COLLEGE STATION, Texas, Sep 21, 2009 (UPI via COMTEX) -- The high number of
bars in rural America has been linked to higher suicide rates and higher
attempted suicide rates, U.S. researchers say.
Fred W. Johnson of the Prevention Research Center at Texas A&M University said
there is a strong relationship between drinking and suicide. In any given year,
people with alcohol dependence commit more than 20 percent of suicides in the
general population; while 80 percent to 90 percent of alcohol dependence
suicides are by men, mostly white, Johnson added.
Johnson, a corresponding author, and his colleagues examined population
characteristics such as age, and place characteristics such as number of alcohol
outlets in 581 ZIP code areas in California from 1995-2000.
The study, published online ahead of the print December issue of Alcoholism:
Clinical & Experimental Research, found completed suicides are more common in
less populous ZIP code areas, such as rural communities, and in ZIP code areas
with larger proportions of older, lower-income whites, but less common in ZIP
code areas with larger proportions of blacks and Hispanics.
"Although one cannot make the strong statement that more bars cause more
suicides, our findings are at least consistent with what we would expect if
patronizing bars or other alcohol outlets were in fact causally related to
suicide," Johnson said in a statement.
The findings also suggests the suicide rate is higher in rural areas, Johnson
said.
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Copyright 2009 by United Press International