Drinking in the injury event: a comparison of Mexican-American male ER patients in the United States and in Mexico.

Probability samples of 66 Mexican-American injured male emergency room (ER) patients in Santa Clara County, CA, and 457 injured male ER patients in Pachuca, Mexico are compared on a number of drinking-in-the-event variables. While those in Pachuca were more likely to be positive on the breathalyzer than those in Santa Clara, they were less likely to attribute a causal association of their drinking with the event. Site (Santa Clara) was found to be a significant (positive) predictor of drinking prior to injury.