Heavy episodic drinking and self-reported increased alcohol use during the COVID-19 pandemic: a spotlight on frontline and essential workers in Canada. / Forte consommation épisodique d'alcool et consommation autodéclarée accrue d'alcool pendant la pandémie de COVID-19 : un regard sur les travailleurs de première ligne et les travailleurs essentiels au Canada.

INTRODUCTION: There is evidence that some frontline and essential workers have increased their alcohol use during the COVID-19 pandemic; however, this has not been examined in Canada. METHODS: Using the Survey on COVID-19 and Mental Health 2020, weighted prevalence and 95% confidence intervals of self-reported increased alcohol consumption and heavy episodic drinking were calculated for each of the population groups: frontline workers, essential workers, and nonfrontline or essential workers (NFEW). Logistic regression was used to examine the associations between social determinants of health, mental health and alcohol use for each group. RESULTS: The prevalence of increased alcohol consumption and past-month heavy episodic drinking did not differ across frontline workers, essential workers and NFEW. For the three groups, nonracialized group members had significantly higher odds for both outcomes. Screening positive for either generalized anxiety disorder or mood disorder was significantly associated with increased alcohol consumption across the three groups. For frontline and essential workers, females had significantly lower odds of heavy episodic drinking compared to males. For essential workers only, living in a rural area was significantly associated with lower odds of increased alcohol use, and screening positive for posttraumatic stress disorder was significantly associated with increased odds of heavy episodic drinking. For frontline workers only, living in a rural area was significantly associated with lower odds of heavy episodic drinking. CONCLUSION: While frontline and essential workers were not more likely to report increased alcohol consumption and heavy episodic drinking compared to NFEW, there were some differences in factors associated with alcohol use. Such findings demonstrate the benefit of examining each group separately to provide information for targeted prevention strategies.

Increased alcohol use, heavy episodic drinking, and suicide ideation during the COVID-19 pandemic in Canada.

OBJECTIVE: Alcohol use is a known risk factor for suicidality, yet this relationship has not been explored during the pandemic in Canada. As a growing body of evidence demonstrates the negative impact of COVID-19 on alcohol consumption and associated harms in Canada, there is a need to examine this more closely. METHODS: Using the Survey on COVID-19 and Mental Health 2020, we compared the prevalence of suicide ideation among: (1) individuals who reported an increase in alcohol consumption vs those who reported a decrease/no change, and (2) individuals who reported past month heavy episodic drinking vs those who did not. We compared overall unadjusted odds ratios and across a number of sociodemographic and mental health variables. All estimates were weighted to ensure they were nationally representative. RESULTS: The prevalence and likelihood of suicide ideation were significantly higher among people who reported increased alcohol consumption during the pandemic (4.9% vs 2.0%; OR = 2.6, 95% CI: 1.8, 3.7) and people who reported past month heavy episodic drinking (3.4% vs 2.1%; OR = 1.7, 95% CI: 1.2, 2.3). Males and middle-aged and older-aged individuals had the highest odds ratios for increased alcohol consumption and past month heavy episodic drinking with suicide ideation. CONCLUSION: In the Canadian general population during the COVID-19 pandemic, there were significant associations between suicide ideation and increased alcohol use as well as past month heavy episodic drinking across specific sociodemographic subgroups. Future research could explore these associations while adjusting for social determinants of health such as income security, employment, education, social support, stress, and mental health.

RéSUMé: CONTEXTE: La consommation d'alcool est un facteur de risque connu de suicidabilité, mais cette relation n'a pas été explorée pendant la pandémie au Canada. Comme un nombre croissant de preuves démontre les répercussions négatives de la COVID-19 sur la consommation d'alcool et les méfaits associés au Canada, il est nécessaire d'examiner cette question de plus près. MéTHODES: En utilisant l'enquête de 2020 sur la COVID-19 et la santé mentale, nous avons comparé la prévalence des idées suicidaires chez : (1) les individus qui ont déclaré une augmentation de leur consommation d'alcool par rapport à ceux qui ont déclaré une diminution ou aucun changement, et (2) les individus qui ont déclaré une consommation épisodique excessive d'alcool au cours du dernier mois par rapport à ceux qui n'en ont pas déclaré. Nous avons comparé les rapports des cotes globaux non ajustés et selon un certain nombre de variables sociodémographiques et de santé mentale. Toutes les estimations ont été pondérées afin de garantir leur représentativité nationale. RéSULTATS: La prévalence et la probabilité d'idées suicidaires étaient considérablement plus élevées chez les personnes ayant déclaré une consommation d'alcool accrue pendant la pandémie (4,9 % contre 2,0 %; RC=2,6, IC à 95 % : 1,8 à 3,7) et chez les personnes ayant déclaré une consommation épisodique excessive au cours du mois écoulé (3,4 % contre 2,1 %; RC=1,7, IC à 95 % : 1,2 à 2,3). Les hommes, les personnes d'âge moyen et les personnes âgées présentaient les rapports des cotes les plus élevés pour une consommation d'alcool accrue et une consommation épisodique excessive d'alcool au cours du mois précédent avec des idées suicidaires. CONCLUSION: Dans la population générale canadienne, pendant la pandémie de COVID-19, il y avait des associations significatives entre les idées suicidaires et l'augmentation de la consommation d'alcool ainsi que la consommation épisodique excessive d'alcool au cours du dernier mois dans des sous-groupes sociodémographiques précis. Les recherches futures pourraient explorer ces associations tout en ajustant les déterminants sociaux de la santé tels que la sécurité du revenu, l'emploi, l'éducation, le soutien social, le stress et la santé mentale.