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More data needed on interventions to prevent recurring alcohol-related injury in adolescents
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Even for children who have been injured in an accident caused by alcohol use, it is unclear whether behavioral intervention and referrals to treatment make a difference in future alcohol use, according to a study published online.
Paula J. Yuma-Guerrero, MPH, and colleagues from trauma services at Dell Children’s Medical Center of Central Texas in Austin reviewed seven studies from online databases located with Google Scholar PubMed set in a level I trauma unit. They analyzed studies that involved adolescents who received alcohol-related injury care to determine the effectiveness of screening, brief intervention and referral to treatment (SBIRT). There was a wide variation in patient age (12 to 20 years), with one study that included patients aged 18 to 24 years as the highest range.
Three studies noted no significant difference between the SBIRT groups and the control groups in the areas of continued alcohol consumption. Of the four studies that showed a significant intervention effect — two of which only contained patients aged 18 years or older — Yuma-Guerrero and colleagues could not pinpoint one single intervention that decreased both alcohol consumption and alcohol-related consequences.
The researchers said five studies showed positive consumption and/or consequences for all adolescents regardless of condition, suggesting protective effects of emergent injury and/or the screening process.
“The two studies showing the most positive findings only included patients aged 18 and older. In pediatric trauma centers, patients are generally younger than 15 years of age, although the age limits do vary,” the researchers said. “The studies that included patients of younger ages demonstrated essentially no intervention effect on alcohol-related outcomes.”
Yuma-Guerrero and colleagues concluded that further study is needed regarding the best methods of alcohol intervention for youth, and subsequent implementation.
Disclosure: Dr. Yuma-Guerrero reports no relevant financial disclosures.
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