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Changes in Use of Tobacco and Alcohol During the COVID-19 Pandemic

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  01 September 2022

E. Fadeeva
Affiliation:
National Medical Research Centre for Psychiatry and Narcology n.a. V.Serbsky Russian Federation Ministry of Health, Department Of Preventive Care In Narcology, Moscow, Russian Federation
K. Vyshinsky*
Affiliation:
National Research Centre on Addictions – branch, Federal State Budgetary Institution «National Medical Research Center for Psychiatry and Narcology named after VP Serbsky» of the Ministry of Health of the Russian Federation, Epidemiology Department, Moscow, Russian Federation
T. Klimenko
Affiliation:
National Research Centre on Addictions – branch, Federal State Budgetary Institution «National Medical Research Center for Psychiatry and Narcology named after VP Serbsky» of the Ministry of Health of the Russian Federation, Directorate, Moscow, Russian Federation
*
*Corresponding author.

Abstract

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Introduction

The survey assessed changes in tobacco, alcohol and other substance use during the COVID-19 pandemic.

Objectives

The survey was carried out in Moscow and Nizhegorodskaya Oblast in December, 2020 - February, 2021 and included 650 medical organizations’ employees and 344 individuals with harmful alcohol or other substances use.

Methods

The instrument included ASSIST, Kessler-10 and IES-R tests modified for self-reporting about different pandemic periods.

Results

Among medical workers 36.8% smoked last 12 months; during the COVID-19 pandemic 13% maintained usual cigarette smoking level, 2.4% increased smoking during incidence rises. 71.2% drank alcohol last 12 months; during incidence rises 20.4% drank as usual, 15.0% drank less frequently; 2.4% increased frequency of drinking, 1.8% volumes on drinking days, 1.3% frequency of heavy episodic drinking. In harmful substance use group 61.9% smoked last 12 months; during COVID-19 incidence rises 40% kept their usual level of smoking; 13.4% increased their smoking during the first and 8.7% during the second ‘wave’ of the pandemic. 90.1% drank alcohol last 12 months; during incidence rises 49% kept drinking as usual, 20% reduced drinking and 17.3% increased drinking frequency, 21.0% volumes on drinking days, 16.4% heavy episodic drinking frequency. Wastewater-based epidemiology analysis performed in Moscow Oblast location demonstrated significant increase during COVID-19 pandemic, compared to same period 2 years earlier: inhaled nicotine use by average of 40%, ethanol consumption by average of 49%.

Conclusions

Changes in cigarette smoking and alcohol use during the COVID-19 pandemic had significant variation. Increases were more likely to occur during the pandemic ‘waves’ among individual from harmful users’ group.

Disclosure

No significant relationships.

Type
Abstract
Creative Commons
Creative Common License - CCCreative Common License - BY
This is an Open Access article, distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution licence (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/), which permits unrestricted re-use, distribution, and reproduction in any medium, provided the original work is properly cited.
Copyright
© The Author(s), 2022. Published by Cambridge University Press on behalf of the European Psychiatric Association
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