Alcohol and drug related injuries in children and young people

Alcohol, tobacco and cannabis are the substances most frequently used by young people¹. Common alcohol and drug related health problems experienced by young people are road traffic injuries, assault, depression and self-harm, brain damage, overdose and blood borne disease (e.g. hepatitis C)². These adverse health outcomes or injuries place a burden on communities and the health system. Young males have significantly higher rates of alcohol and drug use and related injuries than females³.

In addition to the initial injury or problem, young people admitted to hospital for alcohol or other drug related injuries also have higher suicide risk than their peers⁴. Further, though not all alcohol and drug related injuries are experienced by people with a substance use disorder, it is reasonable to assume that a substantial portion are. Thus, it is relevant to note that substance use disorders are among the most common mental health disorders experienced by young people in Australia and the fourth highest contributor to the burden of disease in this age group ^4,5.

There is evidence that substance abuse can be reduced by addressing relevant risk factors such as early exposure to a substance or poor mental health, and by increasing protective factors such as early patterns of healthy behaviours^7,8. Being able to understand patterns of injury related to drug and alcohol use according to geographical area therefore has the advantage of allowing policy makers and service providers to make informed choices about targeted interventions to improve outcomes. Using this data alongside other social information (such an unemployment and income) could be especially important as a range of social factors are risk factors associated with alcohol and drug abuse⁸.

REFERENCES

1. White V, Bariola E. Australian secondary school students' use of tobacco, alcohol, and over-the counter and illicit substances in 2011. Cancer Council of Victoria, 2012 [cited 2018 May 23]. Available from: http://www.nationaldrugstrategy.gov.au/internet/drugstrategy/Publishing.nsf/content/BCBF6B2C638E1202CA257ACD0020E35C/$File/National%20Report_FINAL_ASSAD_7.12.pdf
2. Department of Health, Western Australia. Injury prevention in Western Australia: A Review of state-wide activity for Selected Injury Areas. Perth; Chronic Disease Prevention Directorate. 2015 [cited 2018 May 23]. Available from: https://ww2.health.wa.gov.au/Reports-and-publications/Injury-Prevention-in-Western-Australia-A-Review-of-Statewide-Activity-for-Selected-Injury-Areas
3. Australian Institute of Health and Welfare [Internet]. Canberra ACT. Young Australians: Their health and wellbeing, 2011. Cat. no. PHE 140. [cited 2018 May 23]. Available from: https://www.aihw.gov.au/reports/children-youth/young-australians-their-health-and-wellbeing-2011/contents/table-of-contents
4. Kmietowicz Z. Young people with injuries from alcohol, drugs, or violence show increased suicide risk. British Medical Journal, 2017; 357. Available from: https://doi.org/10.1136/bmj.j2589
5. Gore F, Bloem J, Patton G, Ferguson J, Joseph V, Coffey C, et al. Global burden of disease in young people aged 10-24 years: A systematic analysis. The Lancet, 2011; 377(9783): 2093-2102. Available from: https://doi.org/10.1016/S0140-6736(11)60512-6
6. Australian Institute of Health and Welfare [Internet]. Canberra ACT. Impact of alcohol and illicit drug use on the burden of disease and injury in Australia: Australian Burden of Disease Study 2011. [cited 2018 May 29]. Available from: https://www.aihw.gov.au/reports/burden-of-disease/impact-alcohol-illicit-drug-use-on-burden-disease/contents/table-of-contents
7. Bränström R, Sjöström E, Andréasson S. Individual, group and community risk and protective factors for alcohol and drug use among Swedish adolescents. European Journal of Public Health, 2007; 18(1):12-8. Available from: https://doi.org/10.1093/eurpub/ckm038
8. Hawkins JD, Catalano RF, Miller JY. Risk and protective factors for alcohol and other drug problems in adolescence and early adulthood: Implications for substance abuse prevention. Psychological Bulletin, 1992; 112(1):64. Available from: http://dx.doi.org/10.1037/0033-2909.112.1.64

Data Source 

Compiled by Telethon Kids Institute based on Hospital Morbidity Data Collection, Department of Health Western Australia; ABS Estimated Residential Population estimates

Numerator

Alcohol related hospitalisations for selected age group

Denominator 

Total ERP for selected age group

Unit of Measure 

Per 10,000 population

Geography

SA2, SA3, LGA, HR, RDC

Data Confidentiality

Areas with count values 1 to 4 and where population is less than 50 have been suppressed.

Prior moving averages combine a sequence of 3 or 5 years of data prior to, and including, the selected year. The series are presented as overlapping sequences until the most recent year is included. Moving averages make it possible to combine more years of data to maximize sample size at each point while maintaining data confidentiality.

Notes 

The HMDC includes all episodes of care that occur in the following Western Australian health services:
- Public acute hospitals
- Public psychiatric hospitals
- Private acute hospitals (licensed by WA Health System)
- Private psychiatric hospitals (licensed by WA Health System
- Private day surgeries (licensed by WA Health System

Alcohol and other drug related injuries were identified using the following ICD classification codes: