Alcohol use among young Australian adults in May-June 2020 during the COVID-19 pandemic: a prospective cohort study

Philip J Clare; Alexandra Aiken; Wing See Yuen; Emily Upton; Kypros Kypri; Louisa Degenhardt; Raimondo Bruno; Jim McCambridge; Nyanda McBride; Delyse Hutchinson; Tim Slade; Richard Mattick; Amy Peacock

doi:10.1111/add.15599

Alcohol use among young Australian adults in May-June 2020 during the COVID-19 pandemic: a prospective cohort study

Philip J Clare, Alexandra Aiken, Wing See Yuen, Emily Upton, Kypros Kypri, Louisa Degenhardt, Raimondo Bruno, Jim McCambridge, Nyanda McBride, Delyse Hutchinson, Tim Slade, Richard Mattick, Amy Peacock

Health Sciences

Research output: Contribution to journal › Article › peer-review

Abstract

AIMS: To estimate change in young people's alcohol consumption during COVID-19 restrictions in Australia in early-mid 2020, and test whether those changes were consistent by gender and level of consumption prior to the pandemic.

DESIGN: Prospective longitudinal cohort.

SETTING: Secondary schools in New South Wales, Tasmania and Western Australia.

PARTICIPANTS: Subsample of a cohort (n = 443) recruited in the first year of secondary school in 2010-11. Analysis data included three waves collected in September 2017-July 2018, September 2018-May 2019 and August 2019-January 2020), and in May-June 2020.

MEASUREMENTS: The primary predictors were time, gender and level of consumption prior to the pandemic. Outcome variables, analysed by mixed-effects models, included frequency and typical quantity of alcohol consumption, binge drinking, peak consumption, alcohol-related harm and drinking contexts.

FINDINGS: Overall consumption (frequency × quantity) during the restrictions declined by 17% [incidence rate ratio (IRR) = 0.83; 95% confidence interval (CI) = 0.73, 0.95] compared to February 2020, and there was a 35% decline in the rate of alcohol-related harms in the same period (IRR = 0.66; 95% CI = 0.54, 0.79). Changes in alcohol consumption were largely consistent by gender.

CONCLUSIONS: From a survey of secondary school students in Australia, there is evidence for a reduction in overall consumption and related harms during the COVID-19 restrictions.

Original language	English
Pages (from-to)	3398-3407
Number of pages	10
Journal	Addiction
Volume	116
Issue number	12
Early online date	24 Jun 2021
DOIs	https://doi.org/10.1111/add.15599
Publication status	Published - 1 Dec 2021

Bibliographical note

© 2021 Society for the Study of Addiction. This is an author-produced version of the published paper. Uploaded in accordance with the publisher’s self-archiving policy. Further copying may not be permitted; contact the publisher for details

Keywords

Adolescent
Adult
Alcohol Drinking/epidemiology
Australia/epidemiology
COVID-19
Cohort Studies
Humans
Pandemics
Prospective Studies
SARS-CoV-2

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10.1111/add.15599

Addiction - 2021 - Clare - Alcohol use among young Australian adults in May June 2020 during the COVID‐19 pandemic a
© 2021 Society for the Study of Addiction. This is an author-produced version of the published paper. Uploaded in accordance with the publisher’s self-archiving policy. Further copying may not be permitted; contact the publisher for details
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Cite this

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title = "Alcohol use among young Australian adults in May-June 2020 during the COVID-19 pandemic: a prospective cohort study",

abstract = "AIMS: To estimate change in young people's alcohol consumption during COVID-19 restrictions in Australia in early-mid 2020, and test whether those changes were consistent by gender and level of consumption prior to the pandemic.DESIGN: Prospective longitudinal cohort.SETTING: Secondary schools in New South Wales, Tasmania and Western Australia.PARTICIPANTS: Subsample of a cohort (n = 443) recruited in the first year of secondary school in 2010-11. Analysis data included three waves collected in September 2017-July 2018, September 2018-May 2019 and August 2019-January 2020), and in May-June 2020.MEASUREMENTS: The primary predictors were time, gender and level of consumption prior to the pandemic. Outcome variables, analysed by mixed-effects models, included frequency and typical quantity of alcohol consumption, binge drinking, peak consumption, alcohol-related harm and drinking contexts.FINDINGS: Overall consumption (frequency × quantity) during the restrictions declined by 17% [incidence rate ratio (IRR) = 0.83; 95% confidence interval (CI) = 0.73, 0.95] compared to February 2020, and there was a 35% decline in the rate of alcohol-related harms in the same period (IRR = 0.66; 95% CI = 0.54, 0.79). Changes in alcohol consumption were largely consistent by gender.CONCLUSIONS: From a survey of secondary school students in Australia, there is evidence for a reduction in overall consumption and related harms during the COVID-19 restrictions.",

keywords = "Adolescent, Adult, Alcohol Drinking/epidemiology, Australia/epidemiology, COVID-19, Cohort Studies, Humans, Pandemics, Prospective Studies, SARS-CoV-2",

author = "Clare, {Philip J} and Alexandra Aiken and Yuen, {Wing See} and Emily Upton and Kypros Kypri and Louisa Degenhardt and Raimondo Bruno and Jim McCambridge and Nyanda McBride and Delyse Hutchinson and Tim Slade and Richard Mattick and Amy Peacock",

note = "{\textcopyright} 2021 Society for the Study of Addiction. This is an author-produced version of the published paper. Uploaded in accordance with the publisher{\textquoteright}s self-archiving policy. Further copying may not be permitted; contact the publisher for details",

year = "2021",

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doi = "10.1111/add.15599",

language = "English",

volume = "116",

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T1 - Alcohol use among young Australian adults in May-June 2020 during the COVID-19 pandemic

T2 - a prospective cohort study

AU - Clare, Philip J

AU - Aiken, Alexandra

AU - Yuen, Wing See

AU - Upton, Emily

AU - Kypri, Kypros

AU - Degenhardt, Louisa

AU - Bruno, Raimondo

AU - McCambridge, Jim

AU - McBride, Nyanda

AU - Hutchinson, Delyse

AU - Slade, Tim

AU - Mattick, Richard

AU - Peacock, Amy

N1 - © 2021 Society for the Study of Addiction. This is an author-produced version of the published paper. Uploaded in accordance with the publisher’s self-archiving policy. Further copying may not be permitted; contact the publisher for details

PY - 2021/12/1

Y1 - 2021/12/1

N2 - AIMS: To estimate change in young people's alcohol consumption during COVID-19 restrictions in Australia in early-mid 2020, and test whether those changes were consistent by gender and level of consumption prior to the pandemic.DESIGN: Prospective longitudinal cohort.SETTING: Secondary schools in New South Wales, Tasmania and Western Australia.PARTICIPANTS: Subsample of a cohort (n = 443) recruited in the first year of secondary school in 2010-11. Analysis data included three waves collected in September 2017-July 2018, September 2018-May 2019 and August 2019-January 2020), and in May-June 2020.MEASUREMENTS: The primary predictors were time, gender and level of consumption prior to the pandemic. Outcome variables, analysed by mixed-effects models, included frequency and typical quantity of alcohol consumption, binge drinking, peak consumption, alcohol-related harm and drinking contexts.FINDINGS: Overall consumption (frequency × quantity) during the restrictions declined by 17% [incidence rate ratio (IRR) = 0.83; 95% confidence interval (CI) = 0.73, 0.95] compared to February 2020, and there was a 35% decline in the rate of alcohol-related harms in the same period (IRR = 0.66; 95% CI = 0.54, 0.79). Changes in alcohol consumption were largely consistent by gender.CONCLUSIONS: From a survey of secondary school students in Australia, there is evidence for a reduction in overall consumption and related harms during the COVID-19 restrictions.

AB - AIMS: To estimate change in young people's alcohol consumption during COVID-19 restrictions in Australia in early-mid 2020, and test whether those changes were consistent by gender and level of consumption prior to the pandemic.DESIGN: Prospective longitudinal cohort.SETTING: Secondary schools in New South Wales, Tasmania and Western Australia.PARTICIPANTS: Subsample of a cohort (n = 443) recruited in the first year of secondary school in 2010-11. Analysis data included three waves collected in September 2017-July 2018, September 2018-May 2019 and August 2019-January 2020), and in May-June 2020.MEASUREMENTS: The primary predictors were time, gender and level of consumption prior to the pandemic. Outcome variables, analysed by mixed-effects models, included frequency and typical quantity of alcohol consumption, binge drinking, peak consumption, alcohol-related harm and drinking contexts.FINDINGS: Overall consumption (frequency × quantity) during the restrictions declined by 17% [incidence rate ratio (IRR) = 0.83; 95% confidence interval (CI) = 0.73, 0.95] compared to February 2020, and there was a 35% decline in the rate of alcohol-related harms in the same period (IRR = 0.66; 95% CI = 0.54, 0.79). Changes in alcohol consumption were largely consistent by gender.CONCLUSIONS: From a survey of secondary school students in Australia, there is evidence for a reduction in overall consumption and related harms during the COVID-19 restrictions.

KW - Adolescent

KW - Adult

KW - Alcohol Drinking/epidemiology

KW - Australia/epidemiology

KW - COVID-19

KW - Cohort Studies

KW - Humans

KW - Pandemics

KW - Prospective Studies

KW - SARS-CoV-2

U2 - 10.1111/add.15599

DO - 10.1111/add.15599

M3 - Article

C2 - 34105838

SN - 0965-2140

VL - 116

SP - 3398

EP - 3407

JO - Addiction

JF - Addiction

IS - 12

ER -