Self-reported changes in alcohol and tobacco use during COVID-19: Findings from the eastern part of WHO European Region

Kilian C. Neufeld M. Manthey J. Alavidze S. Bobrova A. Baron-Epel O. Berisha M. Bilici R. Davletov K. Isajeva L. Kantaş Yllmaz F. Karatkevich T. Mereke A. Milanović S.M. Galstyan K. Muslić L. Okoliyski M. Shabani Z. Štelemėkas M. Sturua L. Sznitman S.R. Ünübol B. Ferreira-Borges C. Rehm J.
1 June 2022 Oxford University Press

European Journal of Public Health
2022 #32 Issue 3 474 - 480 pp.

Background: The COVID-19 pandemic might impact substance use behaviours around the globe. In this study, we investigate changes in alcohol and tobacco use in the second half of 2020 in countries of the eastern part of the WHO European Region. Methods: Self-reported changes in alcohol and tobacco use among 11 295 adults from 18 countries in the eastern part of the WHO European Region were collected between August 2020 and January 2021. The non-probabilistic sample was weighted for age, gender and education. For each country, proportions of respondents reporting a decrease, no change or increase in substance use over the past 3 months were examined, and multinomial regression models were used to test associations with age, gender and past-year alcohol use. Results: In most countries, about half of the respondents indicating past-year alcohol or tobacco use reported no change in their substance use. Of those alcohol users who reported changes in their alcohol use, a larger proportion reported a decrease than an increase in most countries. The opposite was true for tobacco use. Women, young adults and past-year harmful alcohol users were identified as being more likely to change their substance use behaviour. Conclusion: We found diverging overall trends for alcohol and tobacco use in the second half of 2020. The patterns of change vary according to age, gender and past-year substance use. Individuals at risk to increase their substance use during the COVID-19 pandemic require most policy considerations.

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Institute of Clinical Psychology and Psychotherapy, Technische Universität Dresden, Dresden, Germany
World Health Organization European Office for Prevention and Control of Noncommunicable Diseases, Moscow, Russian Federation
Institute for Mental Health Policy Research, Centre for Addiction and Mental Health, Toronto, ON, Canada
Centre for Interdisciplinary Addiction Research, University Medical Care Hamburg-Eppendorf, Hamburg, Germany
Department of Psychiatry, Medical Faculty, University of Leipzig, Leipzig, Germany
National Center for Disease Control and Public Health, Tbilisi, Georgia
National Academy of Sciences of Belarus Institute of Economics, Minsk, Belarus
School of Public Health, University of Haifa, Haifa, Israel
Department for Social Medicine, National Institute of Public Health of Kosova, Pristina, Serbia
Cathedra for Social Medicine, Medical Faculty, University of Prishtina, Pristina, Serbia
Erenköy Mental Health and Neurological Diseases Training and Research Hospital, University of Health Sciences Turkey, Istanbul, Turkey
Al-Farabi Kazakh National University, Almaty, Kazakhstan
Centre for Disease Prevention and Control, Riga, Latvia
Department of Health Management, University of Health Sciences Turkey, Istanbul, Turkey
Republican Scientific and Practical Centre for Mental Health, Minsk, Belarus
Croatian Institute of Public Health, Zagreb, Croatia
School of Medicine, University of Zagreb, Zagreb, Croatia
Public Health Department, Ministry of Health of the Republic of Armenia, Yerevan, Armenia
WHO Country Office in Bulgaria, Sofia, Bulgaria
Ministry of Health in Kosovo, Pristina, Serbia
Health Research Institute, Faculty of Public Health, Lithuanian University of Health Sciences, Kaunas, Lithuania
Department of Preventive Medicine, Faculty of Public Health, Lithuanian University of Health Sciences, Kaunas, Lithuania
Petre Shotadze Tbilisi Medical Academy, Tbilisi, Georgia
Dalla Lana School of Public Health, University of Toronto, Toronto, ON, Canada
Faculty of Medicine, Institute of Medical Science, University of Toronto, Toronto, ON, Canada
Centre for Addiction and Mental Health, Campbell Family Mental Health Research Institute, Toronto, ON, Canada
Department of Psychiatry, University of Toronto, Toronto, ON, Canada
I.M. Sechenov First Moscow State Medical University, (Sechenov University), Moscow, Russian Federation

Institute of Clinical Psychology and Psychotherapy
World Health Organization European Office for Prevention and Control of Noncommunicable Diseases
Institute for Mental Health Policy Research
Centre for Interdisciplinary Addiction Research
Department of Psychiatry
National Center for Disease Control and Public Health
National Academy of Sciences of Belarus Institute of Economics
School of Public Health
Department for Social Medicine
Cathedra for Social Medicine
Erenköy Mental Health and Neurological Diseases Training and Research Hospital
Al-Farabi Kazakh National University
Centre for Disease Prevention and Control
Department of Health Management
Republican Scientific and Practical Centre for Mental Health
Croatian Institute of Public Health
School of Medicine
Public Health Department
WHO Country Office in Bulgaria
Ministry of Health in Kosovo
Health Research Institute
Department of Preventive Medicine
Petre Shotadze Tbilisi Medical Academy
Dalla Lana School of Public Health
Faculty of Medicine
Centre for Addiction and Mental Health
Department of Psychiatry
I.M. Sechenov First Moscow State Medical University

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