Supplementary Material for: The Effects of the Lockdown during the COVID-19 Pandemic on Alcohol and Tobacco Consumption Behavior in Germany

<b><i>Background:</i></b> Similar to other countries, the government of Germany has implemented various restrictions of social life in March 2020 to slow the spread of COVID-19 pandemic. This results in millions of people being isolated for long periods, which may increase feelings of worry and anxiety. As the consumption of alcohol and tobacco is an often used dysfunctional strategy to cope with such feelings, these restrictions might cause an increase of consumption. Already at the beginning of the COVID-19 pandemic, the World Health Organization (WHO) warned that increased alcohol consumption during the lockdown can increase the prevalence of alcohol use disorders in the future. However, up to now little is known about the changes in alcohol-drinking behavior and tobacco smoking in the general population during the COVID-19 pandemic. <b><i>Methods:</i></b> To address this theme, we investigated the changes in alcohol and tobacco consumption in the German population aged between 18 and 80 years via an online survey. <b><i>Results:</i></b> In total, 3,245 persons participated in the survey; 35.5% of them reported an increase in drinking during the lockdown (42.9% did not change their drinking behavior, 21.3% drank less, and 0.3% started drinking). The odds of consuming more alcohol during lockdown were associated with middle age, higher subjective stress due to the COVID-19 pandemic, a lower agreement with the importance of the restrictions, and consuming alcohol more than once per week before the lockdown. Also, 45.8% of the participants increased their smoking during the lockdown. The odds of smoking more during lockdown were associated with higher subjective stress due to the COVID-19 pandemic. <b><i>Conclusion:</i></b> These findings suggest that it is important to start campaigns to inform the general population about potential long-term effects of increased alcohol and tobacco consumption and to raise the health-care professionals’ awareness of this topic.

<b><i>研究背景：</i></b> 与全球多数国家相仿，德国政府于2020年3月出台多项社交活动限制措施，以遏制新型冠状病毒肺炎（COVID-19）大流行的传播。此举致使数百万民众长期居家隔离，或进一步加重其焦虑与担忧情绪。由于烟酒常被用作应对此类负面情绪的非适应性调节手段，此类限制举措或推动烟酒消费量上升。早在新冠疫情（COVID-19）暴发初期，世界卫生组织（World Health Organization, WHO）便已发出警示：封控期间饮酒量增加，未来酒精使用障碍的患病率或随之升高。然而截至目前，学界对新冠疫情期间普通民众饮酒与吸烟行为的变化仍知之甚少。<b><i>研究方法：</i></b> 为厘清这一问题，本研究通过线上问卷调查的方式，针对18至80岁德国民众的烟酒消费变化情况开展调研。<b><i>研究结果：</i></b> 本次调研共回收有效问卷3245份；其中35.5%的受访者称封控期间饮酒量有所增加（42.9%的受访者饮酒习惯未发生改变，21.3%饮酒量减少，另有0.3%的受访者首次开始饮酒）。封控期间饮酒量增加的优势比，与受访者处于中年阶段、因新冠疫情产生更高主观压力、对防疫限制措施重要性认同度较低，以及封控前每周饮酒超过一次等因素显著相关。此外，45.8%的受访者表示封控期间吸烟量有所增加，此类人群吸烟量上升的优势比，同样与因新冠疫情产生更高主观压力显著相关。<b><i>研究结论：</i></b> 本研究结果显示，有必要开展针对性科普宣教活动，向普通民众普及烟酒消费增加可能带来的长期健康风险，同时提升医疗卫生专业人员对该议题的认知水平。