Effect of COVID-19 Lockdown on Alcohol Consumption Among the Youths in Kampala, Uganda. A Cross-Sectional Study.

IF 5.1 Q1 SUBSTANCE ABUSE
Substance Abuse and Rehabilitation Pub Date : 2025-02-10 eCollection Date: 2025-01-01 DOI:10.2147/SAR.S497582
Amelia Margaret Namiiro, Ritah Audo, Charity Doreen Nannungi, Ivaan Pitua, Denis Kiberu, Peter Talemwa, Emanuel Mujuni, Alex Lwesabula, Paul Ageimo, Arnold Zephania Khaukha, Moses Jok Kuol, Lazarous Egaru, Malik Koire, Nelson Ssewante
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引用次数: 0

Abstract

Background: The COVID-19 pandemic led to increased loneliness, emotional stress, and idleness due to job losses and school closures which can drive substance use among vulnerable populations like youths. Uganda has been identified as one of the countries with the highest alcohol consumption in Africa. Alcohol predisposes to a number of health concerns including mental health disorders, cardiovascular diseases among others. This study assessed the impact of the COVID-19 lockdown on alcohol consumption among youths in Kampala, Uganda.

Methods: A quantitative cross-sectional study among randomly selected youth aged 18-35 years living in the five divisions of Kampala. Participation was strictly after informed consent was obtained. 381 youths were interviewed, both students and non-students were included in the study. The AUDIT-C questionnaire was used to measure the frequency and quantity. Frequent was defined as six or more drinks a week.

Results: We enrolled 381 participants in the study with a mean age of 26±4.6 years. More than half (60%) of the participants were male. 71% lived with family during the lockdown. Of the 64% that were employed before the lockdown, 54% lost their jobs. At least 42.5% of the participants reported alcohol consumption during the lockdown. Males consumed twice as much alcohol as females. Generally, the level of alcohol consumption decreased during the COVID-19 pandemic as the percentage of participants consuming alcohol dropped from 47.5% to 42.8%. Despite the overall decrease in the number of participants consuming alcohol, there was an increase in the frequency and amount of alcohol consumed on occasion during the pandemic.

Conclusion: Fewer youths consumed alcohol during the COVID-19 lockdown in Kampala, Uganda. However, those who did significantly increased their drinking amount and frequency. Male youths, those living with friends, and those with poor self-perceived mental health were more likely to increase their alcohol intake. Further investigation into increased alcohol consumption among youths post-COVID is necessary to understand the extent and long-term health implications.

COVID-19封锁对乌干达坎帕拉青少年饮酒的影响横断面研究。
背景:2019冠状病毒病大流行导致失业和学校关闭导致孤独感、情绪压力和闲置加剧,这可能会导致青少年等弱势群体使用药物。乌干达被确定为非洲酒精消费量最高的国家之一。酒精容易引起许多健康问题,包括精神健康障碍、心血管疾病等。这项研究评估了COVID-19封锁对乌干达坎帕拉年轻人饮酒的影响。方法:在坎帕拉5个区随机抽取18-35岁青年进行定量横断面研究。在获得知情同意后严格参与。381名青少年接受了采访,包括学生和非学生。采用AUDIT-C问卷测量频率和数量。“频繁”被定义为每周喝六杯或更多。结果:我们招募了381名参与者,平均年龄为26±4.6岁。超过一半(60%)的参与者是男性。71%的人在封锁期间与家人住在一起。在封锁前就业的64%人中,有54%失去了工作。至少42.5%的参与者报告在封锁期间饮酒。男性的饮酒量是女性的两倍。总体而言,在COVID-19大流行期间,酒精消费水平下降,饮酒的参与者比例从47.5%降至42.8%。尽管饮酒的参与者人数总体上有所减少,但在大流行期间,偶尔饮酒的频率和数量有所增加。结论:在乌干达坎帕拉COVID-19封锁期间,饮酒的年轻人减少了。然而,那些喝酒的人却明显增加了饮酒量和饮酒频率。男性青年、与朋友同住的人以及自我认为心理健康状况较差的人更有可能增加酒精摄入量。有必要进一步调查covid后青少年饮酒增加的情况,以了解其程度和长期健康影响。
本文章由计算机程序翻译,如有差异,请以英文原文为准。
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