Whereas alcohol is involved in many boating fatalities, the relative risk of death associated with alcohol use among boaters is unknown. The objective of this study was to determine the association of alcohol use with the relative risk of dying while boating for passengers and operators. A case-control study was conducted where recreational boating deaths (18 years and older) during the period from 1990 to 1998 in Maryland and North Carolina (N=221) were compared with controls obtained from a multi-stage probability sample of boaters in each state during 1997-99 (N=3943). Logistic regression was used to calculate relative risk of a boating fatality associated with different levels of blood alcohol concentration (BAC) while controlling for other risk factors. Stratification, clustering, and weighting were also taken into account in the analysis. Compared to a zero BAC, the relative risk of death was increased even at 10 mg/dl, with an estimated OR of 1.3 (95% CI: 1.2-1.4); increasing to 52.4 (95% CI: 25.9-106.1) at 250 mg/dl; and was similar for passengers and operators. The relative risk associated with alcohol use did not vary by boat type and was the same whether the boat was moving or was not underway. (Author/publisher) For the covering abstract of the conference see ITRD Abstract No. E201067.
Abstract