How have differential alcohol policies affected alcohol use and harm across Canada during the outbreak of COVID-19?
Lead Research Organisation:
University of Portsmouth
Department Name: Psychology
Abstract
ESRC : James Michael Clay : ES/P000673/1
Alcohol misuse is a risk factor for several debilitating diseases and disorders, such as cancer, cardiovascular disease, cirrhosis of the liver, depression, and dependence. Globally, alcohol misuse is thought to be responsible for more deaths than serious diseases like tuberculosis, HIV/AIDS, and diabetes.
Similar to the UK and other western cultures, recent statistics suggest that approximately 15-20% of Canadians drink above current government guidelines for low-risk drinking, putting these individuals at a greater risk of developing a disease or disorder associated with alcohol misuse.
Due to the outbreak of a novel coronavirus (COVID-19), governments across the world have implemented strict social distancing measures in an attempt to control the spread of the disease, leaving people isolated within their homes for many months. Several researchers are worried that this period of isolation may increase psychological stress, resulting in increased alcohol consumption and associated harm. To mitigate this increase in alcohol-related harm, some governments have chosen to enact policies designed to limit the level of alcohol use within their jurisdiction while others, such as the UK, have chosen to consider off-licences as 'essential' retailers.
By the time of the placement, the system of governance in Canada will offer a unique opportunity to investigate how the implementation of different alcohol policies has affected alcohol use and related harm before, during, and after the COVID-19 pandemic. For example, each of the ten provinces and three territories have varying levels of control over how alcohol is marketed and sold within their jurisdiction. Therefore, while some jurisdictions have passed temporary prohibitions, others have chosen to increase the supply of alcohol by (for example) increasing the number of hours that the sale of alcohol is permitted, allowing multiple new businesses to sell alcohol, and by offering home delivery services.
During my research placement, I will work in a multidisciplinary team at the Canadian Institute for Substance Use Research (CISUR) headed by Professor Tim Stockwell. During this time, we will have access to alcohol sales data, including product-level data on prices, sales volumes, container sizes, and strengths across all Canadian provinces and territories (to estimate alcohol consumption). We will also have access to record level data related to hospitalisations in each jurisdiction (to assess alcohol-related harm).
We plan to interrogate these data to determine how alcohol policy in each territory/province has affected alcohol use and related harm in both the short-term (i.e., during the period of COVID-19 induced social isolation) and long-term (i.e., once the period of social isolation is over). We will also use the unique and internationally utilised International Model of Alcohol Harms and Policies software, which was created at CISUR, to estimate how the implementation of different alcohol policies would have affected alcohol misuse and harm in each region. Finally, we plan to discover whether a correction for tourism is necessary when producing future alcohol-related statistics. For instance, before the period of social isolation, an individual may have travelled from their home to another region of Canada and consumed a large amount of alcohol - skewing the average level of alcohol use in the region travelled to. Upon returning to their home region, this individual may fall ill with an alcohol-related illness or disorder, requiring hospitalisation - increasing the number of hospitalisations in their home region. However, since the pandemic has limited freedom of movement, we will have the unique opportunity to investigate the effect of tourism on current and future statistics. Overall, this work will inform policymakers in normative circumstances and during crises.
Alcohol misuse is a risk factor for several debilitating diseases and disorders, such as cancer, cardiovascular disease, cirrhosis of the liver, depression, and dependence. Globally, alcohol misuse is thought to be responsible for more deaths than serious diseases like tuberculosis, HIV/AIDS, and diabetes.
Similar to the UK and other western cultures, recent statistics suggest that approximately 15-20% of Canadians drink above current government guidelines for low-risk drinking, putting these individuals at a greater risk of developing a disease or disorder associated with alcohol misuse.
Due to the outbreak of a novel coronavirus (COVID-19), governments across the world have implemented strict social distancing measures in an attempt to control the spread of the disease, leaving people isolated within their homes for many months. Several researchers are worried that this period of isolation may increase psychological stress, resulting in increased alcohol consumption and associated harm. To mitigate this increase in alcohol-related harm, some governments have chosen to enact policies designed to limit the level of alcohol use within their jurisdiction while others, such as the UK, have chosen to consider off-licences as 'essential' retailers.
By the time of the placement, the system of governance in Canada will offer a unique opportunity to investigate how the implementation of different alcohol policies has affected alcohol use and related harm before, during, and after the COVID-19 pandemic. For example, each of the ten provinces and three territories have varying levels of control over how alcohol is marketed and sold within their jurisdiction. Therefore, while some jurisdictions have passed temporary prohibitions, others have chosen to increase the supply of alcohol by (for example) increasing the number of hours that the sale of alcohol is permitted, allowing multiple new businesses to sell alcohol, and by offering home delivery services.
During my research placement, I will work in a multidisciplinary team at the Canadian Institute for Substance Use Research (CISUR) headed by Professor Tim Stockwell. During this time, we will have access to alcohol sales data, including product-level data on prices, sales volumes, container sizes, and strengths across all Canadian provinces and territories (to estimate alcohol consumption). We will also have access to record level data related to hospitalisations in each jurisdiction (to assess alcohol-related harm).
We plan to interrogate these data to determine how alcohol policy in each territory/province has affected alcohol use and related harm in both the short-term (i.e., during the period of COVID-19 induced social isolation) and long-term (i.e., once the period of social isolation is over). We will also use the unique and internationally utilised International Model of Alcohol Harms and Policies software, which was created at CISUR, to estimate how the implementation of different alcohol policies would have affected alcohol misuse and harm in each region. Finally, we plan to discover whether a correction for tourism is necessary when producing future alcohol-related statistics. For instance, before the period of social isolation, an individual may have travelled from their home to another region of Canada and consumed a large amount of alcohol - skewing the average level of alcohol use in the region travelled to. Upon returning to their home region, this individual may fall ill with an alcohol-related illness or disorder, requiring hospitalisation - increasing the number of hospitalisations in their home region. However, since the pandemic has limited freedom of movement, we will have the unique opportunity to investigate the effect of tourism on current and future statistics. Overall, this work will inform policymakers in normative circumstances and during crises.
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ORCID iD |
| Lorenzo Stafford (Principal Investigator) |