ALCOHOL, INJURY, AND RISK-TAKING BEHAVIOR - DATA FROM A NATIONAL SAMPLE

The association of alcohol consumption and injury is well documented i n the literature. It has also been suggested that alcohol consumption is associated with risk-taking behaviors. No studies have reported the association of alcohol consumption and risk-taking behaviors with inj ury across all injury types, however. Data were collected (1990) from a national probability household sample (n = 2058; weighted n = 1150) on: injuries that required treatment during the last year; quantity an d frequency (Q-F) of drinking; and behaviors associated with risk perc eption, risk-taking/impulsivity, and sensation seeking. The injured (1 2% of the sample) were more likely to be male, younger, and to report moderate and heavy drinking and more frequent drunkenness compared wit h those with no injuries. They were also less likely to score high on risk perception and more likely to score high on risk-taking/impulsivi ty and sensation seeking than those with no injuries. However, using l ogistic regression analysis to predict a treated injury during the las t year, only the interaction term of gender by Q-F was significant, wi th Q-F a significant predictor of injury among males but not among fem ales.