Examining how the first year of the COVID-19 pandemic affected alcohol use in different socio-demographic groups in an Australian representative longitudinal sample
Background and aims: Research examining how alcohol consumption changed across different socio-demographic groups during the pandemic has largely relied upon convenience samples recruited after the onset of the COVID-19 pandemic. The aim of this study was to measure whether the pandemic shifted alco...
| Main Authors: | , , , |
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| Format: | Journal Article |
| Language: | English |
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2024
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| Online Access: | http://purl.org/au-research/grants/arc/FT210100656 http://hdl.handle.net/20.500.11937/96267 |
| _version_ | 1848766122782883840 |
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| author | Mojica-Perez, Y. Livingston, Michael Pennay, A. Callinan, S. |
| author_facet | Mojica-Perez, Y. Livingston, Michael Pennay, A. Callinan, S. |
| author_sort | Mojica-Perez, Y. |
| building | Curtin Institutional Repository |
| collection | Online Access |
| description | Background and aims: Research examining how alcohol consumption changed across different socio-demographic groups during the pandemic has largely relied upon convenience samples recruited after the onset of the COVID-19 pandemic. The aim of this study was to measure whether the pandemic shifted alcohol consumption in different gender, age and income groups in Australia. Design, setting and participants: This was a longitudinal study using four waves (2017–20) of the annual Household, Income and Labour Dynamics in Australia (HILDA) Survey to compare pre-pandemic consumption (2017–19) with consumption in 2020. A total of 11 636 participants in Australia aged 15 years and older took part. Measurements: Participants were asked annually about their alcohol consumption, demographics and income. Findings: There was a statistically significant increase in alcohol consumption during the first year of the pandemic [incident rate ratio (IRR) = 1.1, 95% confidence interval (CI) = 1.1, 1.1], largely driven by changes in drinking frequency. We found a significant difference in consumption change from pre-COVID-19 to during COVID-19 for participants aged under 55 years compared with those aged over 55 years. In addition, participants aged 15–34 reported less alcohol consumption during the pandemic than those aged 35 years and older. No significant differences were identified across gender and income groups. Conclusions: Alcohol consumption in Australia increased during the first year of the COVID-19 pandemic. Survey participants aged 55 years and over seemed to be the least impacted by the public health measures introduced during the pandemic, such as the closure of licensed premises. |
| first_indexed | 2025-11-14T11:46:08Z |
| format | Journal Article |
| id | curtin-20.500.11937-96267 |
| institution | Curtin University Malaysia |
| institution_category | Local University |
| language | eng |
| last_indexed | 2025-11-14T11:46:08Z |
| publishDate | 2024 |
| recordtype | eprints |
| repository_type | Digital Repository |
| spelling | curtin-20.500.11937-962672024-12-18T02:20:59Z Examining how the first year of the COVID-19 pandemic affected alcohol use in different socio-demographic groups in an Australian representative longitudinal sample Mojica-Perez, Y. Livingston, Michael Pennay, A. Callinan, S. Alcohol consumption Australia COVID‐19 HILDA longitudinal study socio‐demographic groups Background and aims: Research examining how alcohol consumption changed across different socio-demographic groups during the pandemic has largely relied upon convenience samples recruited after the onset of the COVID-19 pandemic. The aim of this study was to measure whether the pandemic shifted alcohol consumption in different gender, age and income groups in Australia. Design, setting and participants: This was a longitudinal study using four waves (2017–20) of the annual Household, Income and Labour Dynamics in Australia (HILDA) Survey to compare pre-pandemic consumption (2017–19) with consumption in 2020. A total of 11 636 participants in Australia aged 15 years and older took part. Measurements: Participants were asked annually about their alcohol consumption, demographics and income. Findings: There was a statistically significant increase in alcohol consumption during the first year of the pandemic [incident rate ratio (IRR) = 1.1, 95% confidence interval (CI) = 1.1, 1.1], largely driven by changes in drinking frequency. We found a significant difference in consumption change from pre-COVID-19 to during COVID-19 for participants aged under 55 years compared with those aged over 55 years. In addition, participants aged 15–34 reported less alcohol consumption during the pandemic than those aged 35 years and older. No significant differences were identified across gender and income groups. Conclusions: Alcohol consumption in Australia increased during the first year of the COVID-19 pandemic. Survey participants aged 55 years and over seemed to be the least impacted by the public health measures introduced during the pandemic, such as the closure of licensed premises. 2024 Journal Article http://hdl.handle.net/20.500.11937/96267 10.1111/add.16651 eng http://purl.org/au-research/grants/arc/FT210100656 http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-nd/4.0/ fulltext |
| spellingShingle | Alcohol consumption Australia COVID‐19 HILDA longitudinal study socio‐demographic groups Mojica-Perez, Y. Livingston, Michael Pennay, A. Callinan, S. Examining how the first year of the COVID-19 pandemic affected alcohol use in different socio-demographic groups in an Australian representative longitudinal sample |
| title | Examining how the first year of the COVID-19 pandemic affected alcohol use in different socio-demographic groups in an Australian representative longitudinal sample |
| title_full | Examining how the first year of the COVID-19 pandemic affected alcohol use in different socio-demographic groups in an Australian representative longitudinal sample |
| title_fullStr | Examining how the first year of the COVID-19 pandemic affected alcohol use in different socio-demographic groups in an Australian representative longitudinal sample |
| title_full_unstemmed | Examining how the first year of the COVID-19 pandemic affected alcohol use in different socio-demographic groups in an Australian representative longitudinal sample |
| title_short | Examining how the first year of the COVID-19 pandemic affected alcohol use in different socio-demographic groups in an Australian representative longitudinal sample |
| title_sort | examining how the first year of the covid-19 pandemic affected alcohol use in different socio-demographic groups in an australian representative longitudinal sample |
| topic | Alcohol consumption Australia COVID‐19 HILDA longitudinal study socio‐demographic groups |
| url | http://purl.org/au-research/grants/arc/FT210100656 http://hdl.handle.net/20.500.11937/96267 |