The public-health impact of falls at home is substantial, resulting in a number of emergency department visits, hospitalizations, and deaths among working-aged individuals. Investigators conducted a population-based case-control study to investigate the role of acute alcohol use* in falls at home among individuals aged 25 to 60. Individuals who were admitted to a hospital or died as a result of a fall injury at home (n=335) were compared with controls (n=352) randomly selected from the same geographic region in New Zealand. Analyses were adjusted for various factors likely to explain falls, including hazardous alcohol use (Alcohol Use Disorders Identification Test score ≥8).

• A significant association was seen between acute alcohol consumption and risk of fall injury in the next 6 hours:

• Individuals who consumed 2 drinks were 3.7 times more likely to have a fall injury compared with individuals who did not drink.
• Individuals who consumed 3 or more drinks were 12.9 times more likely to have a fall injury compared with individuals who did not drink.
• Assuming a causal relationship, 20% of all fall injuries in the study population were attributable to acute alcohol consumption.

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*Consumption of 2 or more standard alcoholic drinks in the preceding 6 hours.

Comments by Tommie Ann Bower, MA
This study provides clinicians with a predictable consequence of increased alcohol consumption. As the population ages, such data points can bolster the resolve of families, employers, and healthcare workers to intervene with risky alcohol use. The 20% number is something of a call to arms, given the huge costs associated with falls, and the anticipation that a large proportion of the population will soon be elderly.