Name: Alba Moreno
Live Poster Session: https://wesleyan.zoom.us/j/95232622927
Alba Moreno
As a Molecular Biology and Biochemistry, and Chemistry Major on a pre-medical track working in addiction research, I am interested in exploring issues related to substance abuse, healthcare and healthcare expenditure to strive for more equitable outcomes in health in the U.S., especially for those who are overlooked and blamed by the system. Through this research project, I have been able to delve into the population statistics of patients suffering from binge drinking behaviors and highlighted the increased amount of hospital admissions and personal healthcare expenditure for this population. I have done this in hopes to put a focus on a major but invisible type of alcohol abuse: binge drinking, and pushing for more targeted programs to aid in the prevention of binge drinking.
Abstract: Binge drinking is the most common pattern of excessive alcohol use in the United States and is associated with substantial medical and economic burden. However, cost estimates often lump all alcohol‑related disorders, making it unclear how binge drinking specifically contributes to short-term hospital utilization. This study examines whether lifetime binge drinking and binge‑drinking intensity are associated with disproportionate overnight hospital admissions and higher hospital‑related costs. Using data from the 2024 National Survey on Drug Use and Health (NSDUH) (n ≈ 70,000), binge drinking was defined according to CDC criteria and coded as both a binary lifetime measure and an intensity measure. ANOVA tests assessed group differences in lifetime hospital nights and costs. Linear regression models evaluated whether binge‑drinking history predicted overnight hospital admissions and hospital expenditures adjusted for demographic covariates. Individuals reporting at least one lifetime binge‑drinking episode had significantly higher lifetime hospital costs and non-significantly more overnight admissions. Higher binge‑drinking intensity was associated with increased hospital nights and elevated hospital costs. Regression analyses confirmed that lifetime binge drinking significantly predicted greater overnight hospital admissions and higher hospital‑related expenditures. Even a single lifetime episode of binge drinking is associated with disproportionate hospital use and elevated healthcare costs. These findings highlight the need for targeted prevention strategies and more precise cost attribution models that distinguish binge drinking from other alcohol‑related conditions.
‌
Alba-Moreno-QAC-201-POster