Summary: U. S. alcohol usage increased during the COVID-19 epidemic and has stayed elevated post-pandemic, posing serious health risks. Heavy drinking rose by 20 % during the pandemic, and the increase continued in 2022. This pattern spanned across most populations, with the highest increase among people aged 40-49.
Experts think that eating has been normalized as a result of the pandemic strain, leading to persistently higher alcohol consumption. This growing public health issue needs to be addressed more frequently, according to researchers.
Important Information:
- Heavy drinking increased by 20 % from pre-pandemic to 2020 and remained high in 2022.
- Adults between the ages of 40 and 49 experienced the highest increase in frequent drinking consumption.
- The tendency is common across age, gender, and racial populations, with few exceptions.
Origin: USC
Alcohol use increased during the COVID-19 epidemic and remained increased even after the pandemic ended, according to a large nationwide representative , Keck Medicine of USC , review  , published today in the , Annals of Internal Medicine.  ,  ,
Heavy alcohol consumption among Americans increased by 20 % from before the pandemic ( 2018 ) to the pandemic’s height of 2020, and any alcohol consumption increased by 4 %. In 2022, the enhances were sustained.  ,  ,
The increase in having was seen across all age groups, women, culture, cultures and regions of the country, except for Native Americans and Asian Americans. The highest raise in large alcohol use was among adults between the ages of 40 and 49.  ,  ,
Brian P. Lee, MD, MAS, a hepatologist and liver transplant expert with Keck Medicine of USC, the study’s principal investigator, said,” These figures reflect an disturbing public health issue that could have serious health implications for far too many people.”
” Our results suggest men and women under 50 are at special risk” . ,
According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, excessive alcohol consumption is the most prevalent preventable cause of illness and dying in the United States. Half of all liver-related deaths are caused by drinking, and alcohol-related hepatitis is now the leading cause of heart transplant, according to Lee.  ,  ,
Scientists examined data from the National Health Interview Survey, one of the nation’s largest and most thorough wellness surveys, to arrive at their opinions.
More than 24, 000 adults over the age of 18 were gathered as well as statistical and economic statistics as part of the study. They compared 2018 with 2020 drinking use statistics, next 2018 with 2022.  ,
The research defined the year 2022 as post-pandemic as actions were beginning to return to normal, despite the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services ‘ official announcement in May 2023.  ,  ,
Researchers calculated the price of both drinking use and heavy drinking within the survey’s first year, using the survey’s criteria to determine whether adults had used any or both of the substances.
Heavy drinking was defined as having more than five drinks per day or 15 drinks per week for men and four coffee per day or eight drinks per week for people.  ,  ,
Although Lee does not explain why beer use increased between 2018 and 2022, the study speculates that pandemic stress may have contributed to the study’s hypothesis that drinking has become more and more common.
He also makes a speculative suggestion that the pandemic’s outcomes, including problems to work and school, may have contributed to the rise in alcohol use among adults between the ages of 40 and 49.  ,
Lee hopes that Lee’s research may raise more awareness of the problem. We urge providers of health care to provide more checks for hazardous drinking and prevention programs for those who are at risk, he said.  ,
Divya Ayyala-Somayajula, MD, from Thomas Jefferson University in Philadelphia, was  , lead author of the study.  ,
Jennifer Dodge, MPH,  , an interact professor of research medicine and population and common health science at the Keck School of Medicine of USC,  , Adam Leventhal, PhD, professor of population and common health sciences at the Keck School and director of the , USC Institute for Addiction Science, and , Norah Terrault, MD, a Keck Medicine gastroenterologist and division chief of gastroenterology and liver diseases at the Keck School, were likewise study authors.  ,  ,
About this information about philosophy research and AUD
Publisher: Laura Nuño
Source: USC
Contact: Laura Nuño – USC
Image: The image is credited to Neuroscience News
Original Research: Start entry.
” Changes in Alcohol Use After the COVID-19 Pandemic: A National Cross-Sectional Study” by Brian P. Lee et cetera. Annals of Internal Medicine
Abstract
Changes in Alcohol Use After the COVID-19 Pandemic: A National Cross-Sectional Study
Context:  , Alcohol is a leading cause of illness and mortality in the United States. The COVID-19 crisis was associated with increases in stress-related eating and alcohol-related incidents.
To tell public policy and heath care efforts to reduce alcohol-related morbidity and mortality, studies of whether there has been an increase in consumption since the pandemic and trends among subgroups could be used.
Objective:  , To determine whether increased alcohol use during the pandemic ( 2020 vs. 2018 ) was sustained after the pandemic ( 2022 ).
Methods:  , This was a population-based study using cross-sectional data from serial nationally representative surveys of adults aged 18 years or older who participated in the National Health Interview Survey ( NHIS ) from 2018 to 2022. Estimates that accurately represent the entire U.S. inhabitants are based on complex sampling.
Data were collected on demographic, health, and social variables at the community and individual amounts. The study was administered by qualified investigators in face-to-face or telephone conversations.
The occurrence of alcohol usage and heavy drinking were the study’s main benefits. According to the National Institute on Alcohol Abuse and Alcoholism’s concept of heavy drinking, which includes males who consume 5 beverages on any day or 15 drinks per week and females who consume 4 drinks on any day or 8 drinks per year, were classified as having any alcohol use or large drinking within the first year of the survey. Occurrence rates per 100 people and connected 95 % Intersex were calculated.
We used logistic regression to examine differences between the national prevalence of any alcohol use and heavy alcohol use by year ( vs. 2018 ). With 95 % confidence intervals ( CI), pairwise differences in proportions were calculated using the margins command. NHIS weighting was used for all analyses, which were performed in SAS, version 9.4 ( SAS Institute ), and Stata MP 17.0 ( StataCorp ).
The University of Southern California’s Institutional Review Board deemed that all data was excluded from review because it was made publicly available.
Results:  , The research included 24 965 interviewees from 2018, 30 829 from 2020, and 26 806 from 2022.
Compared with 2018, there were absolute increases in any alcohol use in 2020 ( 2.69 % ]95 % CI, 1.28 % to 4.10 % ] ) and 2022 ( 2.96 %]CI, 1.58 % to 4.33 % ] ). Quantitative increases in any beer use occurred in 2020 and 2022 than 2018 among all groups.
