COVID-19 Pandemic
The Prevalence and Gender Differences of Unhealthy Drinking During the COVID-19 Pandemic: Insights from a Longitudinal Cohort Study of Adults in the US Surabhi Yadav* Surabhi Yadav Katarzyna Wyka Denis Nash Angela M Parcesepe
Objective: To investigate the prevalence and correlates of unhealthy drinking among US adults during the COVID-19 pandemic.
Methods: Data came from the CHASING COVID Cohort study, a prospective longitudinal community-based cohort of US adults. We included participants who completed the baseline questionnaire (March-April 2020) and at least one follow-up by May 2023 (N=5777). Unhealthy drinking was categorized as AUDIT-C ≥3 for women and ≥4 for men. We examined unhealthy drinking over time and its associations with sociodemographics and symptoms of depression or anxiety (GAD-7 and PHQ-8 ≥10), overall and by gender. We conducted descriptive analysis and made comparisons using Fisher’s exact and Chi-squared tests.
Results: The prevalence of unhealthy drinking early in the pandemic (April-July 2020) was 36.9%, with slight gender differences (males 35.6% vs. females 38.1%). The prevalence of unhealthy drinking declined in the next six months to 28.5% (November-December 2020) and remained relatively stable thereafter. Gender differences were around 2-3%, with female adults continuing to report slightly higher prevalence. Early in the pandemic, younger age, higher education, higher income, employment, lack of loss of income due to COVID-19, fewer pre-existing health conditions, and higher levels of anxiety and depression symptoms were significantly associated with unhealthy drinking. Among adults with unhealthy drinking, gender differences were associated with younger and older age (age 18-29 males 19.4% vs. females 23.9%; age 60+ males 12.8% vs. females 18.4%), employment (employed males 75.5% vs. employed females 65.7%), lack of loss of income due to COVID-19 (males 59.3% vs. females 61.6%), anxiety (males 34% vs. females 44.3%) and one pre-existing health condition (males 28.2% vs. females 33.9%).
Conclusion: The findings underscore the need for gender-specific considerations to address unhealthy drinking, particularly during challenging times like the COVID-19 pandemic.
