Investigation of changes in alcohol-smoking usage and related situations in the coronavirus outbreak

Abstract

A new coronavirus emerged in December 2019 and spread to many countries around the world. This disease caused by the SARS-CoV-2 virus is known as COVID-19. Some past studies have shown that consumption of alcohol and tobacco has increased after epidemics and disasters, but evidence-based assessments on alcohol and nicotine use after the COVID-19 outbreak are scarce. This issue has not been demonstrated in a study conducted in Turkey. In this study, it was aimed to investigate the change in alcohol and cigarette use in the society after the COVID-19 pandemic and related factors. Using the Descriptive Information Form, data were collected online between 1-15 June 2020. Informed consent was obtained from all participants who agreed to participate in the study. Statistical analysis was done using SPSS version 24.0 package program. The normality assumption of the data was evaluated by normality tests (Kolmogorov-Smirnov and Shapiro-Wilk), and it was observed to have a normal distribution with 95% confidence. A total of 4156 people participated in the study. 2684 (64.6%) of the participants were female and 1472 (35.4%) were male. The ages of the participants were between 18 and 89 (Mean: 37 ± 11.3). While 3696 (88.9%) of the participants did not have a history of mental illness, 74 people (1.8%) stated that they experienced a mental illness after the COVID-19 outbreak. 2643 (63.6%) of the participants in the study did not use alcohol, 844 (20.3%) did not change alcohol use, 204 (4.9%) increased alcohol use and 465 (11.2%) stated that he reduced or quit alcohol. In our study, it is seen that after the Covid-19 epidemic, the consumption amount of some alcohol and cigarette users increased while the alcohol and cigarette use decreased in a larger population. © 2020 The Author(s). Published by Cyprus Mental Health Institute / Cyprus Turkish Journal of Psychiatry and Psychology (www. ktppdergisi.com).