An estimate of BAC was obtained immediately after ER admission using a breath analyzer (Alco-Sensor III and in New Zealand the Alcotec AR1005) in all but the Canadian (Alberta and Quebec) ERCAAP studies, which has been found to provide estimates that are highly correlated with chemical analysis of blood (Gibb et al., 1984). In Alberta and Quebec, BAC was estimated from urine samples using KDA enzymatic testing and standardized to the unit measure quantifying BAC estimated from breath samples. Self-report data was based on the patient’s report of consuming alcohol during the six hours prior to the injury and the number of drinks consumed during that time. Within each study, detailed questions about the commonly consumed beverages within the country were asked, including size and number of containers consumed as well as beverage concentrations for each beverage type consumed. Drinks in each country were converted to grams of ethanol and the number of standard drinks for each country was calculated based on the U.S. standard of 12 grams equal to one drink.
