Nationwide Incidence of Acute Alcohol Intoxication in Adolescents in Belgium: A Validation Study of Belgian Health Insurance Data Through Comparison with Retrospective Hospital Chart Data in Antwerp, Belgium

<b>Background/Objectives</b>: This study investigates the incidence of acute alcohol intoxication (AAI) in adolescents in Belgium, by comparing nationwide estimations based on health insurance data with a recently published hospital chart study in Antwerp. In this way, the scope of AAI among adolescents in Belgium can be estimated more precisely. <b>Methods</b>: Health insurance data collected by the Intermutualistic Agency (IMA) regarding 12- to 17-year-olds admitted at emergency departments in Antwerp in 2019-2021 and receiving a blood test to screen for blood alcohol concentration were validated by data derived from a recently conducted retrospective hospital chart study regarding AAI among adolescents in Antwerp. To compare the incidence of adolescents with AAI between these two datasets, a Poisson regression analysis was performed. <b>Results</b>: The findings reveal that the approximations based on administrative health insurance data present a significant underestimation of the incidence of AAI (<i>p</i> < 0.001): the number of admissions in Antwerp determined by the hospital chart study was 21% higher over 2019-2021. Correcting for this underestimation reveals an estimation for the nationwide average yearly incidence of AAI admissions among adolescents of 33.5 per 10,000 instead of 27.7 per 10,000 in Belgium over 2019-2021. <b>Conclusions</b>: These results imply that the occurrence of AAI among Belgian youth is larger than previously estimated. Therefore, a higher fraction of Belgian adolescents are at risk of serious health consequences due to AAI. This underlines the importance of the development of effective intervention strategies regarding indicated prevention and follow-up.