Background: Every year the Norwegian Institute of Public Health receives a number of enquiries from the media regarding the extent to which alcohol intake by upper secondary school leavers celebrating in their final spring term (the traditional Norwegian «russ» celebration) is a cause of injuries, and whether there are more injuries during this period. The purpose of this study is to investigate the prevalence of injuries in the «russ» celebration period.
Material and method: Data from the Norwegian patient register (NPR) were used to investigate the prevalence of injuries in 16-, 19- and 21-year-olds from 2007 to 2011. The 19-year-olds represent those who celebrate «russ». Injuries recorded using ICD-10 codes were examined. The month of May and the period 20 April to 20 May were compared to the other months of the year.
Results: The 19-year-olds have significantly more injuries during the «russ» period compared to the 16- and 21-year-olds. In the «russ» period, the 19-year-olds accounted for 41.4% of the injuries, the 16-year-olds for 27.7% and the 21-year-olds for 30.9%. The 19-year-olds have more injuries in May compared to other months. There is a particular increase in the prevalence of head injuries.
Conclusion: An increase was observed in the number of injuries among 19-year-olds associated with the period of the «russ» celebration compared to the rest of the year. There are no data available which describe the causes of the injuries. There is a need for better recording of the use of alcohol or intoxicants as a possible cause. Injuries treated by the specialist health services are probably of a more serious nature, and the study may indicate an increase in serious injuries among 19-year-olds during the «russ» celebration.