Evidence map›Paper›PMID 42443067›Full record

ArticleAddiction (Abingdon, England)2026

Discrepancies between self-reported alcohol use and breathalyzer results and factors associated with blood alcohol concentration positivity among road traffic injury patients in Cameroon.

Serge Ngekeng, Rasheedat Oke, Odette Kibu, Elvis Tanue, Nicholas Tendongfor, Georges Nguefack-Tsague, Alan Hubbard, Steven Shoptaw, Alain Chichom-Mefire, Catherine Juillard

Abstract read
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In one paragraph

Article in Addiction (Abingdon, England), 2026. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 1 paper.

0numbers the graph read from it
0cells of the map it votes in
1citing papers in PubMed
–field-weighted citation impact
1 · What the graph read from it

What it found

Each row is one number read from the abstract, on the scale the paper reported it, with its interval. Left of the dashed line favours the treatment, right favours the comparator. Under each row is the sentence it came from. New to these charts? A ten-minute tutorial.

The abstract states no effect estimate the extractor could read, or names no intervention and outcome on the map, so this paper lights no cell and moves no belief. It is still indexed, cited and linked below.

2 · The registry

The trial behind it

Trials whose registry record cites this paper, or whose number appears in the abstract. A trial that started after this paper was published is citing it as background, not reporting it.

Neither the registry nor the abstract names a trial number. If this is a trial report, that itself is worth knowing.

3 · Its place in the literature

Who cites it

1 citing paper in PubMed.

  1. Article
4 · The record

Corrections and comments

PubMed lists nothing against this paper. Absence here is not a guarantee, only a check that was made.

5 · Who and what money

Authors and funding

10 authors.

Serge NgekengSustainable Trauma, Research, Education and Mentorship (STREaM) project, Faculty of Health sciences, University of Buea, Buea, Cameroon.ORCID https://orcid.org/0000-0001-7172-2535
Rasheedat OkeProgram for the Advancement of Surgical Equity (PASE), Department of Surgery, University of California Los Angeles, Los Angeles, CA, USA.
Odette KibuData Science Center for the Study of Surgery, Injury and Equity in Africa (D-SINE-Africa), University of Buea, Buea, Cameroon.
Elvis TanueSustainable Trauma, Research, Education and Mentorship (STREaM) project, Faculty of Health sciences, University of Buea, Buea, Cameroon.
Nicholas TendongforSustainable Trauma, Research, Education and Mentorship (STREaM) project, Faculty of Health sciences, University of Buea, Buea, Cameroon.
Georges Nguefack-TsagueData Science Center for the Study of Surgery, Injury and Equity in Africa (D-SINE-Africa), University of Buea, Buea, Cameroon.
Alan HubbardDivision of Epidemiology, School of Public Health, University of California Berkeley, Berkeley, CA, USA.
Steven ShoptawDepartment of Family Medicine, University of California Los Angeles, Los Angeles, CA, USA.
Alain Chichom-MefireSustainable Trauma, Research, Education and Mentorship (STREaM) project, Faculty of Health sciences, University of Buea, Buea, Cameroon.
Catherine JuillardProgram for the Advancement of Surgical Equity (PASE), Department of Surgery, University of California Los Angeles, Los Angeles, CA, USA.

Funding

Strengthening the Quantitative Pipeline for Multidisciplinary Trauma Research in CameroonD43TW012186 · FIC · UNIVERSITY OF CALIFORNIA LOS ANGELES · PI Alain Mefire Chichom, Alan E Hubbard · 2021 to 2026
$1.5M
FIC NIH HHS D43 TW012186NIH HHS D43TW012186
6 · The paper itself

Abstract

BACKGROUND AND

aimsIn low-resource settings such as Cameroon, blood alcohol concentration (BAC) testing is rarely available for road traffic injury (RTI) patients, necessitating confidence in self-reported alcohol use for screening purposes. While Western settings often rely on objective measures like BAC for identifying alcohol-related RTIs, self-reporting may be more viable in contexts with limited resources and different cultural norms. This study aimed to (1) compare self-reported alcohol use with breathalyzer-confirmed BAC results and (2) identify factors associated with BAC positivity among RTI patients.

designThis was a cross-sectional study of RTI patients conducted at two Cameroonian hospitals. Participants underwent structured interviews and breathalyzer testing upon presentation to the emergency department within six hours of injury.

settingLimbe Regional Hospital and Edea Regional Hospital Annex in Cameroon, both of which are part of the Cameroon Trauma Registry.

participantsA total of 305 RTI patients aged 21 years and older who had acute injuries were included. The median age was 35 years (interquartile range = 16). More than ¾ of the population were male (76.4%) and most resided in urban areas (74.4%). MEASUREMENTS: Self-reported alcohol use within six hours of injury was compared with breathalyzer-measured BAC (threshold ≥0.01%). Diagnostic metrics [sensitivity, specificity, positive predictive value (PPV), negative predictive value (NPV)] were calculated, and multivariable logistic regression was used to assess predictors of BAC positivity.

findingsSelf-reporting had a sensitivity of 84.3% and specificity of 71.1%. The NPV was high (93.8%), while the PPV was low (46.5%). Non-detection of BAC in positive self-report cases was common: 73.1% of those reporting 1-2 drinks were BAC-negative, but all who reported >2 drinks were BAC-positive. In adjusted models, male sex [adjusted odds ratio (AOR) = 3.99, 95% confidence interval (CI) = 1.4-13.6], alcohol use disorder (AOR = 8.11, 95% CI = 3.3-21.6) and nighttime injury (AOR = 4.42, 95% CI = 2.1-9.5) were independently associated with BAC positivity.

conclusionsIn Cameroon, self-reported alcohol use appears to be a practical and sensitive tool for ruling out non-drinkers and identifying high-risk road traffic injury patients, especially where blood alcohol level testing is unavailable. Screening strategies targeting men, night hours and individuals with alcohol use disorder may enhance the implementation of interventions like screening, brief intervention and referral to treatment (SBIRT) in emergency care settings.

Indexed as

Accidents, TrafficAlcohol DrinkingBlood Alcohol ContentSelf ReportWounds and InjuriesAdultBreath TestsCameroonCross-Sectional StudiesFemaleHumansMaleMiddle AgedYoung AdultBlood Alcohol Contentalcohol useblood alcohol concentrationCameroonemergency departmentroad traffic injuriesself‐report accuracy

Identifiers

PMID42443067
PMCPMC13677814

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Registered trials

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Read under generation 80e0d062 · epoch 390. Bibliography from PubMed, PubMed Central and OpenAlex; grants from NIH RePORTER; trial links from ClinicalTrials.gov; estimates, votes and beliefs from the OpenQuestion graph.