Table 1.
Comparison of mean (95% CI) AUDIT scores before and during the pandemic and commensurate scores from the representative sample in the NDSHS.
| Item | Before SD | During SD | % decrease | % increase | NDSHS |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| % Female | 64.5 (62.2, 68.8) | 47.6 (46.7, 48.7) | |||
| Age | 48.9 (48.3, 49.5) | 40.5 (40.2, 40.8) | |||
| 1. How often do you have a drink containing alcohol? | 3.02 (2.98, 3.06) | 3.08 (3.03, 3.13)** | 14.6 (12.9, 16.4) | 21.8 (19.9, 23.9) | 2.48 (2.46, 2.50) |
| 2. How many standard drinks do you have on a typical day when you are drinking? | 1.01 (0.96, 1.07) | 0.97 (0.91, 1.02)* | 14.6 (12.9, 16.4) | 14.0 (12.4, 15.8) | 1.01 (0.98, 1.04) |
| 3. How often do you have six or more standard drinks in one occasion? | 1.59 (1.53, 1.65) | 1.27 (1.20, 1.34)*** | 33.4 (31.1, 35.7) | 8.9 (7.6, 10.4) | 1.39 (1.36, 1.42) |
| Consumption subscale (AUDIT‐C) | 5.62 (5.49, 5.75) | 5.32 (5.18, 5.46) *** | 35.8 (33.5, 38.1) | 24.9 (22.8, 27.0) | 4.89 (4.82, 4.95) |
| 4. How often during the last year have you found that you were not able to stop drinking once you had started? | 0.79 (0.73, 0.85) | 0.61 (0.55, 0.66)*** | 20.2 (18.3, 22.3) | 6.2 (5.1, 7.5) | 0.33 (0.31, 0.34) |
| 5. How often during the last year have you failed to do what was normally expected of you because of your drinking? | 0.37 (0.33, 0.41) | 0.30 (0.26, 0.33)*** | 12.8 (11.2, 14.5) | 5.8 (4.7, 7.0) | 0.26 (0.25, 0.28) |
| 6. How often during the last year have you needed a first drink in the morning to get yourself going after a heavy drinking session? | 0.10 (0.08, 0.13) | 0.11 (0.08, 0.14) | 1.4 (0.9, 2.1) | 2.1 (1.5, 2.9) | 0.06 (0.05, 0.07) |
| Dependence subscale (AUDIT‐D) | 1.26 (1.16, 1.36) | 1.01 (0.91, 1.11) *** | 22.1 (20.1, 24.2) | 10.2 (8.8, 11.7) | 0.65 (0.62, 0.68) |
| 7. How often during the last year have you had a feeling of guilt or remorse after drinking? | 0.75 (0.71, 0.80) | 0.64 (0.59, 0.70)*** | 26.3 (24.2, 28.5) | 8.9 (7.6, 10.4) | 0.39 (0.37, 0.40) |
| 8. How often during the last year have you been unable to remember what happened the night before because you had been drinking? | 0.52 (0.48, 0.56) | 0.36 (0.32, 0.40)*** | 18.2 (16.4, 20.2) | 4.5 (3.6, 5.7) | 0.42 (0.40, 0.44) |
| Total (eight items) | 8.16 (7.90, 8.42) | 7.33 (7.05, 7.62) *** | 48.2 (45.8, 50.6) | 23.5 (21.4, 25.6) | 6.35 (6.25, 6.45) |
| 1684 | 1684 | 13 739 |
CI = confidence interval; n = 1684; NDSHS = National Drug Strategy Household Survey; AUDIT = Alcohol Use Disorders Identification Test.
*
P < 0.05;
**
P < 0.01;
***
P < 0.001.
Bold type indicates differences in score before and during social distancing as per a paired t‐test. SD = social distancing.