Usual Alcohol Consumption and Risks for Nonfatal Fall Injuries in the United States: Results From the 2004–2013 National Health Interview Survey

Background: Acute alcohol consumption is known to be a risk factor for fall injuries. Objective: The study sought to determine whether usual alcohol consumption increases the risk for nonfatal fall injuries. Method: Data from 289,187 sample adults in the 2004–2013 U.S. National Health Interview Surveys were analyzed. Of these, 3,368 (∼1%) reported a total of 3,579 fall-injury episodes requiring medical consultation in the past 3 months. Latent class analysis based on four contextual indicators identified four ecological subtypes of fall injury within two age groups (18–49 and 50+). Five drinking patterns (i.e., lifetime abstainer, former drinker, low-risk drinker, increased-risk drinker, and highest-risk drinker) were categorized according to the National Institute on Alcohol Abuse and Alcoholism (NIAAA) low-risk drinking guidelines. Controlling for potential confounders, negative binomial regression estimated the adjusted rates of any type and subtypes of fall injury, by gender, for each drinking pattern relative to lifetime abstainer. Results: Compared with lifetime abstainers, the adjusted rate of any fall injury for adults ages 18–49 was significantly higher among highest-risk drinkers (men: incidence rate ratio [IRR] = 2.59, 95% confidence interval [CI] [1.60, 4.20]; women: IRR = 1.90, 95% CI [1.24, 2.91]) and increased-risk drinkers (men: IRR = 1.94, 95% CI [1.25, 3.00]; women: IRR = 1.51, 95% CI [1.11, 2.07]). Furthermore, highest-risk drinkers had higher adjusted rates of either leisure- or sports-related fall injuries than lifetime abstainers. Conclusions: Alcohol consumption exceeding NIAAA's low-risk drinking guidelines is associated with elevated rates of nonfatal fall injuries. Findings underscore the importance of adhering to these recommendations.