ASPO Abstracts
Correlates of changes in women's alcohol consumption during the COVID-19 pandemic
Category: Lifestyles Behavior, Energy Balance & Chemoprevention
Conference Year: 2023
Abstract Body:
Background: Alcohol is a major risk for many cancers. Alcohol use among women is reported to have been exacerbated by the COVID-19 pandemic. To identify factors surrounding pandemic-related increases in women's drinking, we examined demographics, drinking motives, and patterns of alcohol use in relation to changes in alcohol consumption during COVID-19. Methods: In July 2022, we surveyed 300 respondents aged 18+ with no cancer history, of whom 201 were women, from NIH-supported ResearchMatch, a national health volunteer registry. We used multinomial logistic regression to examine how changes in alcohol consumption in women during the pandemic (decreased, stayed the same, or increased; stayed the same served as the referent) were associated with demographics, drinking motives (enhancement, social, conformity, and coping), and patterns of use (past month, on one occasion, drinking days). All measures were validated. Results: Most women (57%) reported alcohol use in the past month. Women who reported past month use consumed about two (M=1.88 [SD=1.41]) drinks on the days they drank; 25% of them reported binge drinking (i.e., >3 drinks on an occasion). Among drinkers, 34% reported that their consumption increased during the pandemic and 16% reported that it decreased. Binge drinking in the past month was reported by 28% of those whose consumption decreased, 24% of those whose consumption stayed the same, and 41% of women whose consumption increased. Compared to women whose alcohol consumption stayed the same during the pandemic, women who increased drinking were younger, had more drinks on any occasion, and drank for enhancement reasons (e.g., "It's fun;
Keywords: Alcohol consumption, Women, COVID-19