CAPE TOWN: Fewer trauma cases were reported during lockdown levels with an alcohol ban in place compared to periods where alcohol sales were only restricted.
This according to a study by University of Cape Town (UCT) and Stellenbosch University (SU) researchers.
The findings, published in the African Journal of Emergency Medicine, suggest that alcohol sales bans may impact trauma levels in low- to middle-income areas with a potential decrease in the total trauma cases and number of assaults.
The researchers used data from all trauma-related patients presented to the emergency centre of Mitchells Plain Hospital from March 1, 2020 to September 29, 2020, and corresponding periods during 2019 were exported from an existing database.
The study found that a higher proportion of trauma cases were children, and a shift towards more patients presenting during weekdays and office hours was noticed.
It further found that fewer assaults occurred during periods when alcohol sales were banned, mainly due to a decrease in injuries caused by a sharp object. This also led to a significant decrease in open wounds.
This was further evidence of the causal role of alcohol in violence-related injuries, according to the researchers.
Dr Clint Hendrikse, of UCT’s Division of Emergency Medicine, said a similar reduction occurred in isolated Alaska Native villages, where an alcohol ban was associated with lower age-adjusted rates of serious injury from assault and motor vehicle crashes.
“The large differences which occurred during South Africa’s lockdown levels 5 and 4 are probably confounded by less vehicles on the road as the economy was mostly shut down; social interactions were also strongly discouraged,”
“A more true reflection of the effect of banning alcohol sales is seen during level 3 where an 18.7% reduction occurred when the alcohol ban was reinstated. This is close to the estimated 20% reduction in trauma cases foreseen by the national government. A subsequent 41% increase when the ban was subsequently lifted further illustrates the effect of the alcohol sales ban.
Although the lifting of the alcohol ban coincided with a move to lockdown level 2 with fewer restrictions, trauma-related cases returned to levels seen during 2019 and even in the month before the lockdown was implemented,” Hendrikse said.
Dr Niël van Hoving, of the Division of Emergency Medicine at SU, said that the proportion of injured children also increased during periods when alcohol sales were banned.
“This was rather unexpected as anecdotal evidence indicated that domestic violence cases and child neglect increased after the alcohol sales were allowed under lockdown level 3. The higher proportion could also relate to the imposed restrictions of the lockdown itself as schools were closed for long periods,” he said.
Although the reason behind the finding is most likely multifactorial, it could just be a result of fewer adults seeking treatment at the emergency centre during these periods, Van Hoving added.
“On-site consumption was only allowed under lockdown level 2, making it difficult to compare our results to other studies which mostly evaluated the effect of restricting on-site consumption. Nonetheless, international data suggest that the restriction of trading hours tends to reduce alcohol-related injuries during the time of the restriction and shortly thereafter,” he said.
Cape Times