NEW YORK (Reuters Health) - An analysis of data from 17 states reveals that nearly 24 percent of suicide victims have blood alcohol levels indicating intoxication at the time of death.

The results -- which appear in the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention's weekly bulletin on illness and death -- indicate that the rate of alcohol intoxication among suicide victims is particularly high for American Indian/Alaska Natives (37.1 percent) and Hispanics (28.7 percent).

In terms of age groups, rates of suicide were highest among people 20 to 49 years old (28.2 percent).

To assess the link between drinking alcohol and suicide, CDC researchers analyzed data from the National Violent Death Reporting System for 2005-2006.

A total of 19,255 suicides occurred during the study period in the 17 states contributing data, the report indicates.

Asian/Pacific Islander suicide victims had the lowest rate of alcohol intoxication at 11.6 percent, followed by non-Hispanic blacks at 14.3 percent.

"These results indicate that many populations can benefit from comprehensive and culturally appropriate suicide-prevention strategies that include efforts to reduce alcohol consumption," especially programs that focus on persons aged younger than 50 years, the report concludes.

SOURCE: Morbidity and Mortality Weekly Report, June 19, 2009.