Brief Intervention to Reduce Injury in Minorities

Study Overview
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Brief Summary
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The purpose of this study is to evaluate the effectiveness and ethnic differences of a brief alcohol intervention for injured patients.

Detailed Description
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Injuries are not isolated events or one time occurrences and injury has been identified as an important public health problem. Among the risk factors associated with injury and injury recidivism, the most widely recognized is alcohol use with approximately 50% of all injuries associated with alcohol. In general, alcohol use and drinking patterns vary by ethnicity, with frequent heavy drinking and associated problems more common among Blacks and Hispanics. Blacks, in general, suffer a disproportionate level of alcohol problems, despite having higher rates of abstention than Whites and Hispanics. Hispanics also generally suffer more alcohol-related problems than whites. Overall, injury recidivism is higher among poorer, minority populations and among individuals who abuse alcohol. The efficacy of brief alcohol interventions in the emergency care setting such as hospital emergency departments and trauma care centers is a relatively new area of research. Brief alcohol interventions appear to reduce alcohol intake and rates of injury following hospitalization; however, there is a need to evaluate the efficacy of these brief interventions in various ethnic groups. The proposed research involves a randomized controlled trial of a brief alcohol intervention based upon motivational interviewing and harm reduction to reduce alcohol consumption and injury following admission to an emergency room or trauma department for treatment of an injury. The primary aim of the proposed project is to determine the efficacy of this intervention as applied in the trauma care and emergency room setting among Whites, Blacks and Hispanics. The three outcomes of interest include: alcohol consumption as measured by number of standard drinks consumed per week and frequency of drinking five or more drinks per occasion engagement in injury related risk behaviors and injury recidivism rates It is hypothesized that the brief alcohol intervention will have a greater impact on alcohol consumption, injury related risk behaviors and injury recidivism among Whites than Blacks and Mexican Americans. In addition, it is hypothesized that the brief alcohol intervention will have less of an impact on alcohol consumption, injury related risk behaviors and injury recidivism among Mexican Americans born in the United States than among those born in Mexico after controlling for acculturation, acculturation stress and sociodemographic characteristics.

Official Title
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Brief Intervention to Reduce Injury in Minorities

Conditions
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Injuries, Alcohol Related Disorders

Intervention / Treatment
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* Behavioral: Brief intervention based on motivational interviewing
* Behavioral: Standard Care including referral for treatment


Participation Criteria
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Eligibility Criteria
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Inclusion Criteria: Admission for treatment of an injury Self identification of Black, White or Hispanic Ethnicity Age > 17 Screen positive for potential alcohol related injury based upon clinical indication of alcohol use prior to injury including positive blood alcohol concentration, self report of alcohol use prior to injury, heavy drinking or drinking beyond normal limits as defined by NIAAA Exclusion Criteria: Glasgow Coma Score or GCS < 14 Admission for self inflicted injury

Ages Eligible for Study
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Minimum Age: 18 Years

Sexes Eligible for Study
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All

Accepts Healthy Volunteers
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No

Study Plan
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How is the study designed?
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Design Details

Primary Purpose: Treatment
Allocation: Randomized
Intervention Model: Factorial Assignment
Masking: None (Open Label)


Arms and Interventions

| Participant Group/Arm | Intervention/Treatment |
| --- | --- |
| Experimental: 1<br>Patients randomized to this arm received an intervention based in the motivational interviewing style | Behavioral: Brief intervention based on motivational interviewing<br>* The intervention was an approximately 30 minute discussion about alcohol-related risk behaviors and motivation to change<br>|
| Active Comparator: 2<br>Patients randomized to this arm received standard hospital care | Behavioral: Standard Care including referral for treatment<br>* Standard hospital care provided the patient with information and referral for treatment as necessary.<br>|

What is the study measuring?
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Primary Outcome Measures

| Outcome Measure | Measure Description | Time Frame |
| --- | --- | --- |
| alcohol intake |  | six months and one year | 
| injury recidivism |  | six months and one year | 

Secondary Outcome Measures

| Outcome Measure | Measure Description | Time Frame |
| --- | --- | --- |
| alcohol problems |  | six months and one year | 
| injury related risk behaviors |  | 6 months and one year | 

 Terms related to the study
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Keywords Provided by Centre Hospitalier Valida
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Screening and Brief Intervention, Ethnic Differences, Trauma Center