Alcohol Use Patterns During and After the COVID-19 Pandemic Among Veterans in the United States.

ABSTRACT:

Background

Veterans may be especially susceptible to increased alcohol consumption following the COVID-19 pandemic. We aim to evaluate trends in alcohol use among US Veterans prior to, during, and following the onset of the COVID-19 pandemic.

Methods

All US Veterans utilizing Veterans Affairs health care facilities in the United States from March 1, 2018 to February 28, 2023 with ≥1 AUDIT-C score were categorized into 1) No alcohol use (AUDIT-C = 0), 2) Low-risk alcohol use (AUDIT-C 1-2 for women, 1-3 for men), and 3) High-risk alcohol use (AUDIT-C ≥ 3 for women, ≥ 4 for men). Trends in the proportion of Veterans reporting high-risk alcohol use, stratified by sex, age, race/ethnicity, and urbanicity were evaluated.

Results

Among a cohort of 2.15 to 2.60 million Vetera

SUBMITTER: Wong RJ 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC10923092 | biostudies-literature | 2024 Mar

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature