Heavy drinking among American adults sees sharp rise during Covid-19, numbers are up by 41% for women: Study
Heavy drinking has increased significantly among adults in the US during the coronavirus pandemic, particularly among women, and this could lead to or worsen existing mental health problems, such as anxiety or depression, warn researchers. A national survey found that the overall frequency of alcohol consumption spiked by 14% among adults over the age of 30, compared to the same time last year. The increase was 19% among all adults aged 30 to 59, 17% among women, and 10% among non-Hispanic White adults. Further, women increased their heavy drinking episodes (four or more drinks within a couple of hours) by 41%, reveals the study by RAND Corporation, a nonprofit research organization.
“We’ve had anecdotal information about people buying and consuming more alcohol, but this is some of the first survey-based information that shows how much alcohol consumption has increased during the pandemic. Alcohol consumption can have significant negative health consequences, so this information suggests another way that the pandemic may be affecting the physical and mental health of Americans,” writes Michael Pollard, lead author of the study and a sociologist at RAND. The findings have been published in JAMA Network Open.
As stay-at-home orders began in some US states as a mitigation strategy for Covid-19, Nielsen reported a 54% increase in national sales of alcohol for the week ending March 21, 2020, compared with one year before; online sales increased 262% from 2019. Three weeks later, the World Health Organization (WHO) warned that alcohol use during the pandemic may potentially exacerbate health concerns and risk-taking behaviors. The current study examines individual-level changes in alcohol use and consequences associated with alcohol use in US adults, as well as demographic disparities, from before to during the Covid-19 pandemic. It was supported by the National Institute of Alcohol Abuse and Alcoholism, as a part of ongoing study about alcohol consumption in the US.
In this survey study, data were collected using the RAND Corporation American Life Panel (ALP), a nationally representative panel. Participants were questioned about their alcohol consumption during the Spring of 2019 and again in Spring 2020 during the early months of the pandemic shutdown. Comparisons before and during the pandemic were made on the number of days of any alcohol use and heavy drinking, which is defined as five or more drinks for men and four or more drinks for women within a couple of hours, and the average number of drinks consumed over the past 30 days. The final analysis includes responses from 1,540 adults.
The results show that that the frequency of alcohol consumption increased overall (0.74 days), representing a rise of 14% over the baseline of 5.48 days in 2019, and by 0.78 days for women, representing an increase of 17% over the 2019 baseline of 4.58 days. For adults aged 30 to 59 years, it went up by 0.93 days, an increase of 19%, and 0.66 days for non-Hispanic White individuals, an increase of 10% over the 2019 baseline of 6.46 days. On average, alcohol was consumed one day more per month by three of four adults. “For women, there was also a significant increase of 0.18 days of heavy drinking, from a 2019 baseline of 0.44 days, which represents an increase of 41% over baseline. This equates to an increase of one day for 1 in 5 women. For women there was an average increase in the Short Inventory of Problems scale of 0.09, over the 2019 average baseline of 0.23, representing a 39% increase, which is indicative of increased alcohol-related problems independent of consumption level for nearly 1 in 10 women,” the findings state.
The team, which also include experts from the Indiana University School of Public Health, cautions that the alcohol spike seen among women, younger adults, and non-Hispanic White individuals highlights the need for primary care providers, behavioral health providers, and family members to be aware of the risks of increased alcohol use and heavy drinking during the pandemic. “These data provide evidence of changes in alcohol use and associated consequences during the Covid-19 pandemic. The results suggest that examination of whether increases in alcohol use persist as the pandemic continues and whether psychological and physical well-being are subsequently affected may be warranted,” the authors conclude.