Age at first alcohol‐related hospital separation or emergency department presentation and rate of re‐admission: A retrospective data linkage cohort of young Australians

INTRODUCTION: Alcohol is a leading risk factor for death and disease in young people. We compare age‐specific characteristics of young people who experience their first (‘index’) alcohol‐related hospitalisation or emergency department (ED) presentation, and whether age at index predicts 12‐month rates of readmission. METHODS: We used a retrospective linked‐data cohort of 10,300 people aged 12–20 years with an index alcohol‐related hospital and/or ED record in New South Wales, Australia from 2005 to 2013. Age group (early adolescent [12–14 years], late adolescent [15–17 years], young adult [18–20 years]) and diagnosis fields were used in logistic regression analyses and to calculate incidence rates with adjustment for year of index event, sex, socioeconomic disadvantage and residence remoteness. RESULTS: People who experienced their index event in early adolescence (adjusted relative risk ratio [ARRR] 0.45 [95% confidence interval 0.39, 0.52]) or late adolescence (ARRR 0.82 [0.74, 0.90]) were less likely to be male compared to young adults. Early adolescents (ARRR 0.60 [0.51, 0.70]) and late adolescents (ARRR 0.84 [0.76, 0.93]) were less likely to have a hospitalisation index event. Early adolescents (adjusted incidence rate ratio 1.40 [1.15, 1.71]) and late adolescents (adjusted incidence rate ratio 1.16 [1.01, 1.34]) were more likely than young adults to have a subsequent 12‐month non‐poisoning injury ED presentation. DISCUSSION AND CONCLUSIONS: We identified preventable hospital events in young people who have previously experienced an alcohol‐related ED presentation or hospitalisation, with age‐specific characteristics and outcomes that can be used to inform future health policy and service planning.