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Review
. 2022 May;41(4):918-931.
doi: 10.1111/dar.13446. Epub 2022 Feb 20.

Changes in alcohol use during the COVID-19 pandemic in Europe: A meta-analysis of observational studies

Carolin Kilian  1 , Amy O'Donnell  2 , Nina Potapova  3 , Hugo López-Pelayo  3 , Bernd Schulte  4 , Laia Miquel  3 , Blanca Paniello Castillo  3   5 , Christiane Sybille Schmidt  4 , Antoni Gual  3 , Jürgen Rehm  1   4   6   7   8   9   10   11 , Jakob Manthey  1   4   12
Affiliations
Review

Changes in alcohol use during the COVID-19 pandemic in Europe: A meta-analysis of observational studies

Carolin Kilian et al. Drug Alcohol Rev. 2022 May.

Abstract

Issues: Numerous studies have examined the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on alcohol use changes in Europe, with concerns raised regarding increased use and related harms.

Approach: We synthesised observational studies published between 1 January 2020 and 31 September 2021 on self-reported changes in alcohol use associated with COVID-19. Electronic databases were searched for studies evaluating individual data from European general and clinical populations. We identified 646 reports, of which 56 general population studies were suitable for random-effects meta-analyses of proportional differences in alcohol use changes. Variations by time, sub-region and study quality were assessed in subsequent meta-regressions. Additional 16 reports identified were summarised narratively.

Key findings: Compiling reports measuring changes in overall alcohol use, slightly more individuals indicated a decrease than an increase in their alcohol use during the pandemic [3.8%, 95% confidence interval (CI) 0.00-7.6%]. Decreases were also reported more often than increases in drinking frequency (8.0%, 95% CI 2.7-13.2%), quantity consumed (12.2%, 95% CI 8.3-16.2%) and heavy episodic drinking (17.7%, 95% CI 13.6-21.8%). Among people with pre-existing high drinking levels/alcohol use disorder, high-level drinking patterns appear to have solidified or intensified.

Implications: Pandemic-related changes in alcohol use may be associated with pre-pandemic drinking levels. Increases among high-risk alcohol users are concerning, suggesting a need for ongoing monitoring and support from relevant health-care services.

Conclusion: Our findings suggest that more people reduced their alcohol use in Europe than increased it since the onset of the pandemic. However high-quality studies examining specific change mechanisms at the population level are lacking.

Keywords: COVID-19; Europe; alcohol; drinking; pandemic.

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Conflict of interest statement

LM has received honoraria from GILEAD, Lundbeck and Neuraxpharm that are not related to this study. HLP has received training grants in the last 3 years from Lundbeck, Exeltis and Otsuka that are not related to this study.

Figures

Figure 1
Figure 1
Flow chart on study selection.
Figure 2
Figure 2
Countries covered in meta‐analysis and number of studies for each country. Countries not covered are grey (online version); Countries not covered are white (print version); Bosnia and Herzegovina as well as Serbia were included in a multi‐country study without country‐specific data being available [39].
Figure 3
Figure 3
Random‐effects meta‐analysis for changes in alcohol use. Outcome measure was the difference in the proportion of respondents reporting increases minus decreases in alcohol use. Study details and references are provided in Table S4.
See this image and copyright information in PMC

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