Effect of COVID-19 Lockdown on Alcohol and Tobacco Use in Two Chilean Universities

Universidad de La Frontera1,038 enrolled

Overview

This is a longitudinal study of participants from two university communities in Chile. The primary objective is to examine the effect of a regional lockdown on alcohol and tobacco use, using a difference-in-difference analysis to obtain causal estimates of these COVID-19 policies.

The COVID-19 pandemic is spreading worldwide. Countries have adopted public health and social measures that, together with a direct effect of the pandemic, can affect alcohol and tobacco use. The most stringent measures are lockdowns and curfews that include statutory restrictions on people's mobility. Research to date has shown mixed effects of the COVID-19 pandemic and lockdowns on alcohol and tobacco use. Importantly, previous studies have not been able to differentiate the effects of the pandemic itself with those from lockdown and curfew policies. They have also been restricted to countries in Europe, the United States, Australia and New Zealand. The study will advance prior knowledge by providing evidence from a country in Latin America, one of the worst-hit regions worldwide. Latin America accounts for 8.4% of the global population, but 20.3% of the total SARS-COV2 cases and 30.2% of the COVID-19 deaths to date. In addition, the study will exploit the variation in lockdown policies in two regions in Chile to disentangle the effects of the COVID-19 pandemic with those from a lockdown. The aim of the study is to examine the effect of a regional lockdown on alcohol use in two university populations in the Araucanía and Coquimbo regions in Chile. The investigators will use a difference-in-difference analysis to obtain causal estimates of these COVID-19 policies.

Study Type

OBSERVATIONAL

Enrollment

1,038

Conditions

SARS-CoV-2 Infection COVID-19

Interventions

Lockdown and other social distancing measuresBEHAVIORAL

During the study period, the Chilean Ministry of Health established a five-step process for social distancing measures. These ranged from full lockdown (step 1) to almost no restrictions (step 5). Even under full lockdown, citizens were able to obtain permits for essential activities. Citizens had a maximum of two permits per week and were obtained in a virtual station of the Chilean Police Force (Carabineros de Chile).

Eligibility

Sex: ALLMin age: 18 YearsHealthy volunteers:

Medical Language ↔ Plain English

Inclusion Criteria: * People with study rights either at the undergraduate and postgraduate levels by July 27, 2020 at the Universidad de la Frontera or Universidad Católica del Norte; OR * Workers with a full-time or part-time contract with either University, including academics, administrative and assistant personnel; AND * Having an email registered in the Human Resource Office of each university Exclusion Criteria: * People without valid study rights at either university * People without a working contract with the university * Not having an email registered at the Human Resource Office

Locations (2)

Universidad de la Frontera

Temuco, Araucania, Chile

Universidad Católica del Norte

Coquimbo, Chile

Outcomes

Primary Outcomes

Weekly grams of alcohol use

Consumption of alcohol during the past week measured in grams of pure alcohol

Time frame: Last week

Frequency of heavy episodic drinking in the past month

Frequency of consumption of five or more drinks on a single occasion during the past 30 days \[response range 0 to 10 and more times\]

Time frame: Last 30 days

Quantity of cigarettes per day

Average daily consumption of cigarettes during the last week

Time frame: Last week

Data from ClinicalTrials.gov

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