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

Sponsor
Universidad de La Frontera (Other)
Overall Status
Completed
CT.gov ID
NCT05069090
Collaborator
Universidad Católica del Norte (Other)
1,038
2
10.9
519
47.7

Study Details

Study Description

Brief Summary

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.

Condition or Disease Intervention/Treatment Phase
  • Behavioral: Lockdown and other social distancing measures

Detailed Description

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 Design

Study Type:
Observational
Actual Enrollment :
1038 participants
Observational Model:
Cohort
Time Perspective:
Prospective
Official Title:
Effect of COVID-19 Lockdown on Alcohol and Tobacco Use in Two Chilean Universities: a Difference-in-difference Analysis
Actual Study Start Date :
Jun 3, 2020
Actual Primary Completion Date :
Apr 30, 2021
Actual Study Completion Date :
Apr 30, 2021

Arms and Interventions

Arm Intervention/Treatment
Students and academics Universidad La Frontera

The intervention consists of social distancing measures to curb the viral transmission of SARS-CoV-2. The Araucanía region was subject to lockdown in a different moment than the Coquimbo region, creating exogenous variation.

Behavioral: Lockdown and other social distancing measures
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).

Students and academics Universidad Católica del Norte

The intervention consists of social distancing measures to curb the viral transmission of SARS-CoV-2. The Coquimbo region was subject to lockdown in a different moment than the Araucanía region, creating exogenous variation.

Behavioral: Lockdown and other social distancing measures
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).

Outcome Measures

Primary Outcome Measures

  1. Weekly grams of alcohol use [Last week]

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

  2. Frequency of heavy episodic drinking in the past month [Last 30 days]

    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]

  3. Quantity of cigarettes per day [Last week]

    Average daily consumption of cigarettes during the last week

Eligibility Criteria

Criteria

Ages Eligible for Study:
18 Years and Older
Sexes Eligible for Study:
All
Accepts Healthy Volunteers:
Yes
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

Contacts and Locations

Locations

Site City State Country Postal Code
1 Universidad de la Frontera Temuco Araucanía Chile
2 Universidad Católica del Norte Coquimbo Chile

Sponsors and Collaborators

  • Universidad de La Frontera
  • Universidad Católica del Norte

Investigators

  • Principal Investigator: Francisca Román, PhD, Universidad de La Frontera

Study Documents (Full-Text)

More Information

Publications

Responsible Party:
Francisca Roman, Associate Professor, Universidad de La Frontera
ClinicalTrials.gov Identifier:
NCT05069090
Other Study ID Numbers:
  • ANID - COVID0282
First Posted:
Oct 6, 2021
Last Update Posted:
Oct 14, 2021
Last Verified:
Oct 1, 2021
Individual Participant Data (IPD) Sharing Statement:
Yes
Plan to Share IPD:
Yes
Studies a U.S. FDA-regulated Drug Product:
No
Studies a U.S. FDA-regulated Device Product:
No
Keywords provided by Francisca Roman, Associate Professor, Universidad de La Frontera
Additional relevant MeSH terms:

Study Results

No Results Posted as of Oct 14, 2021