The proposed study is a pioneering effort to examine health consequences associated with alcohol consumption in a sample of the convicted drinking and driving (DWI) population. Although the role of DWI in trauma and traffic fatalities has received substantial attention, no study to date has focused on the general health status of DWT offenders, despite the major public health implications posed by over 1 million offenders each year. DWI offenders are especially well-suited to a study of health consequences because they have a high rate of alcohol dependence, and a greater variability in the amount of drinking and severity of problems than would be found in a purely alcoholic sample. The study focuses on the health status of the DWI population, including an emphasis liver function and viral hepatitis C (HCV) infection, general health status, and the lifetime association between drinking and trauma. A sample of 1,500 DWI offenders will be recruited from courts in Erie County, New York. The three main aims of the study are: 1. To examine indicators of liver dysfunction and hepatitis C infection (HCV) among DWI offenders. What is the prevalence of HCV in the DWI population? To what extent does HCV prevalence differ between first and repeat offenders? What risk factors are associated HCV infection among DWTs? Is drinking pattern or alcohol diagnosis associated with HCV or other dysfunction indicated by liver enzymes (e.g., GGT, ALT). 2. To examine factors associated with the general health status of DWI offenders. Are DWI offender status (first vs. repeat offender), drinking pattern, and alcohol diagnosis predictors of current health-related symptoms or major chronic illness? 3. To examine factors associated with traumatic injuries among DWI offenders. To examine this aim, we will utilize the lifetime cognitive drinking history to assess drinking pattern, and also assess the frequency of trauma. How is drinking pattern associated with trauma? To what extent are other DWI factors associated with the frequency of trauma?
