NCJ Number
201503
Journal
Addiction Volume: 98 Issue: 7 Dated: July 2003 Pages: 883-893
Date Published
July 2003
Length
11 pages
Annotation
This document discusses the effects of changes in alcohol consumption on fatal accidents in Canadian provinces after 1950.
Abstract
The goal of this study was to investigate if changes in per capita alcohol consumption were associated with changes in accident mortality rates. The analysis focused on fatal accidents in the age range 15 to 69 years. Specific subgroups of accidents were analyzed, namely fatal falling accidents, drowning accidents, and fatal traffic accidents. A time-series analysis of annual mortality rates for this age group was analyzed in relation to per capita alcohol consumption. Using the Box-Jenkins technique, the series were differenced in order to remove non-stationary trends. Gender-specific and age-adjusted mortality rates were calculated on the basis of mortality data for 5-year age groups, using a standard population. Data on per capita alcohol consumption was converted to consumption per inhabitant 15 years and older. The number of motor vehicles was used as a control variable in the analysis of motor vehicle accidents. The findings indicate that significant associations between alcohol consumption and overall fatal accident rates were uncovered in all provinces for males, and in all provinces except Ontario for females. There was an increase in per capita alcohol consumption of 1 liter accompanied by an increase in accident mortality of 5.9 among males and 1.9 among females per 100,000 inhabitants in Canada. There was a significant association among males with alcohol for falling accidents, motor vehicle accidents, and other accidents. The association was insignificant for drowning accidents. The association with falling accidents and other accidents was significant among females. It was concluded that changes in alcohol consumption had substantial effects on most of the main types of fatal accidents in Canada during the second half of the 20th century. 2 figures, 1 table, 30 references, appendix