Citation

Callaghan RC, Sanches M, Gatley JM, Cunningham JK. Am. J. Public Health 2013; 103(12): 2284-2291.

Affiliation

Russell C. Callaghan is with the Northern Medical Program, University of Northern British Columbia, Prince George, British Columbia and the Dalla Lana School of Public Health, University of Toronto, Ontario. Marcos Sanches is with the Biostatistical Consulting Unit, Centre for Addiction and Mental Health, Toronto, Ontario. Jodi M. Gatley is with the Human Brain Laboratory, Centre for Addiction and Mental Health, Toronto, Ontario and the Department of Biological Sciences, University of Toronto, Scarborough, Toronto, Ontario. James K. Cunningham is with the Department of Family and Community Medicine, University of Arizona, Tucson.

Copyright

(Copyright © 2013, American Public Health Association)

DOI

10.2105/AJPH.2013.301320

PMID

24134361

Abstract

Objectives. We assessed the impact of the minimum legal drinking age (MLDA) on hospital-based treatment for alcohol-related conditions or events in Ontario, Canada. Methods. We conducted regression-discontinuity analyses to examine MLDA effects with respect to diagnosed alcohol-related conditions. Data were derived from administrative records detailing inpatient and emergency department events in Ontario from April 2002 to March 2007. Results. Relative to youths slightly younger than the MLDA, youths just older than the MLDA exhibited increases in inpatient and emergency department events associated with alcohol-use disorders (10.8%; P = .048), assaults (7.9%; P < .001), and suicides related to alcohol (51.8%; P = .01). Among young men who had recently crossed the MLDA threshold, there was a 2.0% increase (P = .01) in hospitalizations for injuries. Conclusions. Young adults gaining legal access to alcohol incur increases in hospital-based care for a range of serious alcohol-related conditions. Our regression-discontinuity approach can be used in future studies to assess the effects of the MLDA across different settings, and our estimates can be used to inform cost-benefit analyses across MLDA scenarios. (Am J Public Health. Published online ahead of print October 17, 2013: e1-e8. doi:10.2105/AJPH.2013.301320).

Language: en