigate the scale of adolescent deliberate self-harm (DSH) presentations to accident and emergency (A&E) departments and minor injury units in Glasgow and to assess the success of the adolescent DSH service in accessing this group. METHOD: A retrospective case note analysis was carried out in collaboration with the Greater Glasgow Health Board, using a standardised proforma. The data collection focused on adolescents aged 12-17 years presenting with DSH during a ten-week period in 2002. The records of each presentation to A&E departments and minor injury units were examined, and follow-up medical records were obtained for those who had been admitted to a ward. RESULTS: There were 86 recorded presentations of adolescent DSH during the study period. No significant relationships between age, sex, form of self-harm or any other variable recorded were found. Over half of those presenting were admitted to a ward, the majority of whom were subsequently referred to the DSH service. Those treated solely in A&E tended not to be referred. CONCLUSION: The findings of the study show that there are a significant number of young people who self-harm, but that they receive no follow-up care.

Adolescent↗